Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-06-13
HORSE AGAINST LION.

HORSE AGAINST LION.
How came to be sitting, IN very good
company, one glorious September even
ing in the little moonlighted garden of
the hotel at Algiers is neither here nor
there
The story-teller was good-looking
man of 80, with beard grayer than his
head, and merry twinkle in his eve.
What he said l shall repeat. for the sake
of clearness. in the first person, Just as
he told the story himself:
The adventure of which am going
to tell YOU, gentlemen, happened to me
good many years ago. 1t was my
first serious interview with lion. Like
most serious things, it had a comic side.
too.
i was a young man then, and had
been some half dozen years in Constan-
tine, farming in partnership with a
friend, an old cOlOnist, whose acquain-
tance | made on board ship coming out
from Marseilles
"Our business was corn and cattle
raising, and We did very well together
until my partner died of a fever, and
after that / took dislike to the place.
/ thought | would shift my ground into
this province, AlgierS, push toward the
frontier, and get grant of government
land and make farm of it. So, getting
a neighbOr to give an eye TO things In my
absence, started on my prospecting eX-
pedition.
say |, but l should say We, for there
We're three of us. sworn comrades as ever
were.
First there was your humble servant; !;
secondly there was my horse Marengo,
and a better never looked through a
bride. He was bred between Barb
sire and an English mare belonging TO
the Colonel of chaSseurs, of whom L
bought him in town when his regiment
was going home. He stood about fifteen
hands two. carried the Barb head, and
the rest of his body was all bone and
muscle. His temper was as good as his
courage was high; me he would follow
about like dog: but he had one failing,
and that was an msuperable objection 10
the close proximity of anything, except
one thing. that stood on four legs we
all have our pecullarities, and this was
his. Bipeds were all very well, but
multiply the legs by two, and he let ny
Immediately, and never missed his ann.
.sSuch was Marengo.
lsThirdly. there was Cognac, the faith-
fnlest. the most honest, the oldest, ana
the wickedest little dog the world ever
COW He was more like terrier than
.,nvtbino else. with short yellow coat,
a fox's head, very long ears, ana a very
short tail. The shrillness OF MS pal h
nierced YOUR ears like knife, put tIe
awfuiness of his howl-he always ho"l-
ad if left alone-baffies description.
Durrnq tbe fourteen years | had nm ne
seldom left me day or night. On q
tourney he would run beside me, ana
hem fired get up and sit in my wallet;
Tbe great pleasure OF his life was 10 stedi
III; ! neople and secretly bite their
legs. ~ oei,itv be and
,foranao were friends from the INST
Tbay now sleep under the same tree-
..Ea1 we started, and after gong
oval, a GOOD deal of ground thought i
Ia decided ON location, and turheu
nav Ia" face bomeward. Ny direction was
Inv Alma. to strike the great toau Cna Sii,,'
rims under the Atlas eastward ih'o oon-
IL was about s O'Clock one morning,
hon | had been some two hours III 'iie
Saddje J that | emerged from a narrow ,yS
lie or rayine, through whlcn .le
r"ad ran. on to a sandy PLAIN dotteu VIII
bushes and scrub. ,roro,go-s
Il had Just laid the relns on MaieSo a
- when suddenly he gave treiheii'''
nus .hv that pitched me clean on. I'LL,
o'is s.Tha next minute, with horripis
lion sprang right at his head.
ioi II made s,lre he was on the top oi nm
5 he would have been, but as Maion
+.ii' ,rbaeled short round like ilghtnihs
his hind legs the streaming rem.
caught the brute's fore-pa|S " 'i Ell side
weie. tripped him, so that nc ieii ''''
ways on the road. ,ro,oht the
1.-THE heavy jerk nearly prousn, o', shroIe i
bors, down, but the throat:lasn IND and
tba Lr;dle was pulled over MS e.,i'' IVA,
rncoyerinp rc himself, he daIteu od hr tb,
among a grove Of trees that S'o0' y
"ss sSn SUI ;ntept was the lion on tle hoho' ,ne
L.. 10 Maid no attention 10 iiie y N's
defenceiess before nm; tho Ground
Craving swiftly along 9.Hgm 1nG 1 gave saU u
ba nnrsued Marengo wst whoin = the lith,
,or ne Iost@for his chance against hapeIess nne @
br,,te among the trees seene9 see1 Iv have if
However. as luck .oS wohlS oSout ado dozel
.hs,e was an open space tar apou. Of thi
tnede eds across @ In the center Gi bis tai tai
Mars,sn Saans took his stand %i.m Snad tl tnrne, @
toward tie lion "a; and dhd,,ideT, n,s ne'n %atchin'
him. Till except for TN
s,.ht me shifting Of his hind feet aT anu mean ,
ST stlsiis III S,1 quarters, which ] hi'e" 'D''
mischief. ,.,J,- thought so too
for he ttN kept @ @dodging to try ymsnt' ana taA Bu m
nnnonent lTa by flank movenJ mover and pivot
fp tbe old horse knew his game, h,ronrht an" nth hi
;ns me ON ON his fore-legs stlii a,oro~ o.ou
% ..soen with roar, the l.hsd lloh l1a1l out bot
Seels i, together, with such eAcepen .Sat catchin
@ ment Of time and distance tnae, t.sac,ted S hin
Tt him full nj in the chest. he knIessh .he.e he la la
hl1n .uI - 20 the ground, WIiffe ~ -