Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-01-30
A LION HUNT.

General Marguerite of the French army,
who has greatly distinguished himself in
Algeria. where he studied the Arab char
acter very closely, relates in his memoirs
the following curious story OF a lion hunt.
It illustrates the Arab respect for the lions
intelligence, and also his belief in the di-
rect intervention Of an averting power IN
the affairs OF life. The story is in the words
Of FL Arbi, an Arab chief:
Many Of our cattle had been stolen by
lion. It was necessary to kill him. we
knew that his lair was IN a certain th1cket
" cork oaks, and there the tribe went to
destroy the rayager Of orr herds.
We left our women on high rock near
by. and all the men Of the tribe, divided
( into two ranks, approached the thicEet,
our guns cooked and at our shoulders, not
doubling that we should be able to XIII
u the lion at the first fire upon his issuing
from the thicket.
Urged on by the cries of our women. we
marched upon the thicket and paused just
before it. Then / called out in loud
z voice: "Oh, devourer OF cattle, come out
Of your lair! Come out into the sight OF
men, Your day OF reckoning is here?
But the lion made no answer. Some
times it is so, my lord. Lou nave 10 repeat
ryvr the invitation.
.
.If vott are a man, come out say?
TO give force to my words, threw
stone into the thicket, and SO did several
. of my companions.
Instantly we heard q roar as OF thunder,
and the lion was upon us like stroke or
lightning. We fired, but the lion did net
appear to hear or feel the shots. He sprang
unframed straight upon three OF our men
and bore them down to the ground beneath
him They were Ben Maftab, Ben Small
sand my uncle Rabah, who was at the bot
tom Of the heap.
The rest of our men turned to fly, and
with them. but from the rock heard the
cry of my cousin Aloha, to whom was
befrothed:
'sOh, FL Arbi, save my father! save
him. or else will never look at you again!"
turned back upon the lion, resolved to
give my life for Aloha if need be. | had
charge in my gun, but approached close
ly. intending not to fire until could be
cure that | should not hit any of the three
men whom the beast had beneath his teeth
and claws.
But at the moment when, three yards
away, was taking aim at his head the
lion left his prey ana leaped upon me and
knocked my gun out of my hands. Thus
disarmed ran but the lion was close be-
hind me and would surely leap upon my
back and crush me to the earth.
Close by there was large tree which
had been felled Its branches were still
upon it, just before the lion would have
struck me down / crawled beneath the
- trunk of this tree, and the lion fell upon
! that instead of me, tearing its bark with
his teeth and claws.
Then / heard great wall go up from
my relatives and from Aloha, who regard
Il, ed me as dead already, for how should
escape the lion now2
He was searching under the trunk of the
tree with his terrible paws. 1 felt them
touch me, and felt, too, his hot and fetid
breath He roared so terribly that the air
seemed full of thunder and then paused,
his fore feet on the ground on one side OF
- = the tree trunk his hind feet on the other.
l1 What should | do? There is but one
thing to do in such a situation--to invoke
the aid of the prophet. did so, and he put
an inspiration into my mind.
You have heard it, it may be, that lion
can understand the words of a man if they
! are spoken with a certain tenderness of
tone. spoke thus to the lion:
"Oh sultan of beasts, you are the strong
est and bravest of beings. Be also gener-
Gus to your vanquished enemy! If you will
let me live, call Allah to witness that
will never again attack you nor any one
OF your race!'
The lion, as il he understood and ac-
cepted the compact, roared once more and
then got off the tree and walked slowly
away to the forest, casting one look back
at me.
| was overioyed but did not get out
from under the tree as long as the animal
was in sight. When he had disappeared in
the wood, ran out and found that Ben
Maftab was dead, with his head quite
crushed. and Ben Small was also dying
:, with many wounds, but my uncle Rabah
had received but Il few slight hurts,
though the crushing weight of the lion
and the other two men had caused him
to faint.
And since that time have kept my
word with the lion. The beast may take
the cattle and the sheep, but ones promise
is given TO be kept. shall not harm him.
Nor is there anything done in this world
save by the hand of Allah All other
things pass away; he alone is immortal
Youths Companion.
a vanderbiIt's Jaded Appetite.