336 APPENDIX 
One lion, however, remained, and for fear of him all went 
in dread ; 
Sixteen days passed, all being well, and everyone enjoyed 
a peaceful mind ; 
But again, on the seventeenth day, the lion appeared 
and remained from sunset to sunrise. 
He kept on roaming about in the neighbourhood like a 
general reconnoitring the enemy’s position. 
On the following day the Sahib sent for the people 
and warned them all to be careful of their lives ; 
“Do not go out from the afternoon even until the 
following morning,” he said. 
Now this was the night of Shab-7-Kadr, a Muslim 
festival : 
And at night when all had retired to rest, the lion came 
in a rage, 
And Patterson Sahib went forth into the field to 
meet him. 
And when he saw the beast, he fired quickly, bullet after 
bullet. 
The lion made a great uproar, and fled for his life, but 
the bullets nevertheless found a resting-place in his heart. 
And everyone began to shriek and groan in their uneasy 
sleep, jumping up in fear, when unexpectedly the roaring 
of the lion was heard. 
All thought of sleep was banished, and fear came in its 
place : 
And the Sahib gave emphatic orders that no one should 
go out, or roam about. 
And in the morning we followed the marks of blood 
that had flowed from the wounded animal, 
And some five or seven chains away, we found the lion, 
lying wounded and in great pain. 
And when the Sahib saw the animal he fired bullets 
incessantly ; 
