THE HISTORY OF A FOUNDLING. 323 



air of wonder, without the least apparent wildness. The 

 women could never finish caressing him, and with a womanly 

 appreciation of his wants, they brought him a goat with a 

 fresh bag of milk to act the part of a mother. Nanny 

 having been laid down on her side, and held still by two 

 Arabs who prevented her from kicking or running away, as 

 she seemed well disposed to do, one of her teats was brought 

 to Hubert's lips. 



He did not seem at once to understand what was meant, 

 but the moment the first drop of milk touched his lips he 

 fastened on to his new mother with a devotion that could 

 never be excelled. The lioness obstinately refused to eat in 

 spite of the example of her brother, and would only lie down 

 where she could find some place to conceal herself from view. 

 Hubert passed the first night of his civilized life with me, 

 sleeping calmly at my side, covered with the skirt of my 

 burnous. 



On the next day I hunted over the whole of the mountain 

 with the men of the tribe, and examined every lair without 

 success. As it was drawing near evening, I did not return 

 to the douar, but having shared the supper of a herdsman 

 whom I met on the hills, I again installed myself under the 

 bower where I had watched the previous evening. 



But the day wasted to night, and waned again into day, 

 and no lioness came to disturb my solitary vigil. I learned 

 sometime after, that she had left the neighborhood after I 

 had robbed her cradle of her two children, carrying a third 

 away with her to a safer home. 



This disappearance of the old lady, together witli the 

 capture of two of her cubs, having completely calmed tho 

 inhabitants of Beni-Foughal, I left their country to return to 

 Guelma, carrying with me my two adopted children. 



Shortly after my return the female departed this life, and 

 went where the good lions go. Her early demise from the 



