Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-06-16
TRAPPING WILD BEASTS.

lllAll lNU " 1ID DLHDIps Last year at this time estimated that the menageries. and geological gardens of France, England, Germany and America contained upward of 800 animals and serpents which had helped to capture. For seven years Twas employed by dealer in menagerie stock at Amsterdam to look for and seek to capture any living thing in the curiosity line for which there was q demand, and doubt if yCu can find 8 zoologicnl garden in the world which does not contain some specimen of my handwork. Sometimes was with party of fifteen or twenty people, employees and natives, and again there were only two or three of us in company. It depended, of course, on what sort of game we were after. 7 The largest lion ever seen in captivity was trapped neor the4village of Wadi Halfa, on the White Nile, Egypt Ofall the sportsmen and natives who saw him none had ever be- held such magnificent specimen. A band of flvo of us had made our headquarters at this village for a fortnight, looking after this very boast, who was known to the people along the Nile for a hundred miles, and whose depredations had broken up many herdsmen He had been ravaging the coun- try for over two years, and some wonderful
 
 ferocity. Several hunting parties had been organized to pursue and kill the monster, but in each instance tho lion killed two or three of the hunters and escaped without scratch. Tho only time he had ever been wounded was by . spear in the hands of a woman.
 The big lion had leaped the stockade of a herdsman and seized a calf, and as he was preparing to spring out again the woman ran at him and gave him wound just above the eyes. This left scar which added greatly to tho lions ferocious aspect, and also served to identify him. In the six months previous to our arrival at Wadt Halfa the big beast had killed and eaten fifty natives, and hardly Q night passed that he did not slaughter horse, an OK or sheep. He had driven all other lions away and had the field to himself, and so great was the terror he had inspired that travel over certain roads and paths to the west of the village had been entirely stls- pended oven in the daytime Five miles west of tho village was broken, wooded district of fifteen miles long by several miles broad, and in this range the lion was safe. He was heard of as far down as Sioot, 15O miles miles south, but the greater portion of his time wasspent near Wadi Halfa-
 Had we desired the death of the lion we should have gone out with our guns and popped at him, but he was no good to us un- les we captured him alive and without seri- ous injury. We spent two days looking tho ground over, and then decided to try the simplest plan first. Sharp men are always posted on sharp tricks. It Is tho same with tho wild beast who has boon much hunted. He is looking for his enemies to catch him by some new trick. The natives had regarded this lion as too well posted to fall into a pit, and none had ever been dug. We selected path which he had used so often to come down to pool of water in the hills that he hnd beaten it hard, and hero we tied sheep. The old fellow took the bait the first night. On tho next night VIC left another, but the lion passed it by, went down to the plain and killed an OK, and on his way back to his den about daylight, stopped and killed the sheep and passed on. He did likewise on the third night, seeming to have lost his taste for mutt ton, but stopping to kill for the pleasure of it. &We furnished fourth and fifth, and each was killed in rotation. It was easy to imagine the scene. The sheep was tied to a small tree beside the path about twenty feet from the pool. The lion must pass him to get to the water. He hsued from his lair at sunset, as we knew by his roaring, and with head high in the afr and stately tread he took his way down the path. The poor sheep heard and scented him, and after vain struggle to get away became terror stricken, and could only use its eyes. The lion came slowly down the path, growing and lashlng his tail, and when fifteen feet away halted and uttered a roar which shook the hills. The sheep was frozen with fear. A man, tied and helpless, would have tainted away. The lion enjoyed the terror of his puny victim. A sheep was but small pota- toes to n beast who could kill an 800 pound OK with one blow of his mighty paw, but yet 1t was an occasion not to be neglected. With slow step, and with those great yellow, eyes seeming to burn into the head of the victim. the hon advanced, and by and by he stood | over the sheep. The poor thing shivered and sank down, and for two or three minutes the lion sniffed and snuffcd and playfully touched | 1t with his paw. Then he passed on, and the sheep was left to struggle and shiver and die dozen deaths before the big beast returned to finish him.
 We dug our pit early In the forenoon, when we know the lion must be asleep, and about fifteen feet above the point where the sheen had been tied. The excavation was four feet wide by eight long and fourteen deep, and was 60 carefully covered that the sharpest oyed native could not have told that the ground had been disturbed. In addition to ths sheep, we sprinlsled some fresh OK blood on the path, and below the victim we S,aced several pieces of fresh meat Just Before night three of us took our stand in Q tree about quarter of a mile from the pit, and to windward of the lion, and the sun had not iyet entirely disappeared when we heard the the lion mutter. His slumbcrs were, broken and he was stretching himself and making I ready for tho usual night foray. Pretty soon his muttsrings changed to roar, and then we knewsha had started down the path. We could hear the sheep bleat in terror, and oul hearts beat faster as we wondered if our trar would be Asuccess. The lion was ten minutes tgoing POO yards. As soon ns he saw the sheer and got tho scent of blood he said to himself
 '.So-hot These cowardiy natives not only bring me fresh mutton every evening to gail my good will, but tonight they have addet dsssert smell fresh blood, and if that isn'
 beef hanging to the limbs of the tree then my eyes deceive mea Poor foolsi Do they thinl
 will bqcoptsut with tfds cheapsupper whez there' sfe full grown cattle onAthe plain
 However, I will make closer investigation andn--- D
 I And we knew by the smothered roars tha