The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-12-14

E GERS were out rid
ing when they
came upon the lion:
The camp was about two miles away.
There was a sort OF foreign wildness
In the aspect Of the little pass into
which we we're entering. The soil was
oftine yellow sand; mot smooth or level,
but broken up into succession of
billowy ridges, with here and there an
abrupt hillock rising tall enough to
impedo the view. Wewere riding with
our horses neck to neck / had Just
lighted cigar and was following with
some interest an account which Cap
tain Angus Wasgiving me of an exploit
in the hunting field, which the reader
perhaps would scarcely thank me to
recount. Suddenly he stopped dead,
and at the same moment refined his
horse in with such vchemence that the
creature reared right up on his hind
legs with q loud and long drawn neigh.
Wondering at the reason OF this ab-
rupt arrest, | checked my own mare
and came to q standstiIl beside nv
companion.
"What is the matter, August" l in
qlired.
For answer he did not speak
word, but slowly raising his arm and
extending it from his shoulder, the
foretinger pointing nearly straight
ahead OF us, he brought mis- eyes to my
face, and remained in that posture
watching my countenance as I per-
ceived the object he was Indicating.
And what was it that I saw? Follow
ing the direction of his raised arm |
discovered upon the summit OF one of
the little hillocks about 200 yards
away, standing otionless as a statue,
its form blending with the yellow
color Of the sand, the figure OF a great
shaggy lion! The creature stood
stock-stil, its tail alone whisking
slowly from side to side, intently sur
veylng US. For our part we sat equal
ay motionless in our saddles. Angus
with his arm extended and his eyes
fixed upon my face, as though he had
become transhxed in that posture,
and in the posture Of astonished re-
gard into which had fallen on first
perceiving thel lion.
Suddenly my horse grew restive; it
tretted and neighed, and commenced
to curvet and paw the ground as
though alarmed. My friends horse
likewise evinced the same signs of ap-
prehension. kept my eyes as stead
lily upon the line as Angus did his upon
me. The creature, with stealtby cat
like bounds, commenced advancing
very SICILY towards us, pausing at
about every three steps it made to
rear it's head and stand staring at us,
then continuing its sneaking advance
along the ridge of the hillock upon
which we had first discovered it.
| withdrew my fixed stare to turn
in my saddle and look around me.
My movement seemed to break the
kind of spell under which Angus sat;
his arm sank slowly to his side, and
his eyes rolled from my face to the fig
SIAA VI viz lAoA1. ~ tIl1u lOlU LllC
sides OF the valley shut in the view.
In front stood the lion; behind the de-
file in which we were broadened out
until it became little more than a.
mere undulation in the broad wild
plain through which it ram AS
slowly swept the sandy track in our
rear, suddenly observed a man on
horseback emerge into the open, moy-
ing leisurely along at about the dis
lance OF a mile or so away, and gazing
intently made him out to be a cavalry
soldier; probably mounted orderly
sent for the camp on dispatch bust
ness.
1--WE must bolt," said Captain Angus
at my elbow; "that lion means mis-
chief by the manner in which it is adj
vancing toward us; and mark you
how FESTIVE the horses are. Their in
stinct is keener than ours; they can
scent danger in the air. The instant
we move to fly, depend upon it the
lion will start in chase, and our only
chance will lie in out-running him, for
unarmed as we are, what could we do
to defend ourselves against such q
brute?"
"Look you, Angus; yonder is a
mounted orderly riding across the
country. You have good eyes; see
what you make Of him."
Captain Angus shaded his sight