Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-05-16
NV First Lion Hunt.

MY FlTSt LlOu nuuts
A writer in a London magazine thus
graphically describes his first adventure
in hunting lions:
On coming in sight of the natives,
who had been left to watch the animal,
| at once saw that it would be case of
close quarters, as the men only made
signs and would not speak; and on our
quietly asking where our expected foe
was hanging out, they pointed to large
trees certainly not more than forty
yards distant from US. Taking good
look at the caps of my rifle, and feeling
with the rod that both balls were close
down, took up position in front of
the tree just in the line of road the
natives said the beast was in the habit
of taking when going abroad, and
plac d native with my second gun
clos behind me; the rest OF our party |
and the native hunters distributing |
themselves in circle round the tree,
so as to be ready for whichever side she |
broke cover. All being ready, signal
was made to a number of natives sta |
toned in the adjacent trees, and they
began to shout at the top OF their
voices; and in an instant we heard a
noise like the growing of mastiff, in
creasing in sound and intensity. My
readers must not fancy that the noise
they hear from the kingly beast in cap
tivity is anything like that which he
makes when in his native walks.
Placing his mouth near the ground, the
monster gives prolonged growl, which
reverberates around in volume OF
sound which can be heard for miles,
striking every living thing with terror.
Such was the sound which ROW broke
the stiffness of the air. The native be-
hind me pressed my arm, and told me
she was very angry. Immediately after
this she got up, and we saw her for the
first time as she began walking up and
down under the tree, as you see the
animals in the Zoo do in their cages,
) flashing her sides with her tail and some
times throwing it right over her back.
All at once she saw me, rather stopped
the fore part of her body, put back her
ears, opened her mouth, gave three or
| four heavy growls, and showed the
whitest teeth [ ever saw in my life. At
that moment l fired my right-hand
barrel direct at the dent between her
ewes, and no sooner had done so than,
with frightful roar of agony and rage,
: down she came full upon me.
Thank God, am steady and cool
: and let her have the second barrel full
in the chest; but it failed to stop her
L had Just time to seize my second CUR
from the native, who fortunately, stooC
like rock; and not being able to ge
it to nv shoulder, fred both barrels
: from hip straight into her chest; bu
: that did not stop the infatuated beast
for with plunge she threw me fiat OF
= nay back and lay on me, with one paw
i on each side of my chest. She then pu
her head down with that kind of growl
/ ing noise with which bull terrier wor
ries any kind of varmint, right over m
% throat and chest. To attempt to dc
scribe the horrors of the situation wa
3 in would be simply an impossibility
Ny friends and the natives were tran:
80 fixed with fear, utterly unable to rende
me the slightest assistance.
u But one little accidental circumstanc
''i saved my life. In being thrown down
- l had providentially kept hold of m
- second gun, and on the brute stoppin
to worry me l thrust it up in involul
le tary self-defense. Laying hold of it i
aS her massive teeth she took it out of m
hands like a straw, and for some nj
ments contented herself with ventin
her rage upon it, and broke it all
IN pieces. During all this time my friend
or though but few yards from me, feare
nv to fire upon her lest their shots shoul
ce strike me. Presently she seized me b
ov the shoulder and shook me as pup
~ does bali of cotton, fearfully manglin
lg and crushing the arm and then for
is time lay perfectly still, keeping he
es teeth in my shoulder. Suddenly sh
in let go, rose slowly to her feet. staggere
y, away few yards, and fell dead. N
IN friends, on coming to lift up what the
40 fully believed to be my dead bod
ne could hardly credit their senses at fin
n ing me still alive, and, with the exec
70, ton of a badly mangled shoulder an
in arm, comparatively unhurt, the mo-
IS, so as was perfectly drenched with tt
to animals blood.
is. 1t had long been the wish of m
ry heart to have hand-to-hand encount
1g with the "lord of the Forest" and
lis certainly had it gratifed with We
as geance. l have shot others since, b1
II, have never had so near shave; ar
ed frequently, when wrap myself up
ad her skin, now doing duty as rug,
at think to myself, with a shudder, no
er near death | was in obtaining it.
n UnaccOuntabIe Phenomena at Part