"Immediately, commander, but allow me in the meantime to remark that I never have ridden in such a splendid carriage."
"One must try all things," replied the count laughing; "if I have understood you rightly before it is concerning a report which has come to the knowledge of Madame Joliette."
"Quite right, commander. Do you see, in some things the ladies are very distrustful—"
"The long preface makes me conclude that it is concerning a woman," interrupted the count.
"Not exactly a woman, she was but a child not more than fifteen years at the utmost."
"And this child was Captain Joliette's sweetheart?"
"Alas, God forbid—no, that was not the case."
"Well make it short and tell the story."
"At once, sir," began the Zouave bowing. "One evening we had pursued a troop of Bedouins, and when night set in we were too far away from camp to reach it. We lay down in a hollow; the terrible howling of panthers and hyenas was the song to put us to sleep. Toward two o'clock in the morning I awoke suddenly—the moon had risen and I saw a large dark body close to the hollow pass by rapidly. I soon got my gun ready and fired. The sound woke the captain up and he inquired the reason. Ere I had time to answer, I heard a cry of anguish proceeding from above the hollow—in two leaps the captain reached the top of the rock and I followed him. The sight which presented itself was terrible. On the ground lay a white figure and close by was an enormous panther. The yellow glowing eyes of the animal and its wide-open blood-red jaws terrified me—the captain held his poniard in the right hand and hit at all sides. I intended to fire at the beast, but man and beast rolled over and over again and I was afraid that I might hit the captain. Now the iron grasp of the captain had hold of the panther's neck—the animal howled fearfully, and the next moment the weapon of the man slit the body of the beast open. The panther turned over, a streak of blood drenching the ground; the captain, breathing heavily, sank down quite exhausted. I hastened to his assistance; the panther's paw had torn his breast and the wound caused him a great deal of pain, but when I tried to dress it he refused and said firmly:
"Look after the little one, Coucou, don't mind me."