Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-09-29
Lions and their Families.

| had not gone far from camp, and
most careless v,my gun WAS still unoadcd,
when | saw my gun bearer, who had my
| cartridges, running away ut full speed.
Knowing that he must have something to
trighten him 50. | did not shout but went
To where he was standing, and there, not
twenty yards off. We're Il pair of lions {;
they We're both full grown, and the male
had an immense manc. The lone~S was
rolling on her back. .pliytully striking ut her
lord and master with her fore paws. like n
kitten, while he stood gravelv and maies-
tically looking on. stopped a moment to
watch them, though the ground was quite
open. and they must have seen me if they
had looked around, and then rushed OF
after my ka1ir; but when | had succeeded
in getting him they had gone. | once had
the pleasure of. unobscrved myself. watch
ing u lion family feeding.
was walking out in Znzuland toward
evening; at about Il mile from camp saw
a herd of zebras golloping acros>,and when
they were nearly two hundred yards Off
| saw yellow body dash toward their
| leader and saw him fall beneath the lions
weight. There was 4 tall tree about sixty
yards from the place. and | stalked up to
it, while the lion was too much occupied
10 loOk ifouI HIlll, dHN tlllllDcu up lle
had by this time quite killed the animal.
but instead of proceeding to it, he cot up
and roarcd vigorously, until there was an
answer, and in Il few minutes Il lioness
accompanied 10y four whclps. came trottin@
up from the same direction rs the zebras
| which. no doubt she had been to drive
toward her husband. They formed fine
picture as they all stood around the car
/ Il, b.lrS and hitip,r .,t It
but unable to Get through the skin. Then
the lion lay down, and the lioness, driving
off her offspring before Ter, did the same
four or five yards off,upon which he got up,
and commencing to eat. had soon finished
Il hind leg. retiring Il few yards on one
| side as soon us he had done so. The
lioness next came up and tore the carcass
to shreds, boiling huge mouthfuls, but not
objectinc to the whelps eating all they
could find. There was a good dead o
snaring and quarrelny anon. these
Young lions, and occasionally a stand-ul
tiobt for Il minu.e, but their mother did
not take any notice of them. except tt
give them /, smart blow with her paw
when they got in her way.
At last. one of the whelps, having pro-
badly eaten as much rs it could gorge
commenced to wander about. and in Il few
minutes came my way. Seeing it so near
the idea of catching it entered my head
and descending to the lower branch.
waited till it came underneath and drop
ped down over it. seizing it with boll
hands; but l had counted without my
host; the little beast snarlcd and bit ut my
bare arms in such fashion that | was
glad to fling it away and scuttle up Tho
tree again us fast as l could, out of the
way of the enraged mother, who was com
ing down at full gallop, her tail carrieo
out straight behind, and looking the very
personificaton of fury. She rushed righ
against the tree in her blind fury. ant
then running up, glared at me and roare'
terribly. might easily enough have sen
my spear into her; but as there was no
the faintest chance of its killing her, AM
it would answer no useful purpose, re
Trained, and watched her instead, as sh'
flew at her offspring, and drove it. yellln
at her rough treatment, toward the other:
2 There was now left Of the zebra but fey
5 bones, which hundreds of vultures wer
now circling round waiting to pick. wl,il
i almost an equal number hoped awkward
ly on the ground within fifty OF sixty yard
J. of it; and the whole lion family wake