358 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 
ger. But the carnivorous animal did not appear during all 
that night; he contented himself with uttering dismal howl- 
ings in the midst of the woods. My father being called to 
Senegal by some of his friends, left us on the morrow. Be- 
fore going, he strictly enjoined us to keep fast the doors of 
the house, and to secure ourselves against ferocious beasts. 
At night we barricadoed every avenue to our cottage, and 
shut up the dog with us, which a friend of my father had 
brought to him from the town, to supply the place of that 
which we had lost. But my sister and myself were but ill 
at ease ; for our huts being already decayed, we were afraid 
the tiger would get in and devour the successor of poor Sul- 
tan. However, Etienne came and quieted our fears a little, 
by saying he would make the round of the huts during the 
night. We then lay down, having left our lamp burning. 
Toward the middle of the night I was awoke by a hollow 
noise which issued from the extremity of our large chamber. 
I listened attentively ; and the noise increasing, 1 heard our 
dog growling, and also a kind of roaring like that of a lioriw 
Seized with the greatest terror, I awoke my sister Caroline, 
who, as well as myself, thought a ferocious beast had got into 
the cottage. In an instant our dog raised the most terrible 
barking ; the other animal replied by a hollow, but hideous 
growl. AH this uproar passed in my father's chamber. Our 
minds were paralyzed ; the children awoke and came and 
precipitated themselves in our arms ; but none durst call 
Etienne to our assistance. At last my sister and myself de- 
cided we should go and see what occasioned all this noise. 
Caroline took the lamp in one hand and a stick in the other, 
and I armed myself with a long lance. Arrived at the mid- 
dle of the large cottage, we discovered, at the end of my fa- 
ther's study, our dog, who had seized a large animal covered 
with yellowish hair. The fears which perplexed us left no 
doubt but that it was either a lion, or at least a tiger. We 
durst neither advance nor retreat, and our weapons fell from 
our hands. In a moment these two furious creatures darted 
into the hut where we were ; the air was rent with their cries ; 
our legs bent under us ; we fell upon the floor in a faint ; the 
lamp was extinguished, and we believed we were devoured. 
Etienne at length awoke, knocked at the door, then burst it 
open, ran up to us, lighi-ed the lamp, and showed us our mis- 
take. The supposed lion was nothing else than a large dog, 
from the island of Babaguey, fighting with ours. Etienne 
separated them with a stick ; and the furious animal, which 
