MY FIRST EXPERIENCE IN LION HUNTING. 223 



ray feelings, and engaged to get the permission of Monsieur 

 de Tourville, who commanded at this time in the district of 

 Guelma. 



There was nothing more for me to do than to procure 

 suitable arms for my expedition, the one barrelled rifle 

 answering very well for a blind, but not safe to be carried in 

 the open field when two shots would be absolutely necessary. 

 I knew among the colonists of Guelma one of my country- 

 men named D'Olivari, who was a good hunter, and owned a 

 double barrelled rifle of number sixteen bore, which he was 

 kind enough to lend me, and I entered on my campaign 

 during the first of June. 



I left the camp in company with a spahi of the squadron 

 named Bon Aziz, whose douar, situated near the Ouled Zimba, 

 at two leagues from Guelma, had been sadly ravaged by the 

 lion. We reached the douar a little before night, and I had 

 time to see the country which I was about to hunt. It was a 

 wide and deep valley, the two sides of which were covered 

 by a thick wood, and the place so solitary and savage 

 seemed to smell of lion a league away. The douar where 

 we were to pass the night, was established on the open 

 valley, and surrounded by a hedge of olive trees of about 

 eight feet in height by three feet in width. 



We entered by an opening in the hedge, and found our- 

 selves in the centre of the camp, where we were immediately 

 assailed by a multitude of villianous dogs, that bit our 

 horses' legs, and sprang up from time to time to seize our 

 own. 



Two or three Arabs came out of the tents in order to open 



