San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-12-06
TRAPPING WILD BEASTS.

Last year at this time estimated that the
menageries and geological gardens of France,
England, Germany and America contained
upward of 500 animals and serpents which
had helped 30 capture Fol- seven years was
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 a demand, and l doubt If
you can find a geological garden in the world
which does not contain some specimen of my
handwork Sometimes was with a party
Of fifteen OF twenty people, employees and
natives, and again there were only two or
three of US in company, 1t depended, OF
course, on what sort of game we were after
The largest lion ever seen in captivity was
trapped near the village OF Wadi Halfa, on
the White Nile, Egypt Of all the sportsmen
and natives who saw him none had ever be-
held such a magnificent specimen. A band
of five of us had made our headquarters at
this village for fortnight, looking after this
very beast, who was known to the people
along the Nile for a hundred miles, and
whose depredations had broken up many
herdsnen He had been ravaging the coun-
try for over two years, and some wonderful
stories we're told of his strength, cunning and
ferocity. Several hunting parties had been
organized to pursue and kill the monster but
in each instance the lion killed two OF three
of the hunters and escaped without a scratch.
The only time he had ever been wounded was
by a spear in the hands of a woman.
The big lion had leaped the stockade of
herdsman and seized a calf, and as he was
preparing to spring out again the woman ran
at him and gave him a wound just above the
eyes This left a scar which added greatly
to the lions ferocious aspect, and also served
to identify him In the six months previous
to our arrival at Wadi Halfa the big beast
had killed and eaten fifty natives, and hardly
a night passed that he did not slaughter
horse an OK or a sheep He had driven all
other hons 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 sus-
pended even in the daytime. Five miles west
of the village was a 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, $50 miles
north, and as far up as Old Dongola, 100
miles south, but the greater portion of his
time was spent 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 nc good to us un-
less we captured him alive and without seri-
Gus injury We spent two days looking the
ground over, and then decided to try the
simplest plan first. Sharp men are always
posted on sharp tricks 1t is the same with
the wild beast who has been much hunted
lie 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 pit.
and none had ever been dug. We selected a
path which he had used so often to come
DOWN TO asnoGI-af-. water in the hills that he
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