90 THE LION KILLER. 



hyena extends his paw, when the Arab seizes it, and drags 

 him out of his hole, then he muzzles him and hands him over 

 to the women and children of the douar, to be stoned, as an 

 animal too filthy and vile to die in any better way." 



Without receiving all that my guide told me in its literal 

 sense, I understood that I had committed a folly, which it 

 would be necessary to repair by some striking deed, in order 

 to hush the busy-bodies of the tribe. 



The hyena keeps hid by day either in the bottoms of 

 the wooded ravines, or in holes in the earth, or in the rocks, 

 but as the night falls he issues forth to wander among the 

 Arab cemeteries, which are never defended either by walls, 

 hedges, or even ditches. Here he digs in the graves and eats 

 all he can find down to the bones. When he is unsuccessful 

 in such legitimate quests, he makes excursions to the douars, 

 and devours everything around the precincts, in the shape of 

 dead bodies, offal, and pieces of half-decomposed flesh. 



The only living animal that the hyena dare attack is the 

 dog, and as there are always two together, they conduct their 

 operations after this manner. 



After selecting a douar situated near to some woods, the 

 female conceals herself, and the male goes wandering around 

 the encampment until he attracts the attention of the dogs, 

 who pursue him as he flees toward the place where the female 

 lies concealed. When they are within reach, the female 

 springs forward upon the most advanced of the pursuers, and 

 then being joined by her male, the two together strangle and 

 devour the dog at one sitting. It sometimes happens that the 

 Arabs, not relishing this interference with the domestic habits 



