MY FIRST EXPERIENCE IN LION HUNTING. 215 



cannot describe, five or six times, he would finish by the same 

 number of low harsh cries, which seemed as though they 

 were caused by an attempt to cast up something from his 

 throat, the last one being very prolonged. It seemed as if 

 to make it the lion must have opened his mouth to its full 

 extent, and attempted to vomit. 



I tried to find some analogy between the roar of the lion, 

 and any noise I had theretofore h«ard but could find none. 

 The bellowing of the bull when angry, seemed to me the 

 nearest to it, although the voice of the one to the other was 

 as the report of a musket to the boom of a cannon. 



After roaring for about two hours apparently without 

 leaving his place, he descended to the bottom of the valley, 

 doubtless to drink as his silence continued for a long time, 

 then he commenced again louder than ever, all the while 

 descending the mountain. 



Shortly after I saw fires lit far out on the plain, and heard 

 the distant shouts of men and women, and the barking 

 of dogs from the douars. I supposed that the Arabs had 

 been awakened by the lion, and were lighting their fires 

 and making the racket in order to drive him away. As near 

 as I could judge, the lion followed the same road which I 

 had travelled with the Arabs the first time I came up the 

 mountain. 



After a few moments of silence he roared among the douars, 

 when I could see the fires redoubling in number, and could 

 hear the sound of the uproar increasing on every side, and 

 yet the voice of the lion surmounted all this hubbub, like a 

 roll of thunder as the night king continued his route, appn- 



