MY FIRST EXPERIENCE IN LION HUNTING. 261 



And bowed their crests where sunshine lay, 



In golden bars across their way. 



A stately march to music free 



That chimed beneath the forest tree ! 



But alas ! the sad disappointment was repeated, and I 

 counted all these beasts of the desert and plain, stags with 

 their kingly crowns, and beasts of prey, mingled with wild 

 hogs and tapirs, but the king of beasts was not there. 



I spent the whole of my remaining time in the woods, 

 sleeping during the day in thickets, and at night beating up 

 the paths frequented by the lion, until my leave of absence 

 had expired, when I returned to the camp at Guelma. 



The next day and the day following, the complaints of the 

 Arabs came to the camp more numerous than ever, and it 

 was by reason of their importunity that I had granted to me 

 another leave of absence for five days, that was told meshould 

 be my last. 



For the first few days and nights the lion seemed to be 

 hidden in the earth. I was at my wits' end, when a shepherd 

 came to me, saying that the cattle he was tending upon the 

 edge of the woods had scented the lion, and had run in a 

 great fright to the douar. 



It was about five o'clock when this news was brought 

 me, and it took two hours to reach the designated place. I 

 sent back the horses with the Arabs who accompanied us, 

 and kept with me only Bou-Aziz, a native spahi named Ben- 

 Oumbark, and a dog that bore the glorious cognomen of 

 Lion. 



While riding, I had carried my gun by a strap on my 

 shoulder, and when I was about loading it, I discovered that 

 the hammer of the left barrel had dropped off, therefore 

 I could only make a single shot. This discovery was 

 exceedingly mortifying, and at another time might have 

 made me hesitate about risking an encounter, but as it was 

 my last day of absence, I would do my best as I was, and 

 leave the rest to fate. I loaded the right barrel of my rifle 



