The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-02-11
THE LION.
At Times a Wonderful Coward,
But Not Always.

I believe that every man who has
been in the lion country will agree with
me that he would rather meet a full
grown lion under almost any circum-
stances than an English bull dog. The
lion is the king of beasts only now and
then. Now and then he is the king of
towards. A bull dog is all determine
ton. A lion schemes and calculates
and takes no chances.
While assisting in the official survey
of the northern portion of Cape Colony
it was an almost everyday occurrence
to sight lion, and the adventures of
our party were numerous, if not peril
Gus. We got so that we feared the
beasts only at night, Or when we came
upon them at their meals. Almost the
first lion | saw in Africa proved him
self an arrant coward. was left to
set a boundary stone between districts
while the surveying party moved on.
The hunters were out after fresh meat,
the camp was two miles away, and
was working with my back to patch
of tall prass with bush in the center
oft. The entire party of us had stood
there for quarter of an hour without
seeing or suspecting any danger, but a
lion was all the while concealed in the
patch He kept quiet until the men
were a mile away, and then crept for
ward for spring at me. l heard Il
movement in my rear as l worked
away, and whirling about l found my
self face to face with full-grown lion.
He was crouched for spring, and
would have been upon me in another
ten seconds.
l was terribly scared and had no time
to collect my wits, but l did just the
right thing after all. l jumped right
at the brute with a loud yell, and he
went bounding away like bull. fol-
lowed him into the patch in my excite
ment, and he ran out in the open plain,
dropping his tail like a cur and evil
IDENTITY badly ratified. had light
spade in my hands, and as he lodged
about to get back to cover hit him a
swinging blow over the rump. He
yelled out like dog hit with a stone
fell over, made dash between my
legs, and again got into the grass. l
followed close upon his heels, yelling
at the top of my voice. and what did the
coward do but bolt for the open with
his tail dragging in the grass. As he
left cover flung the spade and struck
him in the side and staggered him. He
growled and showed his yellow fangs,
but there was no fight in him. When
Jumped at him he ran away over the
plain toward broken ground, and after
chasing him for a quarter of mile, l
gave up and sat down. The men of
the party came running up, amazed
and astonished, and even though they
had seen all that happened, they could
scarcely credit their sight and senses.
knocked the courage all out of the
beast by wheeling on him inst at the
right second. By upsetting his plan
made coward of him. Had a bull
dog meant to attack me, my turning
on him would not have made the slight
est difference.
Influenced the Senate of Maryland
last night to request the return from
the House of Delegates of the bill
passed hurriedly last week extending
the term of the mayor of Baltimore
to four years. This bill was passed
by the votes of nineteen Senators,
and the return of the bill was reques-
ted by vote of ten to nine. The
House of Delegates was notin session
last night, and so the request cannot
be acted upon until it meets to-day.
1t may be assumed, of course, that
the exercise of courtesy usual in such
cases will bring the bill before the
Senate again, when the opportunity
will be afforded for more deliberate
procedure than heretofore. Since the
hasUy action of the Senate in this
matter 1t has been suggested that If
the change of term and time is de-
sirable 1t ought not to be accomp