214: THE LION KILLER. 



until but one was left of all the party. He, more fortunate 

 than the others, reached the foot of a steep rock on which he 

 placed the woman, and then began climbing up after her. 

 He had already reached twice the height of a horseman, 

 when the lion gained the foot of the rock as furious as ever. 

 With a single bound he seized the unfortunate man by the 

 leg, and dragged him backwards to the ground, while the 

 woman reached the summit of the rock from whose inacces- 

 sible height she watched the horrible spectacle — the death 

 agony of the last of her defenders. After one or two unsuc- 

 cessful bounds, the lion returned to the dead body of his last 

 victim, and commenced mano-lin^ and tearing it in small 

 pieces, in revenge for the loss of the poor wife that looked 

 down at him from above. 



The rest of the night passed slowly away to the lonely 

 woman. When the morning dawned, the lion retired to the 

 mountain, but he departed reluctantly, and not without stop- 

 ping and returning more than once with a covetous whine, for 

 the cowering bride he left behind him. A few moments 

 after he had gone, a group of cavaliers appeared on the plain. 

 The widow of Smail without any voice to call, waved her 

 bridal veil as a signal of distress. They came to her at a 

 gallop, and carried her to her father's tent, where she died the 

 next night at the hour of the wedding. 



That was the Arab's story ; but I will omit the exclamations, 

 taunts, and reproaches, that were hurled at the murderer 

 after it was finished. One after the other, they told their dif- 

 ferent tales, and it was not until late that the party broke up, 

 the Arabs to return to their tents with many God's blessings 

 for my success, and I to remain on the watch, with a native 

 corporal of the spahis, named Saadi-bou-Nar, whose brother 

 was Sheik of this country. 



My comrade was armed with a government carbine, and I 

 with the double-barrel rifle given to me by Captain Durand. 



