222 THE LION KILLER. 



height and weight, and a wag who frequented the cafe, where 

 he had made a sort of reputation by his jokes and pla} 7 upon 

 words, took advantage of the pause to say :— 



" Let him go, the lion won't attack him for fear of not 

 being able to find the pieces after the first blow.'-" 



This man was sitting on the window-ledge that looked out 

 over the market, and I advanced up to him quietly, as though 

 without intending any retaliation, and the next second he was 

 astonished to find himself out in the street upon the shelf of 

 a crockery vendor, who immediately seized upon him for 

 damages done to his goods. Every one laughed at this 

 occurrence, as the man had created no little ill feeling by his 

 unpleasant manners and cutting tongue, and I left the cafe 

 very well pleased with the moral effect of the correction on 

 the minds of the Arabs. 



An hour afterwards thirty or forty of the native spahis 

 came to my quarters, and we went together to the command- 

 ant to get leave of absence for a few days. As soon as he 

 understood the motive of my demand, he flatly refused, 

 telling me I was a fool. 



The next day my friends the spahis tried again, without 

 any better success. 



A few days after I renewed my request to the command- 

 ant, who endeavoring to dissuade me, related the particulars 

 of a hunt that was made by General Yusuf, from which the 

 hunting party returned with the loss of a dozen men and 

 horses. This was done for the purpose of discouraging me 

 in my attempt, but my mind was so fully made up that 

 nothing could turn me aside. The captain at last understood 



