The Kaid, on coming up to them, vowed he would bastinado every cowardly rascal; but that the punishment would be deferred until the morrow, as they must now return at once to secure the lion before nightfall, adding—‘The first man who again runs away I will bastinado until the breath be out of his body.’

The keeper of the lion was a Jew; since, in Morocco, Jews are always appointed keepers of wild beasts, the Moors believing that a lion will not attack a woman, a child, or a Jew—as being beneath notice. The Jew was ordered to attach two long chains to the neck of the lion, now bloated with the flesh of the horse, then to stretch the chains in opposite directions and to attach them to long iron stakes which were driven into the ground for the purpose. The trembling Jew, who knew he would be cruelly bastinadoed should he fail to obey this order, did as he was bid, and the lion, lying near the remains of the horse he had been devouring, suffered the Jew to fasten the chains to the rings on his collar, which was still about his neck.

When this had been done, a dozen powerful men were ordered by the Kaid to fasten strong ropes to the chains, and by pulling contrary ways to control and guide the lion to his cage, wherein a live sheep was placed. By these means the lion was induced to enter his cage, the door of which was then closed.

Kaid Maimon, who was well pleased at the recovery of the Sultan’s present to the King of Portugal, forgave the conduct of attendants and troopers, and, assembling the chiefs, related to them the incidents of the lion’s visit to his tent.

CHAPTER XXI.
MISSION TO FAS IN 1875.

In 1874 Sultan Sid Mohammed died, and was succeeded by his son Mulai Hassan. Sir John, writing to Sir Henry Layard on October 29 of that year, says:—

I suppose the young Sultan intends to tread in the footsteps of his ancestors and remain stagnant.

My belief is that these people, or rather this Government, will never move ahead until the lever acts at headquarters continuously, by the presence and pressure of the Foreign Representatives. So long as we preach and pray at a distance, nothing will be done. On the other hand, if the Foreign Representatives were removed to the Court, there would no doubt be a rupture of relations, or some tragedy, before twelve months elapsed.

Again, shortly after the accession of Mulai Hassan, Sir John writes to the same correspondent:—