, 1889-06-06
IN THE JAWS OF DEATH.
A Young lrishman Struck Down by
a Lion.
The Thrilling Experience of an Ami.
NAL Hunter.
He is now Enroute to Battle with
Ferocious Grizzlies.


a reporter conceived the brilliant idea OF
interviewing all the Union Paciic's Pull
man passengers. The first one approached
told the newspaper man to go away and
mind his OWL business. -Four or five
knew nothing worth printing, but a bright
eyed lrishman. about IS years of age and
of a physique which would command at
tention anywhere, had a good story and
was willing to tell 1t. The sunburned
giant was Lawrence j. Raymond, a wild
animal hunter who has had many thrilling
experiences while engaged in the capture
ofspecimens for exhibition. Here is one
of his most interesting yarns told to the
reporter and a party of his fellow trav-
elers:
While trapping lions in the Hottentot
country for the Hamburg animal house |
had opportunities for seeing the king OF
beasts at his best and for making close OBJ
s%ervations of his character. No two lions
are alike, except in a few leading traits,
any more than two men are alike. Every
lion is supposed to roar at night when
abroad after prey, but not half Of them
do 30. When you read of one charging
into a camp you praise his courage, but
for every one such case l can show ten
where the lion skulked about like a dog.
You never find him twice alike. There
are plenty of instances where men have
been seized by lions and have lived to re
late the particulars, though no two agree
as to the sensations. | had been out one
afternoon with some of the natives to
prepare a bait in a rocky ravine. We had
built a stout pen of rocks and logs and
placed a calf as a bait. The sun was
nearly down as we started for camp, and
no one had the least suspicion of the pres
ence of danger until a lion which had
been couched beside a bush sprang out
and knocked me down.
I'm springing upon his prey the lion or
tiger strikes as he seizes. This blow of
the paw, If it falls on the right spot, dis
ables the victim at once. l was so near
this fellow that he simply reared up,
seized me by the shoulder. and pulled me
down and / was fiat on the earth before
realized what had happened. was on
my back and he stood with both paws on
my waist facing the natives and growing
savagely. The men ran off about 300 feet
and then halted, which was doubtless the
reason why | was not carried off at once.
II can say without conceit that l was
fairly cool 1t had come so suddenly that
| had not had time to get ratified" ]
had been told by and old Boer hunter il
l ever found myself in this fix to appeal
to the lions fears. Had | moved my
arm to get my pistol the beast would have
lowered his head and seized my throat.
So long as l lay quiet he would reason
that | was dead and give his attention tc
the natives.
"All of a sudden [ barkcd out like a
dog, followed by a growl, and that beast
jumped twenty feet in his surprise. He
came down between me and the natives,
and 1 turned enough to see that his tail
was down and he was scared. l uttered
more barks and growls, but without NOV
ing a hand, and, after making a circle
clear around me. the lion suddenly bolted
and went of with a scare that would last
him a week"
Raymond is en- route 20 California,
where he will essay the capture of ten
grizzly bears half a dozen mountain lions
and some other animals.