Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-25
CHAPTER ~,

i half arose and felt for a trusty six-shooter.
This pistol was not one that had been purchased
for this or any other occasion, as the worthless
pistols of the time are usually purchased, but
it had been my companion from boyhood
As half arose the lion suddenly halted. He
lifted his proud head higher still in the air
and, to my CONSERVATION, half turned about
and looked straight in my direction. Then a
sicewise and clrcuItous step or two with his
long reach Of hinder leg. his wide and deep
and flexible flank; slow and kingly; splendid to
Seei
sank down again, quite willing to let him
interview the land of Arabs in the black chasm
below. They had spears and guns and every
thing down there, everything but courage to
face lion with, and l was not going to inter-
fere with fight which at the first had prom
ised to be entirely their own.
Bat this new movement OF mine only accentu-
ated his graceful motion. The head now turned
III the air, like the head of q man. had time
TO note. and recorded it with certainty, that
the massive head and tumbled name lowered
straight above the shoulder. In fact the lower
parts OF the long name looked most like the
long. shaggy beard of a man falling down upon
his broad breast. This noted as he still KEEP,
on his sldewlse circuit above and ar ound
US the yellow sand and under the yellow
moon. At times he was almost ludistinct But
the carriage Of that head There was a fine
fascination III the lift and the movement and
the turn OF that stately head that must ever be
remembered. but can never be described
AS he came nearer-for his side wise walk
was mainly IN our dlrection-I saw that he
too. was yellow. if born of this yellow world
IN this yellow night; but his more pom
derous yellow, the yellow of red and rusty old
gold. At times he seemed almost black and
al the tune terrible
In half a minute more he would be too close
for comfort and / decided 10 arouse my COM
panIOn. She Weakened fully awake. if may be
allowed to express a fact so awkwardly. You
may know that there are people like that.
What Is lG'
"A lion"
'Are YOU sure2"
Certainly"
"WhereY'
Right before your eyea"
why, | see nothing"
She had looked and was still looking far out
against the yellow horizon. where her eyes had
rested when she fell asleep, and AS she looked
or rather before l yentured TO point her 10 the
spot almost under the tomb where the lion
strobe, lie passed on and by this time per.
haps, almost quite under the great slab OF
granite where We rested.
was about to whisper the fact in her ear When
fancied felt the whole tomb tremble. Then
II seemed to shake. OF. rather, rumble again
Then again 1t rumbledi Then again, Their
there was n roar that literally shook the sand
/ heard the sand sift and rattle down like
uroPs Vi rain from "heTe !. lay III the crevlce,
az listened TO find whether or not he va.
moving forward toward the place by which W,
had assembled. nc was surely moving forward
l felt rather than heard hin move. assert
and must content myself Tor the present with
merely assertIng-that YOU can feel the move
ments of an animal under such circumstances
Aud assert further that an animal, especially
a wild beast, can feel your movements under
almost any circumstances. The undeyelopet
senses deserve book by themselves. But ius
now. with the largest lion ever saw comm,
! straight upon me, lis hardly the time or place
/ TO write such treatise.
Pistol in hand. / sprang to the steep anC
rugged passage. And not . second too soon
| His mighty head was almost on level with tn,
! granite slab. And he was half crouchiug for
bound and spring upward. which would per
/ hsps land him IN our faces. / could seq
did feel?-that his huge hinder feet wer,
spread wide out and sunkep in the sand viii