Lion (third story)

The natives don’t need stories and fancies of vampires or Dracula. They have the worst everyday at doors: The lions!

Sometimes the chief furnished the Lisbon Zoo with lions. So, this story can’t be a surprise. One day the usual cry: chief! Help us please! Had another fulfilment. The chief said: we will set a trap: bring me timber and strong ropes. They pitched a strong cage and put a goat into. They waited only one night and the lion was trapped. They brought the lion to the centre of the village and the drums started: tan-tan! Tan-tan!! Tan-tan!!! ... The natives of the neighbourhood called to the feast attended joyfully. The people abused the lion with shouts at the pitch of their voices, swore, the women yelled and the children flung stones. And the lion paced to and fro... The many drums thundered and the lion paced to and fro... Still at daylight the natives kindled the first bonfires and the lion paced to and fro... On the evening the crowd began to cook their meals in the fires and the lion paced to and fro... At night there were many bonfires, the frenzied people danced round and round the lion and chanted at the pitch of their voices, round and round they went. Round and round they ran, jumped and yelled. The lion hadn’t the necessary foothold at the sides but at the ceiling. It had a mighty jump at the wood ceiling, broke this, was at the top, roared and froze completely the people at the spot, leaped over the natives, and over, and over the fires and faded in the darkness. The terror of the villagers was complete in two minutes of a while till the first native stirred. There was a silence of the tomb!