of strength, shook his magnificent mane and lashed his tail, with its
curious little black tuft, to and fro as though eager for a fight.

He was acknowledged by all his brethren, almost before he had reached
his maturity, to be the king of them all; and Leo took the honor as a
matter of course, and kept up his reputation to the very letter.

He was the terror of the villagers by night, for he had already become
known, and the animal creation lived in deadly fear of him.

He would stalk into the villages in the coolest and most daring
manner, passing under the very noses of the guns, take up some lamb or
sheep or other small animal, and walk coolly off with it, growling in
his most impudent manner the while. In vain did the guns blaze forth
fire and smoke; in vain were traps set in all directions. Leo was not
to be caught: he eluded them all, and went his way, and became more
and more a living terror and a dread.

When he took unto himself a wife he grew fiercer still, and his rage
and passion at the slightest sign of any intruder kept all other
members of the tribe at a safe distance.

In due course of time he had a small family, and once in possession of
these precious cubs his strength and fierceness increased, and his
daring knew no bounds. His roars struck terror into all hearts, and
his craftiness and extraordinary cunning inspired a superstitious fear
among the natives, which made them speak of him with hushed breath.

But pride must have a fall, and Leo's fall came in a somewhat curious
manner.