The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-06-15

minicking animals. determined to enl- ploy him in a little joke. Of my onw, merely as an act of retributive justice
 Upon one occasion, when we were lying on the sandy bed of ravine. lion had come roaring around my bivouac at night, when the conduct of my Egyptian stan officer, who always talked very big about lions, had not ben remarkably courageous.
 There was not a man among my Bashi Bazouks who did not laugh at Major Mustapha Effendi RamZie, but his boasting was ineorrigible. l there fore determined to give him lesson that night when lying on the sand in the Khor Ansaba. which, as he well knew, was a famous place for lions. In fact, before dark we had seen their tricks, old and new, in all directions.
 First, however. I warned the Turkish sanjak of my rascally bodyguard to see well to the picketing of the animals, for I did not wish to lose horse or camel as the result of joke. The sanjak, who hated the Egyptian, grinned from ear to ear and gave the necessary or ders.
 After supper, as we were sitting by the campfire in the shade of an over hanging bush covered bank, led the conversation to the subject of lions.
 The Egyptian officer was boasting, as usual, when suddenly my English ser want. who was in the plot, said, as if alarmed, whie staring into the thicket: Whats that sound, Mustapha Effendi? Don't you hear something cracking in there? I hope it's not another lion, for am not so brave about them as you are" We all listened intently. The cracking was plainly heard-it was coming nearer; it did sound uncom- monly as if a lion might be approach ing.
 We all made ready to rise, but Mustapha Effendi was already upon his feet when, from the distance of only about three yards. in the darkness, a terrific and deafening roar burst upon the startled night. The roar was fol- lowed by the horrible gruff cough, several times repeated, which is still more terrible as it usually precedes a kill.
 So lionlike was the sound, although expecting it. was momentarfly alarmed myself and grasped my re- volver. Others seized their weapons also, for it seemed impossible that such a volume of sound could come from any throat but that of the veritable king of beasts. In the meantime, where was the great lion slayer. Mustapha Effendi Ramize? FThe sound of flying, feet rattling over l the gavelly bed of the Khor was al that was left of him now.
 So we sent the lion' in pursuit which was continued with roar after roar, the sound reverberating on the cliffs and dying away into the darkest recesses of the ravine. Meanwhile every soul in camp was convulsed with laughter, as the men poured their favorite ''tedge" down their throats and drank to the courage of the Egyptian staff officer. But now comes the point of my story. This practical joke came l very near to ending tragically for either the pursuer or the pursued, for sudden ly at no great distance up the lion re- nowned Khor Ansaba, was heard an answering roar, and then another, nearer at hand. A real lion had taken | up the challenge. and it was now our turn to be alarmed. Seizing brands from the fire and firing off rifles as we went, a party of us rushed up the rocky desle after two men: the rest by my order rushed to guard the picketed ani- mals, for there was no knowing how many of the brutes might be about, and l lions often. roar on purpose to rrakei terrified animals break away and then seize them. The reports of the rife, the shouts and above all the roaring of the real lion, had soon had their effect in causing the flying staff officer to halt terror stricken between. as he imagined, two leonine foes and the sham lion to come back faster than he went with all the roar taken out of him, Fortunately by the time we reached poor Mustapha, to find him petrified with fear, the hubbub made by the re- lieving force had driven the lion which | had been all too successfully ,,called'' back to the fastnesses of the hills. | From that time forward the crest fallen staff officer never mentioned the word lion, but the Abyssinian wag. whose initiative skill had called some thing more tangible than spirits from the vasty deep" from the dark re- cesses of the mountains, became the hero of the expedition.