for, the eyes of all France being fixed upon
the doings of the wild beast of the Gévaudan,
the King, Louis the Fifteenth himself,
"having been informed of the bravery with
which the young Portefaix attacked the beast
on the twelfth of January last, at the head
of his companions, and being willing to
reward such gallant behaviour, has given him
a recompense of four hundred livres, and has
ordered three hundred to be distributed
among his companions."

Now also came the time for offering a
government reward.  It was made public in
the following placard, which was fixed up
in all the cities and towns of the province of
Languedoc:—

"By the King and the Intendant of the
province of Languedoc.  Notice is given
to all persons, that His Majesty, being
justly affected by the situation of his
subjects, now exposed to the ravages
of the wild beast which for four months
past has infested Vivarais and Gévaudan,
and being desirous to stop the progress
of such a calamity, has determined to promise
a reward of six thousand livres to any person
or persons who shall kill this animal.  Such
as are willing to undertake the pursuit
of him may previously apply to the Sieur
de la Font, sub-deputy to the Intendant of
Mendes, who will give them the necessary
instructions agreeably to what has been pre-
sented by the ministry on the part of his
Majesty."

King, Ministers, Intendants, Sub-intendants,
regiments of dragoons, armed levies of
peasants, and a stimulus of six thousand
livres, for the purpose of "putting down" a
party "not much bigger" (when couchant)
"than a large fox," which had probably
escaped from a showman's booth!  The way
in which such a beast ought to have been dealt
with is very plainly stated in a letter addressed
by an English foxhunter (who had read
the royal proclamation with great disgust) to
the printer of the magazine in which an
English version of the document was
published.

"Is it to be imagined, Mr. Printer," he
says, "that the fiercest animal that ever
traversed the wilds of Africa, would have
been suffered in this nation for six whole
months, to fatten upon the young boys and
virgins of a country, throwing meanwhile the
remaining ones into the most distressful consternation
for the fate of their women and
children, when a scarcity of provision might
bring it to be their turn to maintain him?
No, sir, in England, not less superior to France
in the achievements of the camp, than in the
manly exercises of the field, if he had lived six
weeks only, it would have been merely ex
gratia, for the sake, perhaps, of hunting him
a second or a third time.  Amongst us, I am
pretty sure, if even a detachment of his
Majesty's collection in the Tower were to
make their escape into Epping Forest, we
should neither call aloud for a regiment of
horse to fight a pitched battle with them, nor
should we proclaim a fast, nor appoint a
solemn procession of the clergy to do their
part, for fear the army might all be devoured
before they could effectually perform theirs.
I will tell you what would be done with them:
some of the keepers of the forest and their
assistants, without calling to their aid either
the civil or military force, would destroy
them with their guns; as I have not the least
doubt that, instead of trembling at the
mention of their names, or fainting at the
sound of their voice, they would be out every
day in pursuit of them.  And for the rest, I
appeal to many a brother foxhunter, whether
it would not be so.  Half-a-dozen hearty
country squires, who perhaps had served
a campaign or two in the militia, with
a pack of staunch foxhounds to lead
them to their game, would presently
give a good account of them.  I do not
mean that the hounds would be able to pull
down an African lion or a Bengal tiger; but
they would, Sir, when once they got upon
the foot of one of these animals, very soon
hunt him to his lair, from whence if they
roused him, and he stood any chase before he
was at bay, or stood at bay from the first,
though he might possibly kill several couple
of hounds, yet might the sportsmen easily
bring him down with their light bullet-guns,
with which they might ride armed upon
such an occasion; or by letting loose
bull-dogs upon him, effectually prevent his
escape."

In all probability this manly proposal
never reached the ears of the great-grandson,
of the Grand Monarque; for, up and down
went the dragoons till, at length, it was
generally supposed that the wild beast of the
Gévaudan was an allegory—as headstrong
as Mrs. Malaprop's; for, in the Gentleman's
Magazine of February, eighteen hundred
and sixty-five, we read: "By the wild beast
is meant the heretics; by the children killed
are intimated the converts that are frequently
made by them to the protestant faith; and
by the dragoons sent out against the wild
beast, the violent attacks of the clergy are
signified, who are always persecuting the
protestants with the utmost rigour."  The
Parisians, however, did not favour this
theory; for there they said that the wild
beast of the Gévaudan was "neither a
panther nor a hyena, as some supposed, nor
anything merely symbolical; but a bona fide
animal produced from a tiger and a lioness,
which was brought into France to be shown,
as a curiosity."

About the same period appeared "a very
particular account" of the wild beast, in
a letter from Paris, dated the eighteenth of
February, seventeen hundred and sixty-
five. This circumstantial description, which
Lepidua would have delighted in, runs
thus:—