62 GERARD, THE LION HUNTER 



After warm greetings, and some talk about general 

 subjects and various travels and mutual friends, Dumas 

 sat down to bis writing table, drew a sheet of paper 

 towards him, and taking up a pen, he said : ' Now, my dear 

 Gerard, a hunt, come ; anyone at haphazard from amongst 

 your twenty-five lions — but a really fine lion, you know, 

 not one of those you went to see at the Gardens, and 

 which Amida took for sham lions ; but a great, roaring, 

 magnificent lion of the Atlas.' 



Gerard smiled, and turning towards Amida said a few 

 words to him in his own language, as though consulting 

 him on the choice of the story. Amida bent his head in 

 assent. Then Gerard turned to Dumas, and in his calm, 

 gentle voice began his story : 



I had killed the lioness on the 19th of July, and 

 from the 19th to the 27th I had searched in vain for the 

 lion. I was in my tent with eight or ten Arabs, some my 

 own men, the rest inhabitants of the settlement where I 

 was. We were talking 



' Of what ? ' 



' Why of lions, of course. When you are on a lion 

 hunt, you naturally talk of nothing but lions. An old 

 Arab was telling me a curious legend, several hundred 

 years old, and of which a young girl of his tribe was the 

 heroine.' 



' And a lion the hero ? ' 



' Yes ; a lion.' 



' Oh, pray let us hear the legend too,' cried Dumas. 



' Very well, then,' said Gerard. ' Here it is : ' — 



Many centuries ago, there lived a young girl who was 

 very proud and haughty. Not that she was in any way 

 greater or richer than others. Her father had nothing but 

 his tent, his horse and his gun ; but she was very, very 

 beautiful, and it was her beauty that made her so dis- 

 dainful. 



One day, when she went to the neighbouring forest 

 to cut sticks, she saw a lion confine through the trees. 



