The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-10-20


But the old horse knew his game
and pivoting on his forelegs still haC
his stern guns bearing on the enemy
Soon, with roar, the lion made
his spring, but Marengo lashed on
both heels together with such excel
lent judgment of time and distance
that, catching him full in the chest
he knocked him all OF a heap to the
ground, wh5re he lay motionless
Then with neigh of triumph and {
flourish of his heels. away he galloped
through the grove out on the plalr
and was safe.
"The hon lay SO still that l thought
he was dead, or at any rate quite
hors de combat, and was just run
ming to pick up the bride aud follow
Marengo, when he sat up on his
launches. This made me stop.
'As he sat there with his head loose
ly wagging from side to side, and
mouth half open, he looked quite va
cant and idiotic.
"Suddenly his bead stopped wag
ging, he pricked his ears, and by the
flash of his eye and changed expires
son, | knew he had seen me.
.Only one thing was to be done
and | did it. The outermost tree was
large and low branehed. To it / ran.
and up it l scrambled, and had just
perched in fork about fifteen feet
above terra firma as the lion arrived at
the bottom.
Looking up at me with two red
hot eyes, his long nervous tail lashing
his sides. every hair on his body turn
ed to wire, and his great claws pro
truded, he chartered at me as cat
chatters at a bird ont of reach. His
jaws snapped like steel trap, and
his look was perfectly diabollcal
When he was tired Of chattering he
stood and growled.
Catching sight of the bride, he
walked to it, smelled it, patted it and
thea came back and lay down and
glared at me.
My carabine - confound i'll
was slung at the saddle. My only
weapon, besides my hanger, was a
pocket pistol double barrelled, and
what in those days we called breeoh
loader-that is, the barrels unscrewed
to load, and then screwed on again.
1t would have been handy weapon
against man at close quarters, for it
threw good ball: but for lion
Besides the beast was too far off.
Then the thought flashed into my
mind, where Was Cognac?
Il suppose he had run away and
hidden somewhere. If the lion got
sight of him, it would, | knew, be
soon all over with the little fellow.
"All at once there arose, close at
hand, an awful and familiar yell 1t
had a strange, muffied tone, but there
was no mistaking Cognac's voice.
Again it came, resonant, long
drawn and sepulchral. 1t seemed to
come from inside the tree, Where
the deuce was he?
The hon appeared utterly aston
ished and turned his ears SO far back
to listen that they were almost inside
ont, when from some hole among the
roots of the tree there popped small
yellow head with long ears.
Down down, Cognac" l cried in
my agony; go back, SIR
"a cry of delight, cut short by a
piteous whine, WAS his reply, as he
spied me, and then dashing fully a
yard toward the hon, he barked de
iiantly
with a low growl and rnf1ling
name. the beast charged at the little
dog.
"Bsck went Cognae into his cave as
quick as rabbit, and stormed at him
from inside.
"Thrusting his great paw right
down the hole the lion tried to claw
him out. Oh. how l trembled for
Cognac!
But he kept up such a ceaseless
fire of swapping and snsrling that it
was plain he was either we'll round a
corner or that the hole was deep
enough for his safety.
"All the same, to sea the great
cowardly least digging away at my
poor little dog like that was more
than could stand. Cooking my pis
tol, shouted and as he looked up
fired at his blood shot eye. He shook
his head, and | gave him the other
barrel.
with scream of rage he bound
ed back"
Cognac Immediately shot forth his
head and insulted him with jeering
barks
But he was not to De drawn again,
and after bit he lay down further
off and pretended to go to sleep.
Cognac barked at hun till he was
tired, and then retired into his castle.
'Reloading, found 1 had only
three bullets left, and concluded to
save them for crisis.
1t was now past noon. To beguile
the time, l smoked pipe or two,
sang song. and cut my name, Cog,
nac's and Marengo's on the tree,
leaving q space for the lions which
determined should be Wellington.
l wished ne would go away. Having
ooiho hAAh III us DOttlt, l. lOOk a
drink, and should have liked to give
some to Cognac. The lion began to
pant, with his red thorny tongue
foot out of his mouth. He
was mangy and disreputable brute
as | ever saw. By-and by he got up
and snutfei the air all round him, and
then, without as much as looking at
me, walked off and went deliberately
down the road
Slipping to the ground, l caught
up Cognac, who had crept out direct
ly, and after looking carefully around
for the lion. WAS smotheling me with
caresses. The lion was turning to
ward bushy clump in hollow about
two hundred yards off. That light
green foliage willows, water! Had
the cunning brute shifted it out
Anyhow, it was a relief to stretch
ones legs after six mortal hours on a
branch. The lion disappeared rouI,d
the bushes. l strained my eyes over
the plain, but could see nothing NOV
r ~ q