The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-02-11

heal. The beast had all the advantage
of me. and his running away could be
laid to nothing but cowardice, but he
was to redeem himself.
When we had gone into camp that
evening there were fifty people of us,
with four or five wagons, a score OF
horses, and from thirty to forty bull
locks. We made quite a village; and
noisy one. just while the supper fires
were being replenished, and when
everybody was moving about, this same
lion came out of thick piece of woodS,
roared loudly, and then walked straight
at us. His roar aroused us, but no one
supposed he would come nearer
The old fellow came forward at
dignifed gait until he had
traversed half the distance, and
then, making half dozen long bounds,
he entered camp. No one was ready
for him, and there was great scatter
ing. Some of us sprang for trees, and
others dived into the tents; and such a
row among horses and oxen you never
heard. The old lion stood in clear
spot in the center of camp, and roared
and growled and switched his tail about
and babe us defiance, and before any
one of us could make ready for a shot
at him he sprang upon COW, rolled her
over and then fastened his teeth into
her neck and drew her out of camp,
passing so close to one of the fires as to
drag the hind legs of the COW over the
Goals. As soon as he was clear of the
camp dozen of us sprang out with
ourguns and fired at him by sound, and
by great good luck two of the bullets
hit him in the head and finished him.
We had seen him drag the COW off as
easily as man could draw the body of
dog, and to make comparison Of
strength we ordered four natives to take
hold of the carcass. They could barely
move it. 1t took seven of them to drag
it back to the fires, and they had hard
tug at that.
The next adventure showed both the
bravery and ferceness Of the animal in
one. | had been out alone with my
rifle, and was on my way back to camp
and at about five o clock in the evening
skirted sink or water hole on the edge
of a dense wood. Suddenly lion ut
tered a terrific roar, and looked up to
find big fellow facing me. He had
been creeping down the edge of the
wood, perhaps routed out of his lair by
some of our men, and while he was APP
preaching the pool from one direction
was approaching from the other He
was not over three hundred feet away,
and | knew at first glance that he was
, mad. His name was up, his tail switch
, ing, and he meant fight. He could
: have been under cover at Jump, and
thus avoided me altogether, and this
, would have been characteristic of lion
) disturbed at that hour of the day. !
brought my rifle down, aimed to hit
him between the eyes, and pulled the
[ trigger. The ball grazed his skull,
l knocking him down and making him
crazy for moment. | suspected from
his antics that he was only touched,
and knew that as soon as he had gath
. cred himself he would come for me.
} He was whirling round and round and
| rolling over, and there was no show for
fair shot. l therefore made a bolt for
/ the nearest tree, and l was Just off the
ground when the lion screamed out,
: and | dropped my gun to get above his
reach.
1t was close call for me. The
blood blinded him as he made his
spring, and the paw which struck at
, me passed clear of my body. He went
; to the ground in a heap, rolled over
two or three times, and before he was
, up l was out of reach. l got seat
> about twenty-five feet from the ground,
and the way that old fellow ragged and
raved for the next quarter of an hour
: was circus to see. He had been in
ill-temper before | raked his skull. He
was now so mad that he would have
4 faced a regiment of men. From the
3 limb where | sat to the next, ten feet
higher, the tree was smooth, and | did
' not dare attempt to climb it. | was
| just safe and no more. The enraged
'OdoO hittNtO tsil SUI 70 VI ttJICIiplS u
, reach me, even trying to climb, but
! was safe. Several times he ran back
, on the plain a few rods and then came
< for me Hail Columbia, springing up to
2 within three or four feet of my perch
, but never coming high enough. Hi:
l repeated failures angered him still
. further, and if lion ever lost his head
r and got mad from nose to tail that fcl
| low did. When he found he couldn't
1 get me he made circles about the tree,
| rolled over and over, and his growls
and roarS were enough to set me in 9
| chill.
. had my revolver, but it contained
. only three charges, and l had no more
e ammunition. l should have to reach
| his brain or heart to kill him, and he
= would not give me an opportunity fol
: steady shot. | soon saw that was
doomed to pass the night in the tree
and l then decided to save my bullets
for some other danger which might be
expected The sun had hardly gone
down when darkness came on. The