Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-05-25
~ SOUTH AFRICA.
A Strange Voyage with Lion On Great Fish
River.
FACING DEATH BY TWO ALTEHNA.
TIVES.

IIN
Public attention Just at this time
Is directed toward South Africa and
the adventures of Captain Stanley on
the Great Fish River in that far
distant country are appropo and
worthy of perusal. He says:
I've had many queer voyage in
my time, but the queerest I had was
one | made somewhat unexpectedly,
on my way back from hunting ex
cursion.
AS neared the bank l saw that
the river was in full flood, more than
twice its usual breadth, and running
like mill race. [ knew at once that
l should have a very tough job to get
across-for a flooded African river is
no joke, l can tell you. But L knew
also that my wife would be terribly
anxious if L didn't come back on the
day that had fixed South Africa
being "a place where a good many
things may happen to mainland so
l determined to chance it.
Just at the waters edge l found an
old bushman that l knew well, who
had boat of his own, SO hailed him
at once: We'll, kaloomi. what will
you take to put me across the river?'
No go fifty dollars this time, biass"
(master), said the old fellow in his
half Dutch. half English jargon.
Boat no get" cross to day, water
groed (greaDr
And never bit could | persuade
him, although l offered him money
to make any ordinary bushman jump
head first down precipice.
He spoke so positively that, al
thosgh I'm not easily frightened, l
certainly did feel uncomfortable.
However, when you've got to do a
thing of that sort, the less you think
of it the better, so L jumped into the
boat and showed off
| had barely got clear of the shore
when found that the old fellow was
right, for the boat shot down the
stream like an arrow. saw in mo-
nent that there was no hope of pad
ding her acre IS, and all that l could
do was just to keep her head straight.
But L hadn't the chance OF doing
that very long, for just then big
tree came driving along, and hitting
my boat full on the quarter, smashed
her like an egg shell. had Just
time to clutch the projecting roots
and whisk myself on to them, ard
tree and went away DOWN stream
together and | don't know how many
miles an hour
At first l was SO rejoiced at escap-
ing just when all seemed over with
me that / didn't think much of what
was to come next but before long l
got something to think of with a ven
geance. The tree, as I've said, was a
large one, and the branch end (the
opposite one to where | sat) was all
one mass of green leaves. All at once,
just as l was shifting myself to
safer place among the roots, the
leaves suddenly shook and parted,
and out peeped the great yellow head
and fierce eyes of an enormous lion.
All at once l noticed that the lion
seemed to be getting strangely rest
less and turning his great head from
side to side in nervous kind of way,
as il he saw or heard something he
didn't like. AT first l couldn't imag
inc what on earth was the matter
with him, but presently l caught a
sound which scared me much worse
than it had done the lion. Far in
the distance l could hear, a dull
booming roar, which 1 had heard too
often not to recognize at once; we
were nearing WATERFALL
L had seen the great falls of the
Fish River more than once, and the
bare thought of being carried over
those tremendous precipices made
my blood run cold. Yet being de-
voured by lion would hardly be
much of an improvement, and as 1
hadn't the ghost of chance of a being
able to swim ashore there really
seemed to be no other alternative.
Faster and faster we went-louder
and louder grew the roar of the cat
aract; the lion seemed to have given
himself up for lost, and crouching
down among the leaves, only uttering
low moaning whine every now and
then. l was fairly at my wits end
what to do when all of a sudden l
caught sight of something that gaze
me a glance of hope.
A little way ahead of us the river
narrowed suddenly, rocky headiand
thrust itself out good way into the
stream. On one of the lowest points
of it grew a thick clump of trees,
whose boughs overhung the water;
and it struck me that, if we only
passed near enough, l might manage
to catch hold of one of the branches,
and swing myself up on to the rock.
No sooner said than done. /
started up, hardly caring whether the
lion attacked me or not, and planted
myself firmly upon one of the biggest
roots, where could take good spring
when the time came. | knew that
this would be my last chance, for by
this time we were SO near the preci-
pice that L could see quite plainly,
little way ahead, the great cloud of
spray and vapor that lowered over
the great waterfall. Even at the
best it was desperate venture. and I
can tell you that felt my heart be-
ginning to thump like sledge ham
mer as we came closer and closer to
the point thought what would hap
pen if L missed my leap.
Just as we neared it, it happened
by the special mercy of God that our
tree struck against something and
turned fairly cross wise to the cur
rent, the end with the lion on it
swinging out into mid-stream, while
my end was driven close to the rock
on which the clump of trees grew.
Now or never l made one spring Il
don't think l ever made another be-
fore or since) and just clutched the
lowest bough; and as l dragged my