48 THE LION. 



priving her of her progeny, or should she meet him 

 whilst bearing them away, the chances are he will 

 have to pay dearly for his temerity. 



In Northern Africa, again, where, from the ravages 

 the lion commits amongst the herds of the natives, 

 every man's hand is against him, and he, in con- 

 sequence, is rendered more than usually savage, the 

 act of robbing the lioness of her whelps oue of 

 somewhat common occurrence is rendered doubly 

 hazardous. The manner of proceeding on these 

 occasions is, Ge"rard tells us, as follows : 



" The situation of the lair having been ascer- 

 tained, the movements of the mother arc watched 

 by a scout from a neighbouring tree or high rock, 

 and when she is seen to absent herself from the 

 den, an Arab glides into it, and, after wrapping his 

 burnous around the cubs to stifle their cries, he 

 carries them away; a horseman is commonly near 

 at hand, who places the captives before him, and 

 rides off at speed. 



" But thus to deprive the lioness of her young," 

 Gerard goes on to say, "is very perilous, and often 

 attended with fatal results ;" in proof of which he 

 cites the following instance : 



"During the month of March, 1.S1-0, a lioness 

 deposited her cubs in a wood called ' FA Guela,' 

 situated in the mountains of Mezioun. The chief 

 of the country, Zeiden, made application for assist- 

 ance to Sedek-ben-Oumbark, sheik of the tribe 

 Beni-Fourraz, his neighbour; and at the appointed 

 day thirty men from each of those tribes assembled 

 in the defile of Mezioun at first dawn. 



