ANDROCLES AND THE LION

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 249, 20 October 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

ANDROCLES AND THE LION

Androcles was a poor Roman, slave who was carried away to -Northern Africa many hundreds of years ago. His life was very hand and painful, and be resolved that he would try to escape to the sea-coast, and get back to Rome. He knew that if he were caught he would be put to death; so be waited till tbe nights were dark and moonless, and he then crept out of his master's bouse and stole through the town, and got into the open country.

On and on he hastened through the darkness as fast as his legs would carry him. Bnt when the day broke he found that, instead of making toward the seacoast be had struck into tbe great lonely desert. He was tired out, hungry, and thirsty, and seeing a cave in the side of some cliffs, he crept into it, lay down and very soon fell asleep. Suddenly be was awakened by a terrible roaring, and, starting to his feet, he beheld a huge tawny lion standing at the entrance to the cave. Androcles bad been sleeping in its den. He could not escape; the great lion barred the way. Terrostricken, he waited for the great beast to spring upon him and kill him with one blow.

But the lion did not move. It moaned arid licked one of its paws, from which blood was flowing. Seeing that the animal was in great pain. Androcies forgot his terror, and came forward, and the lion held up its paw, as if it were asking Androcies for help.

Androcies then perceived that a great thorn had got into the paw and cut it, and made it swell. He drew the thorn out with a quick movement, and then pressed the swelling and stopped the flow of blood.

■Relieved of the pain, the grateful lion limped out of the eave, and in a few minutes it returned with a dead rabbit, which it laid beside Androcies. When the poor slave had cooked and eaten the rabbit, the lion led him to a place in the cliffs where there was a spring of fresh water gushing from the earth.

For three years the man and tbe lion lived in the care. They hunted together and slept together, and the great, shsjggy, affectionate creature used to lie down at night at Androcles' feet, and slowly wag his huge tail from side to side, as a cat does when it lies before the fire and feels happy and comfortable.

But at last' Androcles began to wearv for the society of his fellow men. So he left the cave, but he was soon caught by some soldiers and sent as a fugitive slave to Rome. The ancient Romans were very cruel to runaway slaves, and they sentenced Androcles ♦« ha killed by wild beasts in the arena on the fir/; public, holiday.

A vast* multitude of spectators eatne to sec the pitiful sight, and among them was the Emperor of Rome, who sat on a high seat above the arena, surrounded bv his senators. Androcles. was puslird into the great open space, and a l-inee was thrust into his band. With tins, he was told, he would have to defe.id himself against a powerful ".ion. wliiih had been kept for days without food to make it savage and fierce. So the poor mac had a poor chance of surviving-

He trembled when the hungry lion sprang ont of its cage with a terriole roar, and the lance shook in his feeble grasp as the huge beast came bounding up to him. But instead of Tushir.g fiercely at hi in. and bearing him down, it wagged its tail and began to liek his hands. Androcles then saw thai it was his own lion with whom he had lived in the cave, and he patted it and leaned on its head and cried.

All the spectators marvelled at Hie strange scene, and the Emperor sent for Aridroeles, and asked him for an «r----plana tion of it. And he -was so delighted with the wonderful «tory that he made Androdles a free man. Thereafter Androcles used to walk about Rome, and the faithful lion followed hiin like a dog wherever be went.