Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1883-06-28
An AEGERIAM LION sTORY.


good company, one glorious Septem-
ber evening, in the little moon-lighted
garden of the hotel at Algiers is nei-
tber here nor there.
My companions about the round ta-
bic, which was garnished with slim
bottles, glasses. and piles Of cigarettes,
were all Frenchmen-three old AL
gerian colonists-the fourth an ex-
Lieutenant Of the Navy, who had ex-
changed life on the ocean wave for
that of a hunter in three-quarters of
the globe.
Before dinner | had picked MP in
the saloon Du Chaillu's gorilla-book,
which ! had never seen before, and
my saying something about this
turned the conversation in the garden
npon wild beasts and the hunting Of
them.
Some wonderful stories were told.
especially by the ex-sailor, though not
bit more wonderful than many one
hears from old Indian sportsmen.
For the matter of that the most ex-
traordinary sporting story ever heard
was told by-of all men in the world
"a hare-hunter, who capped there
with a snake-and-elephant narrative,
quite unique of its kind.
Presently, a short silence, caused
by the uncorking and tasting of new
bottle Of Hermitage, was broken by
the eldest of the party, who had not
said much before. He was a good
looking man of fifty, with beard gray
er than his head. and merry twin
kle in his eye. 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 go
ing to tell you, gentlemen, happened
to me a good many years ago. 1t
was my first serious interview with a
lion. Like most serious things it had
q comic-side, too.
Il was young man then, and had
been some dozen years in Constantine
farming in partnership with friend,
an'old colonist, whose acquaintance
had made on board ship coming out
from Mareeilles.
sour business was corn and cattle
raising, and we did very we'll togeth.
er, until my partner died of a fever,
and took a dislike to the place.
thought / would shift my ground into
this province. Algiers, push toward
the frontier, and get grant of Gov
ernment land and make farm of it.
So, getting a neighbor to give an eye
to things in my absence, / started on
my prospecting expedition.
II say !, bat should say we, for
there were three Of US, sworn comrades
as ever were.
First, there was your humble SER
want; secondly, there was my horse
Marengo, aud better never looked
through a bride. He was bred be.
tween a Barb sire and an English
mare. belonging to the Colonel of chas.
seurs Of whom / bought him in town
when his regiment was going home
He stood about fifteen hands two
carried the Barb head, and there's O
his body was all bone and muscle
His temper was as good as his cour.
age was high; me he would follow
about like . dog. but he had one fail
ing, and that was insuperable OBJ
lection to the close proximity of any.
thing. except one thing. that stood OF
four legs. We all have our peculiar
ities, and this was his. Bipeds wer,
all very well, but multiply the leg
by two, and he let fly immediately
and never missed his aim.
"Such was Marengo.
Thirdly, there was Cognac, Ia,
faithfullest, the most honest, the odd
est and the wickedest little dog th,
world ever saw. He was more like .
terrier than anything else, with .
short yellow coat. fox's head, very
long ears and q very short tail. ThI
shrillness Of his bark pierced you
ears like q knife. but the aRfulness o
his howl-he always howled if lef
alone-bafEles description. Darinl
the fourteen years / had him, he sci
dorn left me day or night. On jour
ney he would run beside me, anC
when tired get up and sic in my wal
let. The great pleasure of his liii
was to steal behind people and secret
ly bite their legs.
by some mysterious affinity, hi
and Marengo were friends from th.