Wichita eagle., 1889-01-09
LION HUNTING.
ErORiES OF ADVENTURES WITH
TIE KING OF BEASTS.

oOo founos-1raps In Nhlcn the Beasts
Are Taken Aiive-Saved by Initiating
the Bark of a Dog,
We were once camped in grove on the
sank OF a creek, Our party numbering over
| thirty people We had horses, oxen, wagons
and dogs, and were spread out over two acres
of ground It was ia the lion country, and
they might be expected TO approach at night,
but on the second afternoon Of our camp,
while all were engaged in cleaning up and
| making repairs, an alarm was suddenly
raised. l supposed that some of the animals
had starapeded, and ran around the wagon
to get clear view of the space between Us
| and the creek This creek was 200 feet away,
and was SO nearly dry that one could step
across it. The bank on the other side was
rocky ground, pretty thickly covered with
scrub, and right On the brink stood one Of
the largest lions | ever saw. He was out in
full view, head and tail up, and stood SO still
for moment that doub ted if he was alive.
There was Light breeze blowing toward
US, and as soon as our FINALS got the scent
it required the efforts of every native to pre-
vent then, from breaking away. My guns
were being cleaned and oiled and my two
white companions were looking after their
horses No one had the least idea that the
lion meant mischief, and we were presently
dumfounded to see him spring across the
creek and come walking into camp We
measured his leap and found it to be twenty
eight feet He made it without an effort.
was To the right of him, and the center of the
camp was his objective point. The lion adj
vanced at walk, uttering no sound, and the
shouts, screams and whoops of the men,
backed by the believing Of the cattle and the
snorts of the horses, had no effect on him.
COOL AID BUSINESS LIKE
We had a new mich cow tied to the wheel
o. one of the wagons, and the lion advanced
to within thirty feet of her, and then made
spring which landed him fairly upon her
bach. She fell in a heap, and he seized her
Dy the neck, gave her two or three shakes,
which broke the grass rope around her head,
and he then got his right shoulder under her
and started off The cow weighed at least
800 pounds. but he carried her with perfect
ease, her hind feet dragging on the ground.
At the creek he made jump of eleven feet,
assembled sloping bank without halt, and
soon disappeared in the broken ground with
his prey. He was gone before we had gun
ready. Indeed, we were lucky not to havs
lost half our animals | was no greenhorn
in the animal business at that date, but this
was the first time had ever witnessed such
cheek in q lion. Had | been told that he had
such courage and GOODNESS | should have
laughed the statement to scorn.
As soon as order had been restored the
three of US mounted our horses and preceded
by five or six natives and their dogs, crossed
the creek and took up the trail. After going
about half mile we discovered the lion sit
ting beside the carcass in a little hollow He
was sitting up like dog, head turned to-
ward Us, but as soon as he saw us divide he
ran OF with his tail down, evidently
thoroughly alarmed, ana such was his speed
that we soon lost him We could count on
his returning TO the body during the night,
and the natives were therefore set to work
to dig pit and conceal it. They regarded
the lion as being as cunning as be was wise,
and the pit was not dug near the body, but
thirty feet away from it and in the direction
in which it was believed he would drag the
body.
If lion or tiger leave a body during the
day and returns to it at night the first act is
10 drag it some distance, as il fearing an am
buscade. While the rule is not invariable, it
holds good in most cases. During the night
a dozen lions scented around our camp, but
without causing any alarm, and soon after
daylight the natives went out to investigate
the trap. No hunter ever had such a wind
fall before or since. AS night came several
liens must have scented the carcass, and
gathered for feast. The rightful owner OBJ
jected, Of course, and there was fight, the
result of which was that three full grown
males tuInbled into our pit. This fact did
not prevent others from picking the carcass
clean. One of the captives was the cheeky
old fellow who had entered our camp, and
the other two were fully as large. In the
course Of the forenoon we had them out and
il the cages, and two of them are in the
United States today in geological gardens.
There are plenty Of instances where men
have been seized by lions and lived to relate
the particulars, though no two agree as TO
sensations. A week subsequent to our cap
.ure of the three lions l had been out with
some of the natives to prepare a bait in q
rocky ravine. We had built stout pen of
rocks and logs and placed calf bait.
The sun was nearly down as we started for
camp, and no one bad the least suspicion Of
the presence of danger until lion, which
had been crouching beside bush, sprang GU:
and knocked me down. Ii springing upon
his prey the hon or the tiger strikes as he
seiZes. This blow of the paw. il it falls on
the right spot, disables the victim at once.
| was SO near this fellow ;hat he simply
reared up, seized me by the shoulder and
pulled me down, and | was fat on the earth
before I realized what had happened. was
on my back, and he stood with both paws on
my middle, facing the natives and growing
savagely. The men ran off about 800 feet
aud then halted. which WAS doubtless the
reason Why | was not carried of at once. I
can say without conceit that ! was fairly
cool. It had come so suddenly that lad not
had time to get ratified. / had been told by
an old Boer hunter If I 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 | lay quiet he would
reason that | was dead, and give his atten-
ton to the natives.
AL of a sudden I barked out like dog,
followed by gro7sl. and that beast jumped
twenty feet in his surprise. He came down
between me and the natives, and l turned
enough to see that his tail WIS down and
that he was scared / uttered further barks
and grow,s, but without moving hand, and,
after making a circle clear around me, the
ion suddenly bolted and went OF With a
scare which would last him week II you
had picked up stick and discovered it to be
q snake you would do Just as the lion did
lie supposed ne had pulled down man.
The man turned into Cog 1t appealed to
bis fears.
After the lion had gone grew 50 weak
thas I had to be carried to camp. He had |
inflicted a pretty bsd bite on my shoulder,
and it was fortnight before cTuld hold my