‘Good morning, my lord,’ replied Aïssa, rather nervously, as she thought of the past. ‘Can I do anything for your lordship?’
‘You can do me a service.’
‘What is it?’
‘Come near me.’
The girl drew near trembling inwardly.
‘Here I am.’
‘Good. Now lift up your axe.’
She obeyed.
‘Now strike me with it on the head.’
‘But, my lord, you—you—can’t mean——’
‘On the contrary, I do mean so.’
‘But my lord——’
‘Strike!’
‘Really, my lord?’
‘Will you strike?’
‘Oh, yes, my lord,’ said Aïssa, more frightened than ever. ‘Hard or light?’
‘As hard as ever you can.’
‘But I shall hurt you!’
‘What’s that to you?’
‘And you really wish it?’
‘I really do.’
So the girl struck as she was bid, and the axe made a deep cut between the lion’s eyes. It is ever since then that lions have that straight furrow in their faces which is particularly noticeable when they frown.
‘Thank you, Aïssa,’ said the lion, and with three great bounds he vanished into the depth of the forest.
‘Dear me!’ thought the girl, rather hurt at his disappearance; ‘I wonder why he never offered to see me home to-day!’
Of course this second adventure of Aïssa’s caused a great deal of excitement, but the most ingenious brain could make no guess as to what might be the intentions of this strange and mysterious lion.
