The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1889-05-18
A LION HUNT WITH ARABS.
ROUTING OUT TWO LIONS FROM
THEIR STRONGHOLD.
An Arab Youths Daring Decd A
Wounded Lions Terrible Charge
The Hero's Reward.

Wounded Lions Terrible Charge
The Hero's Reward.
We we're on visit to one of the hill
tribes of North Africa, says writer in
Chans5ers's journal. Our hosts were poor.
but to the best they could offer we were
made heartily welcome. There is no
lack OF hospitality among the much
maligned Ishmaelites. Many an act of
genuine kindness was shown US. and we
should have been cravens indeed had We
refused to aid our dusky friends in their
hour of need. A lion family had taken
up their abode in cave difficult of &C
cess, among the hills close by. Night
after night dire havoc was wrought by
these fierce marauders, and the time had
come when a determined stand must be
made to avert utter and irrevocable ruin.
While the mountain Arab is by no means
deficient in courage, perseverance or
physical strength, his weapons are of a
most primitive kind. The long, light,
fint-lock gun he handles bears no COM
parison with our modern arms of pre-
cision. Deprived of that comfortable
sense of safety and self-assurance which
the possession of a trusty breech-loader
affords, the Arab endeavors to make up
for it by an accumulation of numbers. 1t
can scarcely be said, however, that the
old proverb holds good on such &C.
casions. Face to face with an angry
North African lion, there is no safety in
numbers; he has been known to rush
upon hundreds of men.
A glorious morning it was among the
l,,Ila @ba elyu q N ao,louu fb ,,pr,la fiutc
and through the veil of mist which hung
round the shoulder of the great granite
heights far off the SUBMITS were glisten-
ing like so many black diamonds bathed
in sun5eams. Nature in its most rugged
form lay before and around US. In the
pure azure above, moon and stars were
paling before the suns return. We were
surrounded by a motley crowd of Arabs
in their picturesque costume. Young
and old, all indeed capable of bearing
arms had turned out; some few were
handling their long, slender, smooth
bore guns, but by far the greater number
had only spears and yataghans. The
venerable chief beside us gave us his or
ders briefly but distinctly. The exact
location of the lions cave was we'll
known. At imminent peril of their lives
the scouts had found it. tracking its
mighty denizens to their very lair. A
large circle of spearmen was now formed,
and the men received instructions to con-
verge gradually toward rocky ledge in
front of the cave, whose entrance was
family visible from the elevated position
of our trysting place. Presently the
''battue" commenced. Amid much
shouting and clash of arms the lines were
drawn closer and closer, while all of US
who had firearms made as straight as
possible for the cave. Before we had got
within range an enormous male lion
showed himself for an instant, shook his
name, and vanished, to appear again
when we had arrived at a distance of
about a thousand yards.
A brisk but harmless fusillade was
opened upon him by our Arab friends,
and with roar of defiance he withdrew
once more into his stronghold; nor did
he show himself again as we drew nearer
and nearer until we came to a halt about
200 Yards from the cave. The narrow ledge
leading up to it was separated from the
hill on which we stood by deep gorge
more than forty feet wide. Above the
ledge lowered precipitous height; and
every cleft or gully in the rocky wall
around bristled with the arms of our
spearmen. barring escape in every direc-
ton, a complete circle of glittering steel.
We looked carefully to our weapons,
and, when all was ready for giving our
royal foe hot reception, loud shouts and
clamor were raised to draw them forth,
but all in vain. No lion showed as much
as the tip of his nose. After brief con
sultation, one dauntless youth agreed to
creep along the ledge, close to the cave.
COLLECT n heap of dry brushwood and
fire it, so as to smoke the lions out. The
suearmen redoubled their clamor, and
we held our riies in readiness for instant
use, while anXiously watching the lads
progress He pursued his perilous ia k
with great courage. Creeping warily
along the ledge, he never paused till he
had gained the entrance of the cave.
Quickly gathering together the dry
brushwood near at hand he soon RAISED a
pile large enough to fill the entrance,
and after firing it he made MS way back
in safety. proud of his daring achieve
ment and warmly welcomed by us al.
A few moments and the fire blaZed up,
sending "A column of smoke into the cave
The effect upon the inmates was il
Simultaneous and startling. Two mighty
roars mingled in one. and lion and lioness
bounded forth one after the other Our
doings had goaded them into fury, and
they were ready to do battle against all
odds in defense of their young ones and
their home. Attirst glimpse of them my
. CINNAMON and fired but the mOyemnr Il
of the NJ ghty beasts were so rapid and
incessant that both of us missed. Our
Arab friends were peppering away witt.
;heir firearms, but also to little or &c
purpose.