TWO LIONS THAT " WOULD NOT DOWN." 295 



there I had seen her fall, and even lain my hand upon her. 

 I passed a large portion of the night hunting for her in the 

 neighborhood, but without any result, and retired to my tent 

 with the intention of following her traek by daylight. But 

 in the night, a sudden storm arose, and when morning came 

 every track in the desert was obliterated. 



A few days afterwards the body of the lioness was found 

 at a league from the douar. This long walk after such a 

 wound, may give the reader some idea of the vitality of this 

 animal. 



In the month of September, 1845, the men of the tribe 

 Meizia, sent me a messenger with a petition, praying that I 

 would come and deliver them from the presence of an old 

 black lion that was destroying them without any pity. 



After lying in wait for three nights outside of the douar, 

 for which he seemed to have the greatest preference, and 

 never being able to see his lordship, I commenced to examine 

 the forest. The result of this inspection was the discovery, 

 that when he came down or went up the mountain, he always 

 followed one path. The next night I profited by my infor- 

 mation, by posting myself in the path which ran through a 

 ravine, called by the natives, the Lion's Garden, making use 

 of a large rock as a partial shelter, and as a rest for my 

 gun. " 



About eleven o'clock, I thought I detected a distant step. 

 In a moment more, I heard a regular tread ; it was he, there 

 was no mistaking it, the lion was coming. 



This country is so wooded and broken, that I could not see 

 the animal, but as he approached me he roared, and there 

 was something in the sound of his voice that immediately told 

 me he suspected my presence. When I first caught sight of 

 him, he was within ten paces of me, and had halted with his 

 face towards me, growling with a heavy harsh sound, and 

 looking at me with a very wicked eye. 



