The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1888-11-10
CATCHING A KING.

West coast OF Africa, we soon DarSalned
with the owner of suitable boat for a
trip up the Senegal Liver in search OF
menagerie stock. For a certain sum he
was to obey our orders for thirty days,
besides furnishing all articles of food and
drink There were three white men of
us, and each of us had two servants,
while there were seven or eight men
belonging to the boat. We had no cargo
except the goods and cages belonging to
the menaoerie expedition, and the Loaf
was craft somewhat resembling an
American canal boat, but very light, and
propelled by three oarsmen on a side.
What we wanted was to capture some of
the big lions AZ the great Sahara Desert,
and we had been shipped away from
Gibraltar very quietly to try a new idea
in animal hunting.
Now, while | had long been in the en-
ploy of German house, and could rat
tie OF the language faster than any native
born, / was still Yankee from top to
toe, and it did not take more than two
words against my country to set Inc on
edge. When we made our fourth camp
up the river we were a good fifty miles
above salt water and in the lion country.
What was my disgust to find a large
party ahead OF us-not animal catchers,
but animal killers. There were five or
six English army and naval officers, with
a large retinue of servants, two French
Ecers, and three or four French civil
ians. All the officers were on leave of
absence and out for grand lion hunt.
When they found we were only menagerie
men their welcome grew cold very fast.
They had come to meet the king of be ists
in the open and give him a chance for
his life. We had come to effect his cap
ture and deg ;adation by undermined
measures. | can see now why they
should have felt contempt for our vOca-
ton, albeit it was an honest one and one
requiring courage, but couldn't see it
then. Therefore, certain remarks let
fail that night in my hea ing nett,ed me,
and aroused all my Yankee pride. Ny
companions were likewise indignant,
! boat at the bank in front of their camp,
| it would not have taken much more to
bring an open rupture.
! Two of the hunting party were par
| ticularly offensive English paymas-
ter and n French civilian. The latter
had title of some sort, and was looked
up to On account of it. The paymaster
talked because he saw that it displeased
us; the Frenchman because he was both
ignorant and conceited. The point they
aimed to make was that it took a brave
man to hunt lion, while any coward
could set trap for him. Now, each one
of us had not only downed our lion in a
fair fight, but our tiger rs well, and We
talked it over before going to sleep, and
determined not to move on next day, as
we had at first intended. We needed no
assurance from our boatmen that we
were in the lion country. To the north
of US stretched the great desert of sand
and shrub, and before 10 o'clock the
voices of several lions had been heard oh
the still night air. Next morning We
all moved about three miles up the
stream to more broken country grown
up to bushes, and here, as most of the
men were making ready to 90 out on q
hunt, the Frenchman took occasion to
express his surprise to me that we had
guns along. He supposed, he said, that
we hid ourselves in trees, and lassoed tn,
lions as they passed beneath, or that WI
set steel traps in his path and gave hin
no show to escape. IL was meant for al
insult, and was at a white heat, but
choked down my wrath and waited.
We knew from the lay OF the GROUND
that no lion would be found within fiv,
miles of the stream, as the cover was no
of the right sort, and none of US wen
. out with the party. OF the five or 81,
who did 90 all came back footsore, bu
full Of trag Like the boy who had "al
|, most seen a bear" they had discovered
the spoons of lions, and were greatly ex
cited and encouraged. A general hun
, would be made on the morrow.
, While the lion generally shakes OF
sleep ut shutdown, and INDUCES in a roar
he Sc dom leaves his cover until an hou
or two later. On this night we had
full moon early in the evening, and W
J knew that the lions would be heard fror
by 9 O'clock. The three of us had LEI
the boat. and were under shelter on tn
bank below the other party. We ha
, fully canvassed what was to be done, an
5 had drawn lot, to see who should be 81
e lected. | was the lucky winner. 1t WI
= not more than quarter after nine whe
a lion roared, and greatly to our satl
| faction we found that he was directl
north of us. For a space of 800 feet IL
Y ground was as level as a floor. Then
3 assembled slightly for a hundred fe,
D further to ridge, beyond which W;
, rocky and broken ground. As we spran
up we made out two lions on this ridg
, The moon was clear, and we could 81
> them almost as plainly as by day. The
e were male and female of large size, an
the fact of their exposing themselves (
0 boldly proved their courage. was a
!, ready, and after a hand shake with n
/. companions | walked over to the 9th