The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1925-01-15
CHAPTER
The Guldrn LION

SABDR the iiousss. sucked her
/ - young a single fuz1E ball,
spotted Ike shtsta, the leopard $50
lay Ia the warm sunshine before tho
rocky cavern that was her lair,
stretched out upon her eide with half
closed eyes. yst SAILOR was alert.
There had been three % these little,
funzy balls al first tsso daughters
and a HoR-and SaboT and Numa
their sire. had been proud o. them
proud and happy but kills had not
been plentiful ana SAILOR, undsruour.
ishri had been unable 70 produce
sufficient milk 20 nourish property
three lusty cube. and then u cold
rain had CONS, and the little ones
bai siVkunrd Only the strongest
survived two daughters had
died SAILOR had mourucd. pacing 10
ana fro beside the pl,iunl hI,u o. be-,
dragEisd fur whining aud moaning
New and again she would nose them
with her music ah tho shc would
awaken them from the long sleep
that knows no waking. 40 Last. how,
ever uhe abandoned her efforts. and
now her whole savage heart was
filled with concern Tor the little male
cub that remained 20 her That was
why SAILOR was more alert than
usual,
Numa. the lion. was away Two
nights before he had made klII and
draEsrd u 10 their lair and last night
he had Jared forth again. bu, hr had
not returned SAILOR Was thinking. as
she half duEed OF warpi. the plump
antelope, that her splendid mate
might this very minute BE- dragging
thru tho tangled jungle 10 her or
perhaps Il would be Pargo, the cobra.
whose flesh was tho best beloved -
her kind juicy. nueculrnt Paeco.
Sabor's mouth waterrd
All. what was THAR Tho shadow
OF a sound had coma 20 those EHr-n
ears She raised her head. cooking
i first upon one eide and then the
other as with up,pdoksd cars she
sought 60 catch the lalnlesi repgu-
ton % that which had disturbed her,
Her moro shifted the air There vas
but the suggestion OF a brveza. but
what there was moved toward her
from tho direction o. the sound abe
had heard aud which shs siill heard
In a slightly increasing volume that
told her that whatever was making
3, was approaching her, As u drew
closer tho beasts nervousness IN,
creased and she rolled over on her
belly. shutting of tho milk supply
from the cub. which vented ita DE-
approval In miniature gruwiB until
a low qusrulouH whiu1 from the
llensas silonerd him then he stood 90
heg side. looking FIRST az her and then
Ia the direction toward which shs
looked. cooking ais uiiio head first
on one sldc and tHr on tho other.
Evidently there was q disturbing
quality in the sound that sa5os
heard something tina, inspired GER
tain rea,lessnoss. IL not actual apprc-
hcnsion-tho shc could not DO sure
as yet that Il boded ~ II might be
her great lord returning. but Il did
no; sound like the movemsn; of
lion NduEKing heavy kill. shs
glanced at her cub. breathing as abe
DID 20 a plalntIvc whine. There was
always the fear that some danger
mcnaced him-this isst Of her htt.c
family but she. SAILOR. the Homes,
was there to defend him,
Presently the breeze brought 10 her
nostrtla the sceut.spoor Of the thing
that moved toward her thru the
jungle Instantly tho trouble
motheg.faco was rnetamoFphosrd into
a baro.fangcd. klitterinE- eyed mask
Of savage rage. for the scent that had
como up 20 her thru the Jungle wa
the hated mhn.scent, She rose 10 her
feet. her head flattened. her biuuous
tail tEitchlng nsrvoualy. Thru that
strange medium by which animals
communicate with ono another she
cautioned her cub to lie down and
remain where lao was until she &c
turned. then che moved rapidly and
silently 70 meet tho intruder.
The cub had heard what It's mother
heard and now he caught the smell
OF man--an unfamiliar smell that
had never impingcd upon his uostrils
before. yet n smell that he knew az
once for that Of an ousmy-R smell
that brought reaction "a typical NJ
that which marked the attitude OK
the grown lioucss. bringing the hairs
along his little spine erect and barring
his ti-H fanEs. As the adult moved
quickly and stealthily into the under.
brush the ANAL cub. ignoring her In
junction. followed after her. his
hind quarters wobblnE from side 10
side. after the manner OF the very
young OF his kind. the ridiculct.s gait
COMFORTING III with the dignified
bearing OF his fore quarters. but tho
liones8. intent upon that which lay
before her. did not know that he fol-
lowed her
There was dense Jungle before the
two for n hundred yards. but thru II
the lions had worn IA tunnel-liko path
10 their lair. and then there was "A
small clearing thru which ran a we'll
HOIu ipUElH AIhus out bl NNb Iuhkle
At ono end OF the clearing and into
the jungle again at the other. As !
Sabor reached the clearing she saw
the object Of her fear and hatred we'll /,
within II. What II the mnn.thing |
we're not hunting her or hers2 What 4
II he even dreamed not OF their
prcsence2 These facts wero as moth
ing to SAILOR. the lioucsg, today. ord. I
narily she would have let him pass
40 long as ho did not .
come colsa enough to threaten the
safety of hor cub: or. cublcss, she
would have skunk away at the first
Of his approach. But today
the lioness was nervous and fearful
fearful because OF the single cub
that remained TO hcr-her maternal
Instincts conferred threefold, perhaps,
upon this lone and triply loved sur.
so she did not wait for
The man to threaten the safety OF her
little one: but instead she moved TO
meet him and to stop him. From the
oft mother she had become a terri.
f.duo grnatura NJ 1nstr,,cttnr hats