424 CAT TRIBE 



then it would suddenly cease, and the listeners knew that the stalk 

 had begun. Colonel Patterson states, indeed, that he never experienced 

 anything more nerve -shaking than this nightly roaring followed by 

 the silence whose purport he had learned to know only too well : 

 the silence being even more trying to the nerves than the roaring. 



Traps and poison were tried without avail, the lions seldom looking 

 at such bait as a donkey or goat; but eventually, after "lion-proof" 

 camps had been arranged, the coolies placing their beds on water- 

 tanks, trees, or other safe spots, the lions resorted to other prey, and 

 thus brought about their own destruction. Probably, however, no 

 sportsman has had a worse two hours than Colonel Patterson, who, 

 while sitting over the carcase of a donkey, discovered that a lion, 

 utterly ignoring the bait, was creeping slowly round and round the 

 flimsy structure of poles which supported his platform. This lion was 

 shot and proved to be one of the two man-eaters, while the second 

 was killed a few nights later over goats. This second lion on the 

 same occasion actually dragged for a distance of about a quarter of a 

 mile a half-length of rail weighing 250 lb., to which were attached two 

 other full-grown goats in addition to the one he killed. Bold and 

 calculating as these man-eaters became, they appear, however, never 

 to have attacked by day, though opportunities of pouncing upon 

 coolies working on the new line in the dense bush must have been 

 comparatively frequent. 



In northern Africa, according to Sir H. H. Johnston, lions were to be 

 met with in the north of Tunisia up to the date of the French invasion 

 in 1 88 1, and a couple of centuries ago were common throughout the 

 country., They had full manes, and a rich, dark, tawny-coloured fur. 



In Algeria Mr. A. E. Pease, writing ten years ago, states that the 

 " lion has become so rare that it may be said to be nearing extinction. 

 Contrary to the general fate of the larger game, it lingers only in the 

 country that might almost be described as the Mediterranean littoral 

 zone, though an occasional lion is still shot or tracked in the interior, 

 as far inland as the district of Soukarras, and certain places in the 

 Aures. In 1892-93 one or two were killed within a day or so of 

 Batna, but during the time I was in the country (1892-95) I hunted 

 almost the whole Aures range from the Melliti to Tunisia and never 

 saw a track, and I do not remember hearing of more than three or 

 four lions being obtained in the whole province of Constantine. In 

 the provinces of Algiers and Oran they may be said to be extinct. 

 Indeed, so long ago as 1862 General Merguerite wrote that he had 

 spent eleven years in the best lion-countries in the province of Algiers, 



