moon-bathed plain. The girl turned her pony's head straight toward the
jungle. It was in the direction of the roaring of the hungry lion.

"Hadn't we better steer clear of that fellow?" suggested the Hon.
Morison. "I guess you didn't hear him."

"Yes, I heard him," laughed Meriem. "Let's ride over and call on him."

The Hon. Morison laughed uneasily. He didn't care to appear at a
disadvantage before this girl, nor did he care, either, to approach a
hungry lion too closely at night. He carried his rifle in his saddle
boot; but moonlight is an uncertain light to shoot by, nor ever had he
faced a lion alone--even by day. The thought gave him a distinct
nausea. The beast ceased his roaring now. They heard him no more and
the Hon. Morison gained courage accordingly. They were riding down
wind toward the jungle. The lion lay in a little swale to their right.
He was old. For two nights he had not fed, for no longer was his
charge as swift or his spring as mighty as in the days of his prime
when he spread terror among the creatures of his wild domain. For two
nights and days he had gone empty, and for long time before that he had
fed only upon carrion. He was old; but he was yet a terrible engine of
destruction.

At the edge of the forest the Hon. Morison drew rein. He had no desire
to go further. Numa, silent upon his padded feet, crept into the
jungle beyond them. The wind, now, was blowing gently between him and
his intended prey. He had come a long way in search of man, for even
in his youth he had tasted human flesh and while it was poor stuff by
comparison with eland and zebra it was less difficult to kill. In
Numa's estimation man was a slow-witted, slow-footed creature which
commanded no respect unless accompanied by the acrid odor which spelled
to the monarch's sensitive nostrils the great noise and the blinding
flash of an express rifle.

He caught the dangerous scent tonight; but he was ravenous to madness.
He would face a dozen rifles, if necessary, to fill his empty belly.
He circled about into the forest that he might again be down wind from
his victims, for should they get his scent he could not hope to
overtake them. Numa was famished; but he was old and crafty.

Deep in the jungle another caught faintly the scent of man and of Numa
both. He raised his head and sniffed. He cocked it upon one side and
listened.

"Come on," said Meriem, "let's ride in a way--the forest is wonderful
a