Show I 1 ACROSS THE RAVINE A forced fight Il tween an indian HUI and IF a lion iwas I 1 wee pros pectin to the bouth of en Jenk b thu the hiir II LI Ir jille eod 4 I 1 4 eat it iv to ft a great bowl lowlier ler to hive a bite theat to eat etwas it was oil of it deep dark ravine which hod had a width s of feet hie tile opposite bank of the ravine s w was as alii ell the highest ming rising up tip from twenty dve to thirty feet high and along I 1 ite its face was wan a trail this perhaps had bull been made matle by deer and gout goat passing from front their feeding gro only about 11 fifty aty 11 feet of the trail and that directly la in front IN of me mo was as clear of brush and trees I 1 had my eyes on this open space when an indian suddenly stepped into view from front the east A at t that date every indian in that vicinity w was hostile this one was not in war paint but I 1 knew hed held shoot on sight my first feeling was woon that of surprise because he be had not yet seen uie me I 1 soon saw however J that he had bad his head down and was apparently trailing something he ile bad had passed almost out of sight to the west when he suddenly drew up his rifle and fl red there was a shrill savage scream and aa as the indian retreated a tawny mountain I 1 lion came into view just opposite me the indian halted while the lion crept up to within twenty feet of him and rested I 1 saw a bloody streak on the anlin animals alls shoulder and as he lie turned and licked at it his growls were deep and menacing the redskin had only a single barre lell rifle and ho be made no attempt to reload while the lion turned his lis head bead the indian laid down his empty rifle and drew hk I 1 knife he lie waa was a tall stalwart fellow and ho he meant to fight for bis his life hittl hist ilist I 1 did it to attract his attention and next instant ho he was looking into my eyes lie must have been a bit astonished but he did not betray the tact fact his ills eyes blazed up he scowled in a malignant way and I 1 knew that he be was cursing his luck in being in such a allx fix Il listl it was louder this time so as to reach the ears of the lion as he be licked at the blood he ile started up with a growl grow located roe me in a and hit ilk eyes blazed and scintillated and almost hurtled he ile glared nt at me for twenty te tecona cond and then turned to the indian 11 1 not even squaw would hiie have cone gone out ont with only one bullet for her liflet I 1 callet to the tile redskin in the jargon we had hall picked pickel up around tit thu camp ina in a lie Ile understood I 1 n ais suro sure of it because he retook betook took ilia eyes from the beast for live seconds to flash me die such a look of hate w only a fiend is 14 capable of the lion wa enraged over ins ills wound and yet the fierce and ready attitude of the indian ellade m ule him hesitate to attack he ile crept forward a 1 few feet growled lashed his tall and then retreated retreat id a littia little you are hoping that he lie wont attack you I 1 shouted to the red skin but I 1 will make him I 1 rose up and picked up a small stone and threw it at the beast it struck just behind him when two dogs are standing growling at each other a it missile striking near them will precipitate a conflict the tile lion leaped a distance of he five feet ahead and sunk down and growled moro fiercely thin than before and lashed his tall you yon see I 1 have my rifle here liere I 1 called to the indian as I 1 lifted the weapon up to view I 1 could kill the tie beast as t and ave you but I 1 L hall not do it I 1 he ile looked down on me again and stud hia his face was v as io distorted with passion that 1 I I 1 felt roy my flesh creep in spots what would he not gilim to had me bound fast to fo th the sah te e wyth w th interfere Z de devilish v ilish ingenuity of tor torture As I 1 held beld bis his eyes for ine five seconds second I 1 rend read in them forty years ears of intense hate bate for the men of my race ahl ali I 1 you ou are a it coward I 1 shouted at the lion as he lie turned his head and looked back up the trail you have hai e in front of you one of your cubs cabs a year old could claw ill him ill down why dont you finish him before lie runs away to boast of his br bravery averyl the beast s switched ny ditched itched his tail in a amen men 11 1 acing way as he lie stared at roe while the indian now spoke for the first time saying before the night comes I 1 will roast 4 your heart at my fire and eat it iti 1 i ahl then you think the lion is a cow il ard and dares not attack youl let us see I 1 it if I 1 can hit him with this stone he tie will 1 spring upon you better throw away your A i knife and run forit for it squads squaws sare are fleeton fleet ot foot toot are they not r I 1 I 1 held the mik mikela dla in my band hand while talking to him both indian and beast were looking straight at me as I 1 thre threw rit it it 0 struck the tile lion full in the side and with a I 1 roar and a rush he was upon the savage the trail did not look to me to be over I 1 three tet feet wide the indian was borno borne backward by the weight of the tile attack but he was quickly ou on his knees and I 1 saw life his knife flash as its he kept stabbing lie ile did not shout and the lion uttered no other noise except a sort of sobbing the fight seemed to last ten minu minutes tea but I 1 doubt it it lasted over three on oti fair ground the indian might have beaten the beast off or killed it lt bo too on more advantageous vant ageous ground the beast might have finished the indian in ili a couple of minutes of a sudden as its the two were down ou the path they rolled oer over tho the brink tha 1 be indians knife wils buried to the hilt in the tile liona body ahle while the brute hul had its it teeth fastened in ili his throat they vanished bed from sight in an instant and as I 1 blood stood looking over the brink of that dark lark clia chasm sin it seemed a at quarter of a minute before a I 1 dull crash came up tip through the th gloom which there for ages ae to tell that they i ere lying dead down there ou on the rocky bottom 31 QUAD |