It wasn’t just that Fernand was captivated by the man, he also told himself that the villagers would be reassured to know that there were lions up there. Being watched over by this colossus and his colony of wild animals would be like having holy protection. Perhaps the wild cats would instil in the villagers some of their irresistible force, in the same way that it is sufficient to breathe the air of forests to become as strong as oak oneself. The lion tamer did not care about the supposed curse on the hill; his only aim was to find somewhere remote to protect his beasts from the fury of the world. His mission in the war was to save his wild cats, to keep his eight large animals alive.