Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1856-01-10
Reaaing,
AN ADVENTURE.

AN ADVENTURE.
The following thrilling gaccount of an adven-
ture with lion in the wilds of Southern Afri-
ca, is extracted from record of an African
sporting expedition, recently published in an
English magazine
Whilst breakfast was preparing, proceeded
to take saunter down to the pool, not without
some faint hopes of a bath, though I feared
our horses, to say nothing of the other animals
who had visited it during the night, might
have muddled it too much for that. However,
I resolved to try, and throwing my Minnie in:
to the hollow of my arm, and cooking my wide
awake over my eyes, lounged down path a.
mong the bushes, now we'll beaten by the feet
of man and horses. The latter I found up to
their bellies in the pool, enjoying themselves as
completely as the flies would let them but
the waterlooked uncommonly turbid, thought
I would skirt along a little tothe left and look
for cleaner spot and so, climbing short
steep, covered with long grass and underwood,
Idashed aside some branches which intervened
between me and small clear space of shorter
turf and-to my very intense astonishment,
though must say not at that moment to my
dismay, 1 was used to the sight of them
found myself within few yards of one of the
finest male lions / ever saw, and who was en-
gagged with look of grave patriarchal interest
in watching the movement of tho horses below
doubtless selecting one for his breakfast
Have you not seen Landseers catching of the
lion in the old Tower Managerie In exactly
the same attitude, still and unmoving, like
noble statue, stood this neighbor of mine; and,
for few moments, 1 remained really lost in
admiration of the grand beauty of the tableau'
he presented.
1t was, however, necessaryto decide on some
line of action Immediately. could not help
hitting him, if 1 chose to fire, but if did not
kill him rightout with one shot, he was so close
to methat I could hardly hope to escape with
out an lybrush. Surely this was case in
which discretion would be the better part of va
lor; and as he was so absorbed in the contem-
plation of the horses below that he had not yet
noticed me, concluded Gas Jonathan would
say) to steal off as I came. All that dry
twig that would place itself in the way of my
very first retrogade foot-step! The sharp
crackle effected what the more subdued noise
of previous movements had not done, and with
short startled growl, the beast swung himself
round, and in second, was staring at me with
look which said, 'Halloo who are you?' as
plainly as look could speak. lnstinctively I
threw my rifle forward cooking it at the same
moment, and some seconds Of perfect immova-
bleness on each side cnsued, during which l
was trying to make out whether he would
charge or not. The stud y of physiognomy is
doubtless pleasant enough on the whole but
when your subject is a big male lion, and the
question depending on the study whether you
shall be summarily smashed or let alone, why,
confess it becomes Gas Mr.. Weller says too
exciting to be pleasant.
How studied every feature, trying to de-
tect q change of some sort which gave me
clue! 1t came at last; he gradually lowered
his head, and by the 'wiggling' motion of his
hind quarters, which could just spy over his
shoulder, saw he was gathering his hind legs
under him-a sure Indication What odd
things come into peoples minds in moments of
peril That movement brought to my reco-
lection most vividly bitterly parallel scene in
my aunt's garden at Harrow, where watched
her cat gathering herself up in an exactly SINH
lar way to pounce on wretched sparrow.
The next moment he dashed at me with
hoarse snarl, which sounded as though giant
had drawn the bow suddenl across the strings
of a stupendous violin cello fired as he rush
ed in, aiming as we'll as I could at the middle
of his forehead. As l did So | was swept
down with the force of an express train, and
for few seconds lost all consciousness
The first thing [ was sensible Of as soon as
l began to get my senses together, was the
clear, strong voice of n, calling to me in
the most placid, though earnest manner:
Lie perfectly still, Walter, it's your only
chance
How my heart leaped at the voice Help
was at hand, but the very words that announ-
ced it at the same time pointed outmy extreme
danger: it needed only the most moderate ex-
ercise of my returning faculties to understand
why.
was lying on my face among the long grass
at the top Of the little steep have mentioned,
I could see nothing, but could feel the lion
close to me. I could hear his deep, short, an
cry breath, like staccato purrs of an enormous
cat-could detect smacking noise, which af-
terwards found arose from his licking at steam
of blood which flowed down the side of his
nose, from deep sore on his forehead given
him by my ball-nay, / could feel his huge
tail, as he rolled it angrily across from side to
side, restfor moment on my back now and
then. -:.
The bitter anguish of those few years Of