THE LION IN THE COMMISSARIAT DEPARTMENT. 335 



I followed the track as best I could, and in about half an 

 hour I saw the lion ahead of me, leaving the open country 

 for the woods, and an ox walking directly in front of him. 

 The spahi then told me that he had traversed the line of 

 march of the soldiers in the same manner, with the ox walk- 

 ing ahead of him all the while. 



This circumstance, as insignificant as it may appear to 

 many persons, is of much importance to those who are 

 seeking for information. For myself, it teaches me two 

 things : 



First, that the lion is a faithful father to his young chil- 

 dren, since he goes very far for the purpose of getting them 

 live food. 



Second, that he certainly has the power to magnetize his 

 victims, and lead them where lie chooses, the more con- 

 veniently to put them to death. 



When I first saw the animal, he had crossed a bare ravine 

 with precipitous banks, and was walking over a narrow inter- 

 val of ground, that separated him from the woods. When he 

 saw us riding towards him, he stopped, and the ox that was 

 about ten paces ahead of him stopped also ; the lion then laid 

 himself down on the grass, and gazed across the plain at us 

 as we approached. We rode at full gallop, and did not halt 

 until we reached the edge of the gully, and within sixty 

 paces of the lion. Here I dismounted, and gave my horse in 

 , charge of the spahi, and taking my gun on my arm, proceeded 

 to reconoitre the enemy's position. 



I found him camped very securely. Before him descended 

 the steep bank of the ravine, that would have been very diffi- 

 cult to mount, even without a foe at the top. To have 

 climbed this ascent to within fifteen paces of the waiting 

 animal would have been more than folly, for even did the 

 lion choose to await my coming until I had fired my shot r 

 he would not have needed more than a second or two 



