Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1873-06-20
A MOTHERS STRATAGEM.

In June, 1860, the ship Wanderer left
the settlement of Monrovia, on the coast
of Liberia, in Africa, having on board,
among her passengers, bound home to
England, Mr.. Benton, young mission
ary, and his Beautiful wife Helen, with
their child-a little girl three years old.
For three weeks the vessel encountered
a succession of head winds and violent
squalls, which, driving her toward land,
at length compelled her captain to anchor
in a small bay on the coast of Morocco,
1t was beautiful spot, but few hundred
wards from one Of the halfdetached peaks
of the Atlas mountains.
Gazing inland, the passengers beheld a
wealth of verdure, with tall trees and
climbing plants, and flowers of variegated
hue, many of the latter ascending to the
tops of the rocky hills, and hanging down
in long, graceful festOons over the valleys
betweeen
In the afternoon, the gale having abated
the captain lowered boat to make sound
ings in the bay.
"I would so like to take little Clara
ashore" said Helen to her husband.
"YOu know she has been teasing us all
day long for some of those pretty flow
crs"
every well; if the Captain will take
the trouble to put us ashore, we Will CO."
said Benton.
The Captain having readily given his
consent, the two passengers were soon
landed on the beach.
Don't go too far away, sir" said the
skipper, as he showed off again.
But little Clara, breaking from her pa
rents, now ran up one of the lofty rocky
elevations, the sides of which were Gov
cred with shrubbery of the most attractive
color
"Wait for me, George" said Helen to
her husband, land / will bring her
back"
The height the child was ascending to
being very steep, she had proceeded about
a hundred yards ere her mother overlook
her. The naked arms and shoulders of
the little one were by this time scratched
in several places from contact with the
briers Mrs. Benton, therefore, dipping
her handkerchief in a spring trickling
down rock, was about applying it to
the bleeding parts, when she was sud-
denly startled by a roar, deep and pro-
longed, like rumbling thunder, apparently
emerging from the very heart of the
mountain, and shaking it to its center.
Terrified, she turned to behold an awful
spectacle-the huge, bristling head and
round. glaring eyes of that most dreadful
of wild beasts-an African lion!
First the head, and then the supple,
tawny body, appeared from the shrub
berry, the tail whisking turiously to and
fro, the fiery tongue and sharp tangs vlsl-
BILE, as a second roar came booming from
the cavernOus throat.
''Just Heaven!" was all the poor lady
could gasp, as with mothers instinct she
snatched the child to her breast.
Mr.. Benton now saw the danger. He
was unarmed, but he shouted to the men
in the boat, who, turning, also perceived
Helen's peril.
To gain the ships side, to call for and
obtain loaded muskets, was, with the Cap
tain, the work of a few minutes Then
he directed the boat ashore. A cracking
report was heard as one of the weapons
was discharged, and, with terrible roar,
the lion turned, slightly wounded, look
ing toward the Seamen.
Only for a moment, however; the next,
away he went in pursuit of Mrs. Benton,
who, with the speed of desperation, her
child clasped tightly in her arms, was
fleeing up the height. *#
On she ran, the lion though wounded,
gaining fast. Now and then she would
turn to behold that hideous head within
few yards of her, the eyes now resem-
bling great white circles, with lambent
points of flame in the center, while the
closed teeth and wrinkled nostrils beto-
kened that it scented the blood from the
scratches the little one had received, and
which had reused to the utmost the hun
gry desires of the savage beast
Gasping, painting, wild with terror and
anxiety, the fugitive hurried along, scarce
Iv hearing, far below, the shouts Of the
pursuing seamen. They could not help
her-they were not near enough. The
victims would be torn to pieces and de-
voured long ere they could attack the
lion.
This Mrs. Benton comprehended, She
saw no way Of escape-her only help was
in Providence. t$fEB &8E8 Haas
Watching the figures, as he sped on at
the head of. the seamen, the young mis-
4 sionary almost screamed in his great ago.
nv, expecting every moment to see his
wife and child fall a prey to the monster.
& The lion. now being in line with the fu-
gitive, the muskets were useless in the
hands of the sailors, who would not fire at
the animal for fear of hitting Mrs. Ben
4 The strength of the latter, in spite of her
efforts. was evidently giving way. her
limbs trembled under her--she swayed
from side toside-her gasping sobs could
be heard even by the sailors. 1873