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Page 6
At this the lion became furious, and lost the calmness that might have
insured him victory, while the courage of the unfortunate dog won for
him the sympathy of all the spectators.
As the lion, excited and terrible, was preparing a new plan of attack,
a rope ending in a loop was lowered to the dog. The brave little
animal, whose imploring looks had been pitiful to look upon, saw the
help sent to him, and, fastening his teeth and claws into the rope, was
immediately drawn up. The lion, perceiving this, made a prodigious
leap, but the dog was happily beyond his reach. The poor creature,
drawn in safety to the terrace, at once took flight, and was soon lost
to view.
At the moment when the lion threw himself on the ground of the pit,
roaring with rage at the escape of his prey, the Sicilian entered, calm
and firm, superb in his brilliant costume, and with his club in his
hand.
At his appearance in the pit, a silence like death came over the crowd
of spectators. The Hercules walked rapidly toward a corner, and,
leaning upon his club, awaited the onslaught of the lion, who, blinded
by fury, had not yet perceived his entrance.
The waiting was of short duration, for the lion, in turning, espied
him, and the fire that flashed from the eyes of the terrible beast told
of savage joy in finding another victim.
Here, however, the animal showed for a moment a feeling of anxiety;
slowly, as if conscious that he was in the presence of a powerful
adversary, he retreated some steps, keeping his fiery eyes all the time
on the man. The Sicilian also kept his keen gaze on the lion, and, with
his body slightly inclined forward, marked every alteration of
position. Between the two adversaries, it was easy to see that fear was
on the side of the beast; but, in comparing the feeble means of the
man--a rude club--with the powerful structure of the lion, whose
boundings made the very ground beneath him tremble, it was hard for the
spectators to believe that courage, and not strength, would win the
victory.
The lion was too excited and famished to remain long undecided. After
more backward steps, which he made as if gaining time for reflection,
he suddenly advanced in a sidelong direction in order to charge upon
his adversary.
[Illustration: "THE BEAST GAVE A MIGHTY SPRING."]
The Sicilian did not move, but followed with his fixed gaze the motions
of the lion. Greatly irritated, the beast gave a mighty spring,
uttering a terrible roar; the man, at the same moment, leaped aside,
and the lion had barely touched the ground, when the club came down
upon his head with a dull, shocking thud. The king of the desert rolled
heavily under the stroke, and fell headlong, stunned and senseless, but
not dead.
The spectators, overcome with admiration, and awed at the exhibition of
so much calmness, address and strength, were hushed into profound
silence. The next moment, the Bey arose, and, with a gesture of his
hand, asked mercy for his favorite lion.
"A thousand ducats the more if you will not kill him!" he cried to the
Sicilian. "Agreed!" was the instant reply.
The lion lay panting on the ground. The Hercules bowed at the word of
the Bey, and slowly withdrew, still keeping his eyes on the conquered
brute. The two thousand ducats were counted out and paid. The lion
shortly recovered.
With a universal gasp of relief, followed by deafening shouts and
cheers, the spectators withdrew from the terrace, having witnessed a
scene they could never forget, and which, as I said at the beginning,
is still talked of in Tunis.
BRUNO'S REVENGE.
BY THE AUTHOR OF "ALICE IN WONDERLAND."
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