their long
bounds, kept ahead of the horsemen; but the latter, splendidly mounted
on their well bred steeds, soon began to gain. When they were within
a hundred yards of them one of the lions suddenly faced round. The
Numidians, well accustomed to the sport, needed no orders from their
chief. They scattered at once and broke off on each flank so as to
encircle the lion, who had taken his post on a hummock of sand and lay
couched on his haunches, with his tail lashing his sides angrily, like a
great cat about to make his spring.

The horsemen circled round him, dashing up to within five-and-twenty
yards, discharging their arrows, and then wheeling away. Each time the
lion was struck he uttered a sharp, angry growl, and made a spring in
the direction of the horsemen, and then fell back to his post.

One of the soldiers, thinking that the lion was now nearly crippled,
ventured to ride somewhat closer; he discharged his arrow, but before he
could wheel his horse the lion with two tremendous springs was upon him.

A single blow of his paw brought the horse to the ground. Then the lion
seized the soldier by the shoulder, shook him as a cat would a mouse,
and throwing him on the sand lay with his paw across him. At this moment
Malchus galloped past at full speed, his bow drawn to the arrow head and
fixed. The arrow struck the lion just behind its shoulder. The fierce
beast, which was in the act of rising, sank down quietly again; its
majestic head drooped between its forepaws on to the body of the Nubian,
and there it lay as if overtaken with a sudden sleep. Two more arrows
were fired into it, but there was no movement.

"The brave beast is dead," Malchus said. "Here is the arrow with which I
slew it."

"It was well done, Malchus, and the hide is yours. Let us set off after
the others."

But the stand which the lion had made had been sufficiently long to
enable the rest of the troop to escape. Leaving two or three of their
comrades to remove the body of the soldier, the horsemen scattered in
various directions; but although they rode far over the plain, they
could see no signs of the troop they had pursued.

After a time they gave up the pursuit and rode back towards the camp.
When they reached it they found that another troop of lions, eight in
number, had approached the other grove, where two had been killed by the
party commanded by Adherbal and Giscon, and the rest of the cavalry were
still in pursuit of the others