The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1875-04-08

| eyes lighted up with vicious CLEAN, and SHE
| growlcd hoarse defiance.
! Stewart commenced pclting her with sticks
and pebbles, thinking to drive her into the sta
bic. But she tnrned on him, and he was fore.
ed to retreat slowly, still facing her-backing
He then went down the hill with quite crowd
of men, thinking she would follow. She did
| follow, but ina way they hadn't bargained for.
| Several men in the crowd had guns loaded with
i shot. Kerney had one. joan Nordheim had
one, to wlicliwas set q bayonct.
MIR. T.. McEvoy, contracting carpenter.
who lives near the old Clifton toll-gate, had his
gun with him. Mr.. McEvoy is crack shot,
with nerves OF steel He is a prominent MEM
Der of the Cincinnati Fishing and Shooting
Club, and delights ina chance to show his
quick eye and complete command Of nerve
turned out AS the men retreated down the
hill all seemed to understand that the lioness
was about to make dash, and by common
consent, without a word, McEvoy was looked
10 to shoot at tho right time. The lioness
dragged herself forward through the mud to
the brow of the little hill, and looked down
upon the men, who were backing slowly away.
They did not dare to turn their backs upon
her.
Then gathering herself, she made tremen-
dous flying leap down hill, at least twenty fee,
| and in the next bound was upon them. Ker-
ney was standing by q stump as she whizzed
by him III the arr. McEvoy had his six hnll-
dred dollar No. 10 English gun, double-barrel-
led, 10th barrels loaded with No. 6 shot, at his
shoulder, trying to get bead on a vital point.
At her second bound she jumped clean over
AcEvoy head, knocking off his hat.
This leap brought her upon Nordhcim and
Hont. The former, who had no chance to use
his bayonet, was struck in the breast and
knocked down. IIont was down, too. For
two or three seconds there was confusion Of
two men and the loness, the men screaming
and the beast roaring, upon the ground. The
men were bo.h down and bleeding. The lion
ess could brain them and discnbowcl them. 1t
WAS a terrible spectacle. The men were now
upon the ground and helpless.
AS the lioiiess leaped over him, McEvoy,
with his gun still at his shoulder, turned in his
tracks. He was marvelously cool fora first eX-
perience in lion hunting. He had tussclcd
hand to head with the hugely aatlered buck;
he had faced the coming Of the grizzly bear OF
California, and slaughtered bruin but here
was novel and terrible emergency. The Ii
oness had to be killed within second or two,
or she would kill those men. Already she had
bitten Nordhcim through the left bullock and
llont through the thigh. But to shoot SEEM
cd madness, for the men and beast were all
three together. But McEvoy was calmness it.
self; his sight was unerring, and his nerves
steel. He fired barrel, and the shot merely
glazed the back OF the lioncss. He must touch
vital spot in the next second; he must shoot
under that mans arm, under the beasts Shout
der into her heart. lie was only ten feet away.
Bang the lioness was dead, shot through the
heart Through hole into which one could
thrust four fingers, this beasts life ebbed away
into the porous earth The rescued5 men, pale
IS DEATH staggered to their feet, and thanked
God for McEvoy's gun and aim.