18 THE LION KILLER. 



she seeks a dense and impenetrable ravine, where she may 

 deposit her offspring. The litter varies in number from one 

 to three, depending upon the age and the vigor of the lioness 

 but there are ordinarily two cubs, one male and one female. 



During the first few days after becoming a mother, she 

 never leaves her cubs, even for an instant, and the father pro- 

 vides for all their wants. It is only after they have reached 

 the age of three months, and have finished teething that the 

 mother goes out to get food for them, and then is absent only 

 a few hours each day. On her return she brings them mut- 

 ton or some other simple food, carefully skinned, and torn in 

 small pieces. The crisis of teething is a very important era 

 in the life of the lion cubs, and a large number die at that 

 period. 



The male lion, who is of a very grave, and reserved character 

 when old, does not love to stay by his offspring, whose child- 

 ish gambols offend his dignity, and in order to be more tran- 

 quil, he selects a sleeping apartment in the jungle near that 

 of his wife, and where he may be called in case of need. 



The Arabs, when they find out a litter of lion cubs, by first 

 seeing the lioness heavy with young, and afterwards by find- 

 ing that their stolen cattle all take the same road, sometimes 

 take advantage of the moment when the lioness is abroad in 

 search of food, to rob her of her family. 



To accomplish this end, they post themselves on a high 

 cliff, or a tree overlooking the lair, and when they see the 

 lioness go down to the plain, being sure the lion is not near his 

 whelps, they creep under the jungle to the lair, they envelop 

 the young they find in the nest in the folds of their bournous 



