A LION HUNT IN THE VALLEY OF OURTEN. 393 



The animal once beyond mischief, I turned to the wounded 

 man, who was now lying senseless, and found the marks of 

 the lion's teeth on his head, his back furrowed by claws, and 

 his right thigh and leg all peeled of flesh. The blood was 

 flowing in streams, and we were deep in the forest with dark- 

 ness all around us. 



While the Arabs were preparing a litter of branches and 

 burnous, I endeavored to find and stop the haemorrhage, but 

 the dying man recovering his senses and uttering fearful 

 cries, obliged me to desist. I cannot describe our many dif- 

 ficulties in getting out of the jungle, but the sight of that 

 cortege as it wound up the deep ravine, bearing aloft the 

 litter trickling with blood, and preceded by torches, was an 

 imposing spectacle. Had any one seen the column from a 

 distance, he would have said, that it was the body of the lion 

 we were carrying in triumph home. Though from time to 

 time a shriek from the litter, as the bearers jostled over the 

 rough ground, rose above the clamor and mingled with the 

 hooting of the owls above us, or the whining of the jackals 

 that lapped up the blood in our trail. Our progress was so 

 slow that it was not until midnight that we reached the tent 

 prepared for the wounded man, and set down our ghastly 

 burden. 



I had always seen the Arabs deeply affected when one of 

 their people fell under a ball, and I could not reconcile their 

 feelings then, with their indifference now. They only spoke to 

 their comrade to say, " Such things only happen to men ;" 

 then they would turn aside to talk among themselves about 

 the different scenes of the drama, gesticulating like madmen, 

 and commencing over again their history whenever they found 

 a new auditor. As for me, I was sick with their heartless- 

 ness, and sad at the victory that had cost us so dear. 



Early the next morning I called to see Amar, and found 

 his old mother, and a crowd of relatives at his bedside, who 



