The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-02-21

that they grow nothing, and keep nc
sort of provisions on hand, so that we
had to go hunting every day for some
thing to eat, just as they have to do
themselves. tell you it was tolera-
bly, rough apprenticeship that had to
60 through. Whether we were hunt
inc for provisions or for birds, we were
nearly all the time in those great woods,
where we were surrounded by all inn
aginable dangers. :,
zone day, when our provisions had
run short, negro came to tell us That
about league from the camp he had
seen a great herd of those bic ante
lopes with curved horns which they
call Douglas. Holbeck and | went af-
ter them; but the savages had deceived
us-at least so far rs the distance was
concerned, for we We're more than two
hours running through the jungle,
tumbling over rocks or stumps, and
wading through marsh-graSs and reeds
before we found the herd at last. 1t
was composed of just three animals
and no more; and they were grazing
in the middle of a great open space,
about three hundred yards away from
us. They seemed to be very wary-so
that it was no use thinking of trying to
get any nearer to them.
"Holbeck, who wore spectacles then
Just as he does to-day, could not have
hit mark fifty PAGES off. So had to
take the chance myself. | went on my
knees, took long, long aim and fired.
To our great JOY one OF the antelopes
made tremendous leap into the air
and fell dead on the ground, while the
Others ran away. A. | had only a
single barrelcd gun Icould not attempt
another Sho-.
"But we were very well satisfied; the
antelope was big as a calf, and quite
enough TO ill the void in our meat
supply. We proceeded to cut him up,
and finding it impossible TO take the
whole away with us we selected three
fine pieces as bic as we could conven-
iently carry. Holbeck and | each
took piece, which we fastened on our
shoulders, and the negro who accom-
panied Us took the other.
LAS the evening was advancing, we
started for our camp as fast as was
possible, considering the weight of our
burdens. We had already made half
the distance when all of sudden,
while we were trayersing a thicket, we
heard, right close beside us, a most
awful roar
"At last we have got to the lion!'
cried the audience.
Yes. it was the lion" resumed Bar
barous with his customary phlegm;
''and | would like to have seen you in
nv place. When | first noticed the
lion he was only ten steps away from
me, and in the very middle of the path;
and | assure you that the sight of him
did not make me laugh; for | immedi-
ately remembered having been silly
enough not to reload my gun. But
did not have much time to mediate.
Holbeck, who was behind me, fired his
gun at the lion, who Immediately leap
ed at me with a terrible roar, and felled
me to the earth.
Just as fell ! caught glimpse of
Holbeck and the negro, running away
as fast as their lees could carry them,
and then lost all consciousness.
MY brave comrade knows that l
never bore him any grudge for thus
abandoning me. He really thought
was already dead, and he could not
have done anything to save me.
Glow long | remained senseless
do not know; but gradually found my
self coming back to life. At first had
only very vague idea of what had
happened to me, and | made painful
effort to rise-when deep growl came
in answer to the movement-and felt
myself nailed to the ground by an
enormous weight. The lion was lying
upon me.
This discovery made me tremble in
every limb; but that was nothing to
what | felt when ! found that the fero-
cious brute was actually eating me
alive. | heard my own bones crack
ling in his mighty jaws, and | felt,
nevertheless-a strange phenomenon!
i did not suffer; felt no pain-noth-
ing but horrible sense of weight and
oppression. Then | remembered hay
ing read or heard somewhere that men
or animals in the clutches of beasts of
prey are subject to peculiar and
providential species of torpor, which
exempts them from all sense of pain.
''But if | did not feel the hideous
rending of my flesh by the teeth of the
beast, still my brain was tortured by
such unutterable fear that | tainted
away again.
"When | came to it was black night;
and there was ring of negroes stand
ing round me with torches in their
hands. On first opening my eyes, and
seeing their grimacing black faces,
lighted up by flames, | began to think
was in hell-or at least in purgatory;
for | did not remember having ever
done anything very wicked. But after
second or two saw the good-natured
face of Holbeck, who was bending over
me, and crying like a child: % my
poor Barbarous! o my poor Barbar-
Gus! Then tried to get up; and
what was my surprise to find that |
could do 50 without any difficulty!
Once on my feet began to feel my
arms, my head, my chest, my legs
well, they were all intact! | had only
q few scratches-no serious wound at
all.
What sort of yarn do you call