prince lay flat
on the ground, looking down upon this frightful spectacle. The tigress,
rendered furious by the cries of her little ones, gnawed the hands of
the black, who, from the interior of the den, strove to support
the trunk of the tree, his only rampart, whilst he uttered the most
lamentable outcries.'

"It is horrible!" said the count.

"Oh! go on! pray go on!" exclaimed Adrienne, with excitement; "you will
see what can be achieved by the heroism of goodness."

The count pursued: "'Suddenly the prince seized his dagger between his
teeth, fastened his sash to a block of stone, took his axe in one hand,
and with the other slid down this substitute for a rope; falling a few
steps from the wild beast, he sprang upon her, and, swift as lightning,
dealt her two mortal strokes, just as the black, losing his strength,
was about to drop the trunk of the tree, sure to have been torn to
pieces.'"

"And you are astonished at his resemblance with the demi-god, to whom
fable itself ascribes no more generous devotion!" cried the young lady,
with still increasing excitement.

"I am astonished no longer, I only admire," said the count, in a voice
of emotion; "and, at these two noble instances of heroism, my heart
beats with enthusiasm, as if I were still twenty."

"And the noble heart of this traveller beat like yours at the recital,"
said Adrienne; "you will see."

"'What renders so admirable the intrepidity of the prince, is, that,
according to the principle of Indian castes, the life of a slave is of
no importance; thus a king's son, risking his life for the safety of
a poor creature, so generally despised, obeyed an heroic and truly
Christian instinct of charity, until then unheard of in this country."

"'Two such actions,' said Colonel Drake, with good reason, 'are
sufficient to paint the man; it is with a feeling of profound respect
and admiration, therefore, that I, an obscure traveller, have written
the name of Prince Djalma in my book; and at the same time, I have
experienced a kind of sorrow, when I have asked myself what would be the
future fate of this prince, buried in the depths of a savage country,
always devastated by war. However humble may be the homage that I pay
to this character, worthy of the heroic age, his name will at least be
repeated with generous enthusiasm by all those who have hearts that beat
in sympathy with what is great and noble.'"

"And just now, when I read those simple and touch