such an opportunity.




Chapter 29.

The day after this adventurous yet tragic evening, when at first light
our hero awoke and realised that the prince and his money had gone and
would not return; when he saw himself alone in this little white tomb,
betrayed, robbed and abandoned in the middle of savage Algeria with a
one-humped camel and some loose change as his total resources, for the
first time some misgivings entered his mind. He began to have doubts
about Montenegro, about friendship, fame and even lions. Overcome by
misery he shed bitter tears.

While he was sitting disconsolately at the door of the Marabout with his
head in his hands, his rifle between his knees and watched over by
the camel... behold! The undergrowth opposite was thrust aside and the
thunderstruck Tartarin saw not ten paces away a gigantic lion, which
advanced towards him uttering roars which shook the ragged offerings on
the wall of the Marabout and even the slippers of the holy man in their
recess. Only Tartarin remained unshaken. "At last!" He cried, jumping
to his feet with his rifle butt to his shoulder... Pan!... Pan!...
Pft!... Pft!... The lion had two explosive bullets in its head!
Fragments of lion erupted like fireworks into the burning African sky,
and as they fell to earth, Tartarin saw two furious negroes, who ran
towards him with raised cudgels. The two negroes of Milianah... Oh!
Misère!... It was the the tame lion, the poor blind lion of the convent
of Mahommed that the bullets of the Tarasconais had felled.