312 THE LION KILLER. 



brought out the figure and face of my new acquaintance in 

 bold relief. 



He was a man of the ordinary stature, but dry, nervous, 

 and with a most impressive and extraordinary countenance, 

 and when animated, his blue eyes lighted the dark shadows 

 of his capuchin like tapers. His gestures were few, but they 

 spoke like words. After an hour's talk, we two, who had 

 met only at the hazard of our lives, were like old comrades, 

 equal in everything, save the dignity that the character 



' of " The lion killer " gave me, a dignity I never declined, and 

 that Mohammed The marauder, was pleased to acknowledge. 

 So we passed the rest of the night together watching the 



lion's path, and the intervals of waiting were beguiled by 

 Mohammed's stories as he related the history of his life. 



After this time, from which I date the commencement of a 

 valuable friendship, Mohammed-ben-Oumbark never failed in 

 coming to see me when I came in the Mahouna country. 

 Ordinarily it was the middle of the night that he chose for 

 his visit, coming up to my side in the depths of the forest, 

 and sitting down beside me like an invited guest. When in 

 camp, he tells to all the world that I am his best friend, and 

 that he will kill like a hound any one who harms a hair of 

 my head, and generally finishes bis proclamation by declar- 

 ing that there are only two men in Africa at the present 

 time, to wit — he and I. 



Now that my friend, coming under the influence of civiliza- 

 tion, has adopted a regular mode of life, and made an 

 honorable amende for a crowd of past errors by penitence and 

 reform, now that he has smoothed the ermine fur of outraged 

 justice, whose anger had burned at his vagabond tricks, now, 

 in a word, that he has put his house in order, I am free to 

 give to my reader some of the tales that he recounted to me 

 under the listening stars. The truth of these stories is known 

 to all the inhabitants of the Mahouna country, whose 



