Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-05-14

have got them well alight had it not been for
the wind, which got stronger and stronger -
| the sun got higher, and forced the fire into
! them. At last after half an hours
| trouble, the flames got hold and began to
spread out like q fan, whereupon I got round
| to the further side Of the pan to welt for the
lions, stand well out in the open. II
was a rather risky thing to do, but used
to be so sure Of my shooting in those days
that I did not 90 much mind the risk Pres
entity, above the cracking Of the fire, heard
Q startled roar, then another and another. So
the lions were at home.
u was beginning to get excited now, for, -
you fellows know, there Is nothing In expert
ence to warm up your nerves like . lion ct
close quarters unless it Is a wounded buffalo:
and got still more so when I made out
through the smoke that the lions were all
moving about on the extreme edge of the
reeds Occasionally they would pop their
heads out like rabbits, from q burrow,
and then, catching sight Of mo standing
about fifty yards out, draw them back
again. knew that it must be getting pretty
warm behind them, and that they could not
keep the game up for long, and was not
mistaken, for suddenly all four Of them broke
cover together. the old black-maned lion
leading by few yards. never saw a more
splendid sight in all my hunting experience
than those four lions bounding over the
veldt, overshadowed by the dense pail Of
smoke and backed by the fiery furnace Of the
burning reeds.
Il reckoned that they would pass on their
road to the bt,shy kloof, within about five
and twenty yards of me, 50, taking long
breath, got my gun well on the lions
shoulder-tbe black-maned one-so as to
allow for an inch or two of motion, and catch
him through the heart. was on, dead on,
and my finger was just beginning to tighten
on the trigger, when suddenly went blind
q bit of reed-sand had drifted into my right
eye Iglanced and rubbed, and got it more
or less clear just in time to see the tail of the
last lion vanishing round the bushes I'D the
kloof.
sIf ever Q man was mad I was that man.
1t was too bad; and such a shot in the open,
tool However, was not going to be bsaten,
so just turned and marched to the kloof.
Tom, the driver, begged and implored me
not to go, but, though as a general rule /
never pretended to be brave (which am
not, was determined that / would eithe,
kill those lions, or they should kill me- So l
told Tom that he need not come unless he
liked, but was going; and, being plucky
fellow-a Swat by birth-he shrugged his
shoulders, muttered that was mad or BE-
witched and followed doggedly in my tracks
1--WE soon got TO the kloof, which was about
800 yards in length and but sparsely wooded,
and then the real fun began. There might
be a lion behind every brush-there GER
tainly were four lions somewhere; the delicate
question was, where. peeped and poked
;,,
my heart in my mouth, and was ut last 70
yellow moving behind . bush. At the same
moment, from another bush opposite me out
burst one Of the cubs and galloped back
toward the burnt-out pan Whipped round
and let drive a snap shot that tipped him
head over heels, breaking his back within two
inches of the root Of the tail, and there he lay
helpless but glaring. Tom afterward killed
him with his assegai opened the breech Of
the gun and hurriedly pulled out the old case,
which, to judge from what ensued, must,
suppose, have burst and left portion Of its
fabric sticking to the barrel At any rate,
when tried to get in q new case it would
only enter half way; and-would you believe
it, this was the moment that the ioness, at
tracted, no doubt, by the outcry Of her cub,
chose to put in an appearance. There sho
stood, twenty PAGES or 20 from me, lashing
her tail and looking just as wicked as it is
possible to conceive. Slowly stepped back |
ward, trying to push in the new case, and as
did SO she moved ON in little runs, dropping |
down after each run The danger was |
imminent, and the case would not 60 in. At |
the moment oddly enough thought of the car |
tridge-maker, whose name I viii not mention, |
and earnestly hoped that if the lion got |
me some condign punishment would overtake |
him 1t would not 60 in, 30 tried TO gull it |
out 1t would not come out either, and my |
gun was useless il could not shut it to use |
the other barrel might as well have had |
no gun. Meanwhile was walking backward, |
keeping my eye ON tho ioness, who was |
creeping forward on her belly without q |
sound, but flashing her tail and keeping her
.ye on me; and in it I saw that she was COM
ng i'll a few seconds more. / dashed my
wrist and the palm Of my hand against the
,rass rim of the cartridge till the blood |
,oured from them-look, there are the scars
II it today"
"But it was not Of the slightest use! The
'artridge would not move. only hope that
10 other man will ever be put in such an aw-
nj position. The ioness gathered herself to
,ether, and gave myself up for lost, when
uddenly Tom shouted out from somewhere
n my rear:
"'You are walking On 10 the wounded cub;
urn to the right
II had the serse, dazed As l was, to take The
hint, and slowing around at right angles. but
still keeping my eyes on the honess, con-
:inued my backward walk.
TO my intense relief, with low growl she
herself, turned and bounded OF
further up the kloof.
@'Come on, Inkoos,' said Tom, lists get
back TO the wagon
".All right, Tom,' answered. I will
when have killed those three other lions
Tor by this time was bent on shooting them
IS never remember being bent on anything
before or since You can go if you like, or
you can get up tree
He considered the position little, and
then very wisely got up . tree. 1 wish that
had done the same.
meanwhile had got out my knife, which
had IN extractor in it, and succeeded after
some difficulty in hauling out the case which
lad so nearly been the cause Of my death,
md removing the obstruction in the barrel.
It was very little thicker than a postage
not thicker than piece Of
writing paper. This done l loaded the gun.
bound my handkerchief around my wrist and
,and to staunch the flowing Of the blood and
:arted on again
Il had noticed that the ioness went into .
hick green bush, OF rather cluster Of bushes,
growing near the water, for there was little
'tream running down the kloof, about fifty
Yards higher up. and for this made When
got there, however, could see nothing, SO I
ook up a big stone and threw it into the
pushes believe that it hit the other cub,
'or out it came with q rush, giving me .
,roadside shot Of which promptly awaited
myself, knocking it over dead Out, too, came
he lioness like fash OF light, but, quick q
he went, l managed to put the other
,ullet into her ribs, 80 that she rolled
,ver three times like a shot rabbit
instantly got two more cartridges
nto the gun, and as l did so the honess got
Up again and came crawling toward me on
Ter forepaws, roaring and groaning, and
With such an expression Of diabolical fury on
Ter ccuntenance as had not often seen
hot her again through the chest, and she fell
,ver on to her side quite dead.
That was the firssand last time that ever
Tiled brace Of lions right and left. and,
l.s =, 4 81 Al,