26 THE LION KILLER. 



with him the mangled limb, crept into a crevice of a rock 

 that he was fortunate enough to discover. 



A few moments after, the insatiate beast arrived on his 

 track, roaring with anger, and passed around and above the 

 hole in which he had sought refuge, but being unable to 

 reach his prey, he left for the woods with the first dawning 

 of the day. 



The trembling fugitive, a second time saved, crawled out 

 of his hiding-place to renew his flight, when he was captured 

 by some of the horsemen of the Bey, who had been following 

 his traces, who, putting him on the crupper of the saddle, 

 carried him back to Constantine, where he was again thrown 

 into prison. The Bey, astonished at the tale his soldiers 

 brought back to him, ordered the man in his presence to 

 certify to the truth of the story, and the culprit was led out, 

 still dragging after him the leg of his brother. Ahmed Bey 

 was so moved by the strange spectacle and wild narrative, 

 that, although bearing the reputation of a cruel ruler, he 

 ordered the entrave broken, and the prisoner to be set at 

 liberty. 



Although the lion of Algiers is endowed with great speed, 

 and an unequalled agility, yet he is never known to chase 

 his prey. Sometimes when he sees either a single boar, or a 

 herd of wild hogs, he will steal forward with the tread of a 

 cat to surprise them ; but the moment he is heard or dis- 

 covered, the black brutes scamper away; and he, giving 

 up the chase, walks down to the plain to select his supper in 

 the Arab enclosures, which he finds infinitely more to his 

 taste, and, at the same time, more certain. I have sometimes 



