Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-11


OF Araki2s desert. and zroer that woke
the echoes n ne mountain gerges far
above his desant head The yellow
snsothness Of hls 81 de was broken by
. jagged woaad outlined ia dark elot-
ted bleed. bat his courage WAS I'M
d4anted ey the yslpiag pack of dags
that surrounded him making false
starts 1T aig. yet AFRAID To attack him
OF his nate nothing was To be seen
The hunters. each anxious 20 claim tho
lion as his trophy, pressed forward
snd. aiming over the surglag mass Of
hounds. 6rsd upon the majestic erea-
ta<e facing death SO resolntely.
Wounded IN half dozen plae es. the
lion sprung into the air wita = scream
OF agony and rage. then fell. To be in
stantly covered by the dogs. barking
In triumph over q defeated foe. But
they had dattered themselves too soon
that the prey was theirs. for with .
desperate courage the lion struck out
right and left, sending his enemies
heels over head with blows of his pow
erful paws and ripping and tearing
with his unshesthed claws and giant
molar2 Their red blood mingled with
his own and dyed the sand crimson.
and they gave back for an instant, un-
til, seeing that the mountain king
was dying even as he fought. they re-
turned to the battle
But as they fell upon him roar
from the frowning heights of the
mountains proclaimed that another foc
was At hand The mate was returning
and had scented tho battle from
afzr. In another moment she leaped
into view. pausing on the pinnacle Of .
tall spirs OF rock and surveying the
scene below with an angry cant OF her
sleek. catiilxe head Outlined against
the tender blue Of tho morning sky she
seemed yellow carving OF yellow
marble. but only for brief moment.
for Is her topaz eyes caught sight OF
her dead mate and the frantic dogA
she sprung down to 1.-THE Greg next be-
meath her. just as . volley of shots
shattered the extreme end OF tho
one she had that instant left
She descended with magnificent bounds
that sent her 1.-the body from peak to
peak with incredible rapidity, paying
not tho slightest apparent attention to
the dogs or the hunters and seeming
only to see the fallen monarch below.
She reached the little gorge where he
lay. second volley had failed to stay
her Is she csms bounding down, bat
now third greeted her as she sprung
from the last spur Of rock, and gush
of crimson blood marked where somo
bullet had found home In her quiv-
ering flank.
Then for the frst time she seemed to
notice her human foes, and leaping to
the side Of her dead matc faced them
with . roar of defiance. even IS sho
. bent her head and licked the bloody
carcass at her fest. The dogs. taking
this for . ign of tirnidity, Jew 1T her
ferocieusly, but tho lioness. rendered
furious and reckless by her mates
death, met this attack with savage
determination that sent sever al away
yelping. wounded severely, and
stretc he'd others dead, while al hesi-
tated to continue tho hght
Turning once moro to her dead COM
panion she bestowed one loving caress
on his stifycned form and then faced
the mountain. and would have sprung
away had not the hunters, who had
feared to Gre upon her before lest they
wound the dogs instead, here succeeded
in breaking one of her shoulders by
single shot ont OF score. She fell for
ward with cry and rolled over on the
yellow sands that drank her blood
Once more the dogs attacked her. and
though she fought like = fury with
| tooth and nail they mastered her.
Again and again she endeavored to
right herself, only to fall forward On
the broken bone, while her determined
foes tore at her limbs and sought her
slender throat The hunters cndcav-
ored to call of the frantic hounds. but
they could not be induced to leave their
prey, to which they clung until the
beautiful wild creature lay dead and
mangled beside her mate.-Galena
: Mex Cor. of Philadelphia Times