THE TRIUMril OF LAKDAR. 34*7 



by the mane, and slap your face," and suiting the action to 

 the word, he went in with hearty good will, to what would 

 have been a short fight, could the animal have recovered only 

 a second of life. 



We returned to the douar to pass the night, and on the 

 morrow every man, woman, child and dog, that lived on the 

 mountains, swarmed around Lakdar's douar, and filed into 

 the woods where the lion was lying in state, on his leafy bier. 

 In spite of this reinforcement of arms, the body was so heavy, 

 and the woods so thick, that it was found impossible to move 

 it from the place where it was lying, and we were obliged to 

 skin it in the woods, which was done by willing hands, amid 

 shouting and gestures and songs of victory. 



Lakdar asked me, as a favor, to let him accompany me to 

 Guelma, to enter the city with me as the bearer of the 

 trophies. I consented, and he, to enjoy the delight of his 

 triumph to its fullest exent, stretched the lion's skin on a 

 mule, with the head in front, and then mounted himself in 

 this novel saddle. The poor mule was the picture of the ass 

 with the lion's skin, mentioned in the fables, and not only his 

 brethren, far and near, shunned him as they would have 

 done the plague, while they brayed sweet accompaniments to 

 our march, but the poor beast himself, when by chance he 

 looked askew, ran and capered, till Lakdar proved the expe- 

 rience of ages, that royalty's throne is no easy seat to main- 

 tain. 



To give an idea of this size of the animal, I will mention 

 that the strongest man in the squadron attempted to carry 

 the head and skin on his shoulders into the presence of 

 General Bedeau, who desired to see it, but the moment that 

 the load was placed on his back, he sunk under the .burden, 

 and we were obliged to have it transported in a hand cart. 



