The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-12-16
A NIGHT wATcn IN ALoERIA.

a MIGHT WA4Ch ~ A4-N-A@N'
A Terrible Conflict Between jealous Lions
"A LioneST Fight for Llf9'
BY ROBERT DANE.
LCOYVngi lssd,l
Only these who have experienced 1t
can realize the excitement caused by Wit
Messing q hand.tO.hand conflict between
two savage uutamed beasts. | have Wit
messed bull fights in Mexico, and seen a
python crush the life out Of calf in
South America, but never gszsd on q
more thrilling episode thsn on one hot
Algerian night at water pool about 200
miles in the interior. Beside the pool
were several trees Of fair siEs, in the
branches Of one Of which had been placed
snail platform hidden among the C!us-
tered leaves, from which hiding place 1t
wss convenient to shoot any animals that
might come 10 the poOl to drink during
the night. Thither repaired, Oneeyeuing
coon after sundoWn, Maccoyoy and my
AL, accompanied by his Arab servant
youpg fellow named Asilla, who bore our
snare guns and acted ~ general iaGtotnm
"a ms both on expeditions oil this nature.
| lis difficult for me, In my cooloE mo-
mepts, to climb q tree, and the smooth
straIglt stem proved extremely trolble-
soms 10 swarm, However, with the help
of Mac and Asilla, l managed aud Sc
cured comfortable perch. They. fol-
lowed with great facility, being hoth
slight active men, and at once made the
gums ready, ,1,,
The moon rose gradually, and had q
good opportunity 10 stpdy perfect silence,
Nothing can he more deeply silent. than q
still night in the Desert. As there 10 LLtle
or no vegetation on these vast oceans o.
sand there Is no insect lie, and for several
houTs after tho moon Tose absolute silence
l1elVped, We did not speak, There was
no wind, 1t seemed 90 II there was no
living thing in that widespread expanse Of
Country, was beginning TO ieel sleepy
sud nodded frequently, when prolonged
yoar sounded close at hand. In ON instant
wa were wide awake and grRsped our guns
nervously, At tho next instant tho roar
YVES snsN cred from q location Immediately
beneath us, On looking down We aRW q
1 iioness Wing on her belly, her head be-
tween her paws, and her long tail waving
IuxuriousIy to and fro. She Looked IKE
huge cal enjoying come plessurable sen,
satlon. Almost instantly third wool
wooiyi sounded at our backs. "Gadi
Doeln breathed Mac, i've are In for q bay
tonight and moment IaIsr Two mas
nihCent males stepped slowly anu nls! 5sI'
IiCally into view. The female Con'laueuIC
ourr and wave her tail gently
Az soon as the two lions spied eaGh
other. they prepared lOr action. Slowly
md carefully they nesTsd each other
tba Iiouess meanwhile watching them az
a cat docs mouLe. Closer aud closer they
drew. Will. We, spell.bOund, reserved oul
ire to witness tho terrible duel that Wat
Impending. IN ,..,
rcary OF rage FpriDg at each other, and
meetipgin midleap, fall, biting and tear
inc 10 ina earth. " . can hear their bones
cIush between their powerful jaWR, like
tpp shells beneath mans boot heel
, iThe lioness maintaining her tranquil att
lude, watched the conflict, as 1t seemed Il
my excited eyes, with q deyilish smile on
her face. Over and over they rolled
while tho sICkening sound o. CnamplpG
bones filed the air, mingled with the!i
frantic roaring and the movement OF tnell
bodies as they thrRahed through the
WhiIling sand, BY this tune my
nerves were so wrought up that
could stand the terrific spectacle no!ongel
and. taxing deliberate aim at the lionesS
behind her shoulder blade, let sly
Above The rumble Of the smooth bore
sounded the shriek Of the lioness as the
, heavy hall crushed into her yita!s. The
two iuslisls at once ceased their encounter
and as enc Of them turned he received
) Naccoyoy'B Tias bullet In tue head, the
missile piercing the hollow over the eye
where the shulI Ia weak and entering the
. brain; death YVES almost instantaneous
me other male with q thunderlng WOOL
gave q mighty spring and landed hs!l way
: up the tree trunk nearly shaRlng us IRON
. our perch. Asills hastily discharged one
Of tho spare guns glap'banE into his lace
but probably tho charge only gr9Lsa MN
for falling back no disappeared INTO the
darkness toward where tho moans and
cries Of tho lionessGr grew fainter and taintel
every moment. n =,
The moon being on the waue, atler al
sounds had CEASED NO returned 10 camp
with many promises 10 each other to take
mn the spoor Of our wounded enemies IN
the morning, and track them TO theii
death, Accordingly ut dRybrenk, with
party OF tiity Arab beaterp, we returned
| to the "stand" aud were soon on the gpool
Of the wounded lioness. The Sand wa;
torn up ior quite space 90 II tee animal
, had suffered terrible agony, and following
the trail for at least nine milcu In south
eastsrly direction, tho dogs gave tongue
at tGmarisk brake, that EXTENDED on
three sides Of quite body Of bTaCkish
; water. Some four or five oil the dogs Of
, better blood than the average, ARAB cur
dashed into the tanglc, and the next IN
slant We had the ratielaotion Of seeing the
manpled remains Of ono dung up In the
dir, from about the center Of the patch
| A chorus OF yelps and HnarlinSs now
get in, and one dlEConsolOte cur limpsd
painfully out, his ribs bare Of lesh where
The lioness's paw had struck him. We
were now in prcdlCament. Alter an
bout's internal clutter by the heaters, we
we're as far from getting her royal high.
neVs out as ever, for show herself she
would not. I'll the tamarlsk is only dry
enough" quoth Mac, "wo can soon EmokG
her outs" and ho gailoped round Though
lhe beSters, and soon o body Of flaming
torches ralned into the brake. This
| ietched her. She made gallant charge
out and almost up to US, before we gave
her all four barrels. II stopped her, and
for a moment the noble beast seemed
stunned. Then as the smoke cleared
away, we saw her return to the shelter.
MoIe torches were thrown In, and four
separate times did the desperate lioness
chRrgS 10 dauntlessly, and receive our
hre, before finally biting the dust.
She had eleven bullet holes in her, be.
sides the nmaahed shoulder blade l had
given her the night before. With that
bullet in her (which had passed through
| ~, ~, a. tkSt u hoi n1,knrnA\ sha had