190 DAYS AND NIGHTS BY THE DESERT. 



were anxious to extinguish or distinguish themselves 

 were compelled to listen to reason. 



A ring was now formed round the shelter that 

 the lion had selected, but all our efforts to induce 

 him again to show himself were thrown away. 

 Several of the dogs stood in front of a dense clump 

 of brush under the shadow of a giant boulder, and, I 

 might almost say, pointed the game. A quarter of 

 an hour was consumed in hurling stones into this 

 tangle of scrub, but our enemy evidently had had 

 enough of shooting to prevent himself being again 

 made a target, and things began to hang heavily on 

 our hands. In my old Indian days there were many 

 youngsters I can remember who would have literally 

 bearded the lion in his den, but I confess the result 

 of years and experience causes me to look at such 

 escapades as inexcusable acts of foolhardiness. 

 However, Cigar did not see it in this light. He 

 was old, a good many years older than I am, but 

 then he was crafty as a fox, and knew the ways of 

 wild beasts as if he had been a wild beast himself; 

 so, when he proposed climbing up the boulder on 

 the reverse side, so as to obtain a position over- 

 looking the foe's hiding-place, I consented. While 

 he was accomplishing this feat we kept up more than 

 the former amount of clamour, so as, if possible, to 

 draw off the wounded animal's attention from the 

 adventurous exploit of my henchman. 



At length I observed his woolly head protrude 



