The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-03-06

down, and the full moon was up, and Q beautiful moon it was. And then there came down that wonderful hush tha, sometimes falls over the African bush ia the early hours of the night. No beast was moving, and no bird called. Not a breath of air stirred the quiet trees, and the shadows did not even quiveT; they only grew. It was very oppressive and very lonely, for there was not a sign of the cattle or the boys. Twas quite thank ful for the society of old Kapsein, who was lyiag down contentedly against the disselboom, chewing the cud with good conscience.
 Presently, however, Kaptein began to get restless. First he snorted, then he got up and snorted again. could not make it out, so like fool got down of the wagon-box, to have look round, thinking it might be the lost oxen com ing.
 "Next instant regretted it, for all of . sudden heard an awful roar and saw something yellow flash past me and light on poor Kaptein. Then came below of agony from the OK, and crunch as the lion put his teeth through the poor brute's neck, and l began to realize what had happened. My rife was in the wagon aud my hrst thought was to get hold of it, and turned and made bolt for it. got my foot on the wheel and fang my body forward on to the wagon, and there l stopped as if were frozen, and no won. der, for as was about to spring up heard the lion behind me, and next sec ond felt the brute, ay, as plainly as can feel this table. felt him, l say, sniff ing at nay left leg that was hanging down
 My word did feel queer; 1 don't think that 1 ever felt so queer before. dared not move for the life of me, and the odd thing was that seemed to lose power ever my leg, which had an insane sort of inclination to kick out of it's own mere modon-just as hysterical people want to laugh when they ought to be par dcularly solemn. We'll, the lion sniffed and saiffed, beginning at ny ankle and sloW Wly nosing away up to my thigh. thought that he was going to get hold then, but he did not. He only growled softly, and went back to the OK. Shifting my head little l got full view of him He was the biggest lion ever saw, and have seen great many, and he had a most tremendous black mane. What his teeth were like you can see-look there, pretty big ones, ain't they? Altogether he was magnificent animal, and as l lay there sprawling on the foretoague of the wagon, it occurred to me that he would look uncommonly well in a cage. He stood there by the carcass of poor Rap. tein, and deliberately disembowelled him as neatly as butcher could have done. All this while dare not move, for he kept lifting his head and keeping an eye on me as he lifted his bloody chops. When he had cleaned Kaptein out, he opened his mouth and roared, and am not ex- aggerating when say that the sound shook the wagsn. Instantly there came back an answering roar.
 "Heavensl' l thought, there is his mate r
 Hardly was the thought out of my head when caught sight in the moon light of the lioness bounding along through the long grass, and after her a couple of cubs about the size of mastiffs. She stopped within few feet of my head, and stood, and waved her tail, and fixed me with her glowing yellow eyes; but just as thought that it was all ever she turned, and began to feed on Kapstein, and so did tho cubs. There were the tour of them within eight feet of me gro wing and qurrelling, rending and tearing and crunching poor Kapstein's bones and there lay shaking with ter. TOT, and the cold perspirption pouring out of me, feeling like another Daniel come to judgment in a new sense of the phrase, Presently the cubs had eaten | fhAiP fill and hAno1 fa At vAuklAec nuA went round to the back of the wagon and pulled at the lmpala buck that hung there, and the other came round my way and began the sniffiag game at my leg Indeed, he did more than that, for, my trousers being hitched up little, he be. gan to lick the bare skin with his rough tongue. The more he licked the more he liked 1t, to judge fro his increased vigor and the loud purring noise he made Then knew that the end had come, for In another second his fle-like tongue would have rasped through the skin of my leg-which was luckily pretty tough and have got to the blood, and then there would be no chance for me. So l just lay there aud thought of my sins, and prayed to the Almighty, and thought that after all life was very enjoyable thing.
 "And then all of sudden heard a crashing of bushes, and the shouting and whistling of men, and there were the two boys coming back with the cattle which they had found trekking along all to- gether. The lions lifted their heads and listened. and then without a sound bounded off-and tainted.
 "The lions came back no more that night, and by the next morning my nerves had got pretty straight again; but was full of wrath when thought of all that had gone through at the hands, or rather noses, of those four lions, and of the fate of my after-ox Kaptein. He was splen- did OK, and was very fond ot him. So wroth was that like a fool determined to go for the whole family of them. It vas worthy of a greenhom out on his first hunting trip; bat | did it neverthe- less. Accordingly, after breakfast, hav- inc rubbed soma oil nn0n my 1e0 whirh