The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-03-27

self up Tor loSU, when suddenly Tom shouted
out from somewhere in my rear:
"'You are walking on to the wounded
cub; turn to the right
Il had the sense, dazed as | was, to take
the hint and Slowing round at right angles.
but still keeping my eyes on the Goness,
continued my backward walk.
80 my intense relief, with low grow
she Strengthened herself, turned and
bounded off further up the kloof.
'''Come on, Inkoos,' said Tom, let's get
back to the wagon
IAN right, Tom | answered. Il will
when have killed those three other lions,
for by this time / was bent on shooting
them as never remember being bent on
anything before or since. You can 60 il
you like, or you can get up tree.
'He considered the position little, and
then he very wisely got up tree. l wish
that had done the same.
Meanwhile l had got out my knife
which had an extractor i'll it, and succeeded
after some difficulty in hauling out the case
which had so nearly been the cause of my
death, and removing the obstruction in the
barrel 1t was very little thicker than
postage-stamp; certainly not thicker than
a piece of writing paper This done l
loaded the gun, bound my hendkerchi9.
round my wrist and hand to staUnch the
flowing eff the blood and started on again.
Il had noticed that the lioness Went into
a thick green bush, or rather cluster of
was a little stream running down the kloof,
about fifty yards higher up, and for this
made. When got there, however, could
see nothing, so / took up a big stone and
threw it into the bushes | believe that it
hit the other cub for out it came with
rush giving me broadside shot of which
| promptly awaited myself, knocking it
over dead. Out too. came the lioness like
flash of light but quick as she went |
managed to put the other bullet into her
ribs, so that she rolled over three times like
4 shot rabbit. | instantly got two more
cartridges into the gun, and as did so the
lioness got up again and came crawling
toward me on her forepaws, roaring and
grooming, and with such an expression of
diabolical fury on her countenance as I
had not often seen. | shot her again
through the chest, and she fell over on to
her side quite dead
THAT was the first and last time that l
ever killed a brace of lions right and left,
and, what is more, | never heard of any
body else doing it. Naturally | was con-
siderably pleased with myself, and having
again loaded up, went on to look for the
black-maned beauty who had killed Kap-
tein. Slowly and with the greatest care ]
proceeded up the kloof, searching every
bush and tuft of grass as | went. 1t was
wonderfully exciting work, for | never was
sure from one moment to another but that
he would be on me. | took comfort, how
ever, from UDe TenecUlOn UldU Il non rarely
attacks a man-rarely, | say; sometimes
he does, as you will see-unless he is
cornered or wounded | must have been
nearly an hour hunting after the lion.
Once | thought | saw something move in Il
clump of tambouki grass. but | could not
be sure, and when / trOd out the grass |
could not find him.
"At last ! got up to the head of the kloof.
1t was formed of "a wall of rock about fifty
feet high. Down this rock trickled a little
waterfall, and in front of it, some seventy
feet from its face was great piled-up mass
of powders, in the crevices and on the top
of which grew ferns and grass and stunted
bushes. This mass was about twenty-five
feet high. The sides of the kloof here were
also very steep. Well got up to the top
of the nullah and looked all round. No
signs of the lion Evidently | had either
overlooked him further down, or he had es-
capped right away. 1t was very vexatious;
but still three lions were not bad bag for
one gun before dinner, and was fain to be
content. Accordingly | departed back
again, making my way round the isolated
pillar of powders, and beginning to feel
that | was pretty well done up with excite
ment and fatigue, and should be more so
before | had skinned those three lions.
When had got, as nearly as | could judge,
about eighteen yards past the pillar or mass
of powders, l turned to have another look
round. have pretty sharp eye, but L
could see nothing at all.
''Then, on a sudden, saw something
sufficiently alarming On the top of the
mass of powders, opposite to me, standing
out clear against the rock beyond, was the
huge black-maned lion. He had been
crouching there, and now arose as though
by magic. There he stood, lashing his tail,
Just like a statue of the animal on the
gateway of Northumberland House that l
have seen picture of But he did not
stand long. Before could fire-before
could do more than get the gun to my
shoulder-he sprang straight up and out
from the rock, and driven by the impetus
of that one mighty bound came hurtling
through the air toward me.
Heavens how grand he looked, and how
awful! High into the air he flew, describ-
ing a great arch. just as he touched the
highest point of his spring | fired. / did
not dare to wait, for saw that he would
clear the whole space and land right upon
me. Without a sight, almost without AIM
fired, as one would fire snap shot at a
sSnipe. The bullet told, for distinctly heard
its thud above the rushing sound caused by
the passage of the lion through the air
Next second | was swept to the ground
luckily fell into a low creeper-clad bush,
which broke the shock and the lion was
on the top of me, and the next those great
white teeth of his had met in my thigh
heard them CRATE against the bone. |
yelled out in agony, forI did not feeli in the
least benumbed and happy, like Dr.
Livingston-who, by the way, / knew very
well-and gave myself up for dead. But
suddenly, as l did so, the lions grip ON my
thigh loosened and he stood over me, sway
ing to and fro his huge mouth, from which
the blood was gushing, wide opened. Then
he roared, and the sound shook the rocks.
'To and fro he swung, and suddenly the
great head dropped on me, knocking all
the breath from my body, and he was dead.
My bullet had entered in the center of his
chest and passed out on the right side of
the spine about halfway down the back.
THE pain of my wound kept me from
fainting, and as soon as got my breath |
managed to drag myself from under him.
Thank heaven, his great teeth had not
crushed my thigh bone; but was losing a
great deal of blood, and had it not been for
the timely arrival of Tom, with whose aid
got the handkerchief off my wrist and
tied it round my leg, twisting it tight with
a stick, think / should have bled to death.
"Well, it was just reward for my folly
in trying to tackle family of lions single
handed. The odds were too long. | have
been lame ever since, and shall be to my
dying dav; in the month of March the
wound always troubles me a great deal,
and every three years it bre AXIS out raw. |
need scarcely add that | never traded the
lot of ivory at Sikukuni's Another man
got it-a German-and made five hundred
pounds out of it, after paying expenses. l
spent the next month on the broad of my
back, and was a cripple for six months
after that. And now I've told you the yarn,
so will have drop of Hollands and go to
bed Macmillan