We Had Crossed The River, And, As We Passed Through An Opening In
The Belt Of Jungle On The Banks,
And entered upon a plain
interspersed with clumps of bush, we perceived, at about two
hundred yards distance, a magnificent
Lion, whose shaggy yellow
mane gave him a colossal appearance, as he stalked quietly along
the flat sandy ground towards the place of his daily retreat. The
aggageers whispered, "El Assut!" (the lion), and instinctively
the swords flashed from their sheaths. In an instant, the horses
were at full speed sweeping over the level ground. The lion had
not observed us; but, upon hearing the sound of the hoofs, he
halted and raised his head, regarding us for a moment with
wonder, as we rapidly decreased our distance, when, thinking
retreat advisable, he bounded off, followed by the excited
hunters, as hard as the horses could be pressed. Having obtained
a good start, we had gained upon him, and we kept up the pace
until we at length arrived within about eighty yards of the lion,
who, although he appeared to fly easily along like a cat, did not
equal the speed of the horses. It was a beautiful sight. Aggahr
was an exceedingly fast horse, and, having formerly belonged to
one of the Hamran hunters, he thoroughly understood his work. His
gallop was perfection, and his long steady stride was as easy to
himself as to his rider; there was no necessity to guide him, as
he followed an animal like a greyhound, and sailed between the
stems of the numerous trees, carefully avoiding their trunks, and
choosing his route where the branches allowed ample room for the
rider to pass beneath.
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