Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-09-05

apparently unarmed, was too much for
their equanimity. Once they were on
the run they became more frightened
with every rod, and this permitted me
to carry out the second part Of the
programme. shouted after them,
calling them jackals and towards, and
chased the male along the ridge for
forty rods or more. also emptied my
revolver at the pair, taking care not to
aim too carefully, and the result was
that both ran OF into the desert, with
their tails dragging. I returned to
camp to receive an ovation, and Yam
ke', stock went above par at q single
bound. |, of course, tried to make
light OF the adventure, but was really
in cold sweat, and my knees did not
get over their weakness for hours.
Next day we separated from the
party and pushed on up the stream for
twenty miles, where we halted and
made permanent camp. The left
hand bank was here timbered and
broken, Offering good cover for lions,
and our first night satisfied us that we
had them in plenty around US. On the
next night our new idea in lion CATCH
ing was put to the test. As it was in
one sense a failure, and as it is no
longer practiced, can give it away
without injury to any one, A, German
chemist had compounded for us an
opiate. As we could not give it direct
to the lions, It was poured down the
throat of a calf, I never knew what
the stuff was, but we forced a yearling
calf to imbibe about pint of it, and
for the following ten minutes he acted
as If drunk. Then he got sleepy, and
lay down and closed his eyes while we
were switching him. We removed him
to a, ravine about half mile from
camp, and soon after dark a pair of
lions came down and killed and ate
him. We were astir at early dawn,
and we found both animals within a
quarter of mile of the spot. They
were lying flat on the earth, helpless
as old dEunkards, and we had had them
Gagged for hours Before they threw off
the stupor. We waited week to dis
cover what effect the stuff would
have. Neither one recovered from the
dose, one dying on the sixth and the 9th
er on the seventh day. They acted Ian
guid, had no appetite, and it was plain
that they had been thoroughly knocked
out by the drug. We were thinking OF
| trying it again and using less quaint.
ty, when the two jugs holding the stuff
were broken by accident, and that was
the end of our scheme. Others have
tried it, but no animal caught that way
lived to reach Amsterdam.
On the ninth day, having discovered
a runway down which the lions came
to drink at the river, we prepared q
trap by digging a deep pit. This was
the work of natives, and their skill was
something to wander at. When they
had finished their work, the keenest
white man would have kept the path
without suspicion of danger. A few
branches and reeds held up layer O
earth, and this earth was so patte6
down that it seemed to have been trod.
den for weeks. When all was ready
the natives broke branch off a bush
beside the path in a peculiar way
This they told us would prevent hyenas
or jackals from following the path
Then q rag was hung on a limb over
the path to keep hoofed beasts fror
walking into our pit, and all was ready.
When night came we heard lions al
around US, and one came SO close tt
camp as to alarm us, but if they went
to the river they did not follow the patti
we had meddled with. The next da,
was very close, and we were sanguine
of what the night would bring forth.
Twas in hopes we might capture the
big male lion which had disturbed
our camp the night previous. He was
monster, had a very heavy name, and
as we could see by the spoor left be
hind, his right fore foot had been hur
at some time. When night came two
lions began Investigating our environ
ment, but neither was full grown. u
to eleven o'clock the big fellow hat
not appeared, and the natives argued
from this that he was lying beside
some game he had killed, and would
be certain to go after water before Wis
iting us. Such was probably the case
It was a little after midnight when W.
heard sound between a scream and ;
roar, and the natives began to shout
and explain that the noise was uttered
by the lion as he felt the earth giving
way under him
Daylight had hardly come whe1
scouts went out to the pit to investi
gate. They speedily returned with
the news that we had trapped one O.
the biggest lions in Africa. We hat
to take ropes and cage over, ani
when reached the pit the lion was
sitting on end and looking up at thu
crowd as if greatly puzzled. He hat
made a great fuss and tirei
himself out, the pit being 81