The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1897-02-05
!, A Tale Of
I Three Lions
: n. RIDER HAGGARD
CHAPTER III.-(CoNrINUED.

don't fire unless l tell you to-.
Hardly were the words out OF my |
mouth when back she came, and again |
passed the OK without striking him.
what on earth is she doing?' whis-
pered Harry.
"'Playing with il as a cat does a |
mouse, l suppose She will kill 1t
presently
"As | spoke, the lioness once more
flashed out of the bush, and this time
sprung right over the doomed OK. 1t
was an exciting sight to see her clear
him in the bright moonlight, as though
it were a trick she had been taught.
"I believe that she has escaped from
circus, whispered Harry; It's jolly
to see her jump.
81 said nothing, but thought to my
self that if it was, Master Harry did
not appreciate the performance, and
small blame to him. AT any rate, his
teeth were chattering a bit.
Then came longish pause and
began to think that she must have gone
away, when suddenly she appeared
again, and with one mighty bound
landed right on to the OK, and struck
| it frightful blow with her paw.
Down it went, and lay on the
ground. She put down her wicked
looking head, with a fierce growl OF
contentment. When she lifted her
muzzle again and stood facing us OBJ
liquely, whispered, 'Now's our time,
fire when do
81 got on her as we'll as could, but
Harry, instead Of waiting for me as
told him, fired before did, and that OF
cleared, however, was delighted to see
that the lioness was rolling about on
the ground behind the body Of the OK,
which covered her in such fashion,
however, that we could not shoot again
to make an end of her.
"'Shes done for! she's dead! yelled
Pharaoh, in exultation; and at that
convulsive rush, half rolled, half
sprung, into the patch of thick bush to
the right fired after her as she went,
but so far as l could see without re-
suit; indeed the probability is that
missed her clean. At any rate she got
, to the bush in safety, and once there
! began to make such diabolical noise
as / never heard before. She would
whine and shrek, then burst out into
perfect volleys of roaring that shook
1 the whole place.
well said we must just let hei
roar; to go into that bush after her a
night would be madness
: "At that moment, to my astonish
ment and alarm, there came an answer
t ing roar from the direction of thu
, river, and then another from behint
the swell of bush. Evidently Their
were more lions about. The woundet
lioness redoubled her efforts, with tn
object, l suppose, of summoning tn
others to her assistance. At any rat
they came, and quickly too, for within
, five minutes, peeping through tn
bushes of our skerm fence, we saw
magnificent lion bounding alon
toward us, through the tall tambouli
\. grass, that in the moonlight, wa
now very like ripening corn. o
he came in great leaps, and gloriou
sight it was to see him. When with
j., fifty yards or so, he stood still in a
> open space and roared, and the liones
roared to, and then there came thir
roar, and another great black-mane
lion stalked majestically up, and joine
=, number two, and. really / began
realize what Jim-Jim must have undel
gone.
Nov, Harry l whispered, 'wha
ever you do, don't fire, it's too risky.
they let us be, let them be-
well, the pair of them marched O
to the bush, where the wounded lone
was now roaring double tides, and Il
whole three of them began to snarl al
\ grumble away together there. Presen
ly. however, the lioness ceased roarin
and the two lions came out again, Il
black-maned one first-to prospect,
& suppose-and walked to where the ca
'e cass of the OK lay, and shifted at 1T.
"'Oh, what a shotv whispered Harr
nc who was trembling with excitement.
&C Eyes, l said; but don't fire; tn
ie might all of them come for u.s.
Harry said nothing, but whether
was from the natural willfulness
u youth, or because he was thrown off
u balance by excitement, or from she
1' recklessness, l am sure l can not t
We you, never having been able to get
DV' satisfactory explanation from him; b
Dy at any rate the fact remains, he, wit
10, out word or warning, entirely disl
NJ garding my exhortations, lifted up
"n Westley Richards, and fired at {
=" black-maned lion, and, what is mo
in' hit 1t slightly on the flank.
'u' Next second there was a most aw
~, roar from the injured brute.
Jus glared around him, and roared W
pain for he was sadly stung, and tn
III, ' before l could make up my mind wi
10 to do, the great black-maned bru
w, evidently ignorant of the cause Of
10y pain, sprung right at the throat of
io companion, to whom he evidently
'eo tributed his misfortune. 1t was a Gu
un Gus sight to see the evident astoni
Oh ment of the other lion at this most