American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-07-03
LiOn-Hunting in Africa.


in Southern Africa. Apart from the
graphic accounts of the buffalo, rhinoc-
erus, and lion fights, the remarks upon
the natural history of the land, so full of
mighty and terrible beasts, are extremely
interesting. The chapter upon lions is
full of thrilling battles, but contains moth
ing better than this passage, one of the
few in which Mr.. DrummoDd appears
rather as naturalist than an extermi-
nator:
Perhaps the most beautiful sight that
l ever saw in connection with them was
on a morning when / had gone out TO
hunt with one bearer at dawn. l had not
gone far from camp, and, most carelessly,
my gun was still unloaded while l was
examining some buffalo spoor, when, on
looking up, l saw my gun-bearer, who
had my cartridges, running away at full
speed. Knowing that he must have seen
something to brighten him so l did not
shout, but went to where he had been
standing, few yards ahead, and there,
sure enough, not twenty yards ahead, were
a pair of lions; they were both full grown,
and the male had an immense name, and
they formed altogether as handsome pair
as | ever saw. The lioness was rolling
on her back, playfully striking out at her
lord and master with her forcpaws like a
kitten, while he stood gravely and majcs
to watch them, though the ground was
quite open, and they must have seen me if
they had looked round, and then rushed
off after my Kaffir TO load. The position
they were in was good, and might have
killed one to a certainty, if not both; but
when l had succeeded in getting him
down from the top of a big tree and went
back they had gone. l suppose they
must have got our wind. No doubt they
haA hoo Inf and
down to drink preparatory to going to
bed.
l once had the pleasure of, unobserved
myself, watching a lion family feeding.
was encamped on the Black Umfolosi,
Zululand, and toward evening, expecting
a friend, / went out to meet him,
and instead of taking a gun, which l
should have done ninety-nine times
out of a hundred, l only took up
| one of the Kaffir's spears, not intending
to 60 beyond couple of hundred yards.
However, not meeting my friend, | went
on, and at about half a mile from the
camp 1 saw a herd of Zcbras galloping
across me, and when they were nearly 200
yards off l saw yellow body flash toward
the leader, and saw him fall beneath the
lions weight. There was a tall tree
about sixty yards from the place, and
anxious to see what went on, l stalked up
to it while the lion was still too much oc-
cupied to look about him, and climbed up.
He had by this time quite killed the
beautifully striped animal, but instead OF
proceeding to cat it he got up and roared
vigorously, until there was an answer,
and in a few minutes lioncss accom-
panied by four whclps came trotting up
from the same direction as the zebra,
where no doubt she had been to drive
them toward her husband. They formed
a fine picture as they all stood round the
carcass, the whclps tearing and biting al
it, but unable to get through the tough
skin. Then the lion lay down, and the
lioness, driving her offspring before, did
the same four or five yards off, upon
| which he got up, and, commencing to eat,
had soon finished hind leg, retiring "A
few yards upon one side as soon as he had
done so. The lioness came up next and
tore the carcass to shreds, boiling huge
mouthfuls, but not Directing to the
whelps eating as much as they could
| find. There was good deal OF
snaT1ing and quarreling among these young
hons, and occasionally stand-up ii ght for
| minute, but their mother did not take
| any notice of them, except to give them ii
smart blow with her paw if they got in
her way. AT last one of the whclps, hav-
ing probably eaten as much as it could
gorge, began to wander about, and in IA
few minutes came my way. Seeing it SO
near the idea of catching it entered my
head, and, descending to the lower branch,
l waited till it came underneath, and
dropped down over it, Selling it with
both hands; but l had counted without
my host; the little beast snarled and bit
and tore at my bare arms in such fash
ion that l was glad to fling it away and
| scuttle up the tree again as fast as l could
out of the way of the enraged mother, who
was coming down at full gallop, her tail
carried out straight behind, and looking
| the very personifcation of fury She
rushed right against the tree in her blind
fury, and then, running up, glared at me and
rOared terribly. l might easily enough
have sent my spear into her; but as there
was not the faintest chance of it killing
her and it would answer no useful pur
pose refrained, and watched her instead
| as she flew at her offspring and drove it
| yelling at her rough treatment, toward tho
others. There was now left of the zebra
but few bones, which hundreds of vult
ures were circling round wanting to pick
while almost an equal number hoped
awkwardly on the ground within fifty OF
sixty yards of it; and the whole lion fam
| lily walked quietly away, the liOness lead
ing and the lion, often turning his head t.
see that they were not followed, bringing
| up the rear
With the exception of crocOdilcs lions
are the only man-eaters. Mr.. Drummond
says there are no man-cating lcopards
Hyenas arc sometimes known to kill
children, but the author asserts that he
knows of no Northumberland instance
of any but the sO-called king of beasts
making human beings his sole or CHIEF
source of food. He docs not believe what
has been written concerning their craving
| for human blood after once tasting il.
Lions have some slight instructive fear OF
human beings, so that they do not touch
men as long as they are able to provide
themselves with their usual food. 1t is
only when they become unable from
wounds and sickness to catch other game
that they learn to be an-caters. Having
once found out with how little danger and
difficulty natives may be killed they dc
not unlcarn their knowledge. Mr. Drum.
mOnd's lion is in courage and nobility
much nearer the conventional lion of lit
eraturc than that described by some othcI
travellers, DIR. Livingstone, for instance
| lie is here shown to be Il terrible beast
MIR. Drummond says that IL lion will sci
dom stand much bullying. He may often ge
out of the way, may even leave his prey il
you approach il, and should you follow hin
may perhaps do so a second time, but thi.
is the extent of it. lie appears to be ar
guing: "I've retired twice, and here you
are at me again; well, if you must hav,
it, come nearer if you dare fla male
he then growls deeply, and bristlcs hi,
name; or if Il lioncss, she crouches dowr
like cat, lays back her ears and show.
her teeth; in such cases charge is al
most inevitable, whether you advance ol
retire The hunter, in approaching al
|