The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-02-05

nous mountain non bclylnS Ileul
with blazing eyes and waving tufted
tail lie was magnificent male, with
tawny skin marked with velvcty bla.lI,a
bearing rs full of pride as any monarch
of.Ara bian desert, and a aroar that woke
the echoes in the mountain gorges far
above his defiant head The yellow
snoothnesS OF his 81 dc was broken by
a Jagged wound outlined in dark clot-
ted blood, but his courage was un-
daunted by the yelping pa elk of dogs
that surrounded him, making false
starts At him, yct afraid to attack him.
OF his mate nothing was to be seen.
The hunters, each anxious to claim the
lion rs lis trophy, pressed forward
AMI, aiming over the surgIng mass OF
hounds. fired upon the majestic crca-
turc facing death so rcsolutcly.
Wounded in half Il dozen places, the
lion sprung into the air with . scream
of AGONY and rage, then fell. TO be in
stantly covered by the dogs, barking
IN triumph over a defeated foe. But
thcy had battered themselves too soon
that the prey was theirs, for with
desperate courage the lion struck out
right and left, sending his enepics
heels over head with blows OF his pow
crlul paws and ripping and tearing
with his unshcathcd claws ard giant
i-lglars. Their red blood mingled with
is own and dyed the sand crimson,
and they gave bach- for an instant un-
Ill. seeing that the mountain king
was dying even as he fought, they re-
turned to the battle.
But as they fell upon him a roar
from the frowning heights OF the
mountains proclaimed that another Zoe
was at hand. The nate was returning
and had scented the battle from
afar. In another moment she lcaped
into view, pausing on the pinnacle OF n
tall spirc of rock and surveying the
scene below with an angry cant of her
sleek, cat-lillc head. Outlined against
the tender blue Of the morning sky she
seemed a yellow carving of yellow
marble. but only for a brief moment,
for as her topaz eyes caught sight OF
her dead mate and the frantic dogs,
snc sprun- down to the craG next be-
meath her, Just as a vOllcy OF shots
shattered the extreme end Of the
one she had that instant left
She descended with magnificent bounds
that sent her 1.-the body from peak to
peak with incredible rapid!ty. paying
not the 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. y second vollcy hal flJlcl To stay
her as she came bounding down, but
now a third greeted her as she sprung
from the last spur of rock, and gush
of crimson blood marked where some
bull had found u home in. her quiv-
ering flank.
Then Tor the first time she seemed to
notice her human foes, and lcaping to
the side of her dead mate faced them
with a roar of defiance, even as she
b.nt her head and licked the bloody
carcass at her feet. The dogs, taking
this for Il sign OF tiInidit-. flew At her
fcrociously, but the loness, rendered
furious and reckless 10y her mates
death, met this attack with a savage
determination that sent sever al away
yciping, wounded severely, and
strctc he'd others dead, while all hesi-
tated TO continue the fight.
Turning once more to her dead com
panion she bestowed one loving caress
on his stiiTcacI form and then faced
the mountain, and would have sprung
away had not the hunters, who had
feared to fire upon her before lest they
wound the dogs instead, here succeeded
in breaking one of her shoulders 10y a
single shot out Of a score She fell for
ward with 4 cry ana rolled over on the
yellow sands that drank her blood.
Once more the dogs attacked her. and
though she fought like a fury with
tooth and nail they mastered her.
Again Snd again she endcavored 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 off 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 matc.-Galcna
(McX.) Cor. of Philadelphia Times