The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1888-11-10
caught that way lived to reach Amster-

caught that way lived to reach Amster-
dam.
On tn" ninth day. having discovered
RUNWAY down which the lions came to
drink ut the river, we prepared trapb by
digging a deep pit. This was the work
of natives, and their skill was something
to wonder 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 a layer of earth, and this earth
was so patted down that it seemed to
have been trodden for weeks. When
all was ready the natives broke branch
off bush beside the path in peculiar
way. This they told us would prevent
hyenas or jackals from following the
path. Then a rag was hung on limb
over the path to keep hoofed beasts
from walking into our pit, and ali was
ready. When night came we heard
lions all around us, ard one came so close
to camp as to alarm us, but if they went
to the river they did not follow the path
we had meddlcd with. The next day
was very close, and we were sanguine OF
what the night would bring forth.
was in hopes we mi ght capture the
big male lion which had disturbed camp
the night previous. He was monster,
had "A very heavy name, and, as we could
see by the spoor left behind, his right
foot had been hurt at some time. When
night came two lions began investigating
our environment. but neither was full
grown. Up to eleven o'clock the big
fellow had not appeared, and the natives
argued from this that he was lying be-
side some game he had killed, and would
be certa n to 90 after water before visit
ing us. such was probably the ase.
1t waa little after midnight when we
heard sound between 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 I'M
der him.
Daylight had hardly come when scouts
went out to the pit to investigate. They
speedily returned with the news that we
had trapped one of the biggest lions in
Africa. We had to take ropes and a
cage over, and when | reached the pit
the lion was sitting on end and looking
up at the crowd as if greatly puzzled.
he udu Ildut a SlCdt iuSo ahU tiSN IL
self out, the pit being so deep and mar
row that he had no chance to use his pow
erful muscle in a leap. Having placed
the cage, we ran one end of the ropes
through the bars made slip nooses at the
other. For full hour the old fellow
fought the nooses off whenever they
touched him, but by and by We got one
over his head and another under hind
leg, and up he came in heap, choking,
biting, striking and gasping. We hauled
him into the cage and released the ropes.
and when he got his wind he was so mad
and disguised that he slumped down on
the floor and shut his eyes and cried.
When we had time to look him over, we
found one of his forefeet crippled. He
must have cut it open on a sharp rock a
/ long time before, for it was fully healed
up, though it bothered him to walk. lie
was the identical chap who had almost
leaped into our camp, and his weight, as
recorded at Amsterdam. was fourteen
pounds heavier than any lion had shown
/ for three years. In the course Of the
month we got two others, both full
grown, and all were sent off from the
coast in good condition. -Nep York Sun.