Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-04-18
CAPTURING A LION CUB.

| Ruu QlSCf1cC Situated IN OOutuWeoG AIflcd
| The little naked Bushman, who was running
in front Of our tired horses, stopped and held
up his hand. My eyes, weared with peering
at distant game, and dazzled by the afternoon
sunshine, could at first detect nothing which
should warrant the Bushman's attitude Of
mingled eagerness and fear. At last, how
ever, distinguished, with a sudden start Of
recognition, group Of lion, ioness and two
or three cubs, lying on the warm, red earth,
just outside low, thorny thicket
The wind, blowing freshly across the plain
into our faces, had prevented the lions from
getting our scent, and doubtless also had
kept from their quick hearing the slight noise
caused by the advancing troop Of hunters,
while our forms had been concealed from
their sight by the thick brushwood bordering
the path. But as soon as my frightened, rest
i've horse had expressed his alarm by loud
snort the lion jumped augrily to his feet and
stood facing ME, not more than twenty yards
away, lashing his tail from side to side and
watching me steadily out of his big yellow
eyes, while the lioness, picking up one of the
cubs in her rnouts, trotted away into the
thicket preceded by her other little ones,
who quickly hid themselves in the brush
wood
| Meanwhile, my first start Of surprise over,
had seized my gun from the holsters, and,
as well as the fdgety backing of my horse
permitted took aim at the lions forehead,
between his eyes, and fired. As soon as the
smoke had cleared away | saw the lion shak-
ing his head and staggering; then he fell for
ward on his front paws and rolled over dead.
That evening over the big blazing camp
fires, when Calverley and l had finished our
dinner of rietbock steaks and bread and
honey, we sat chatting cozily and slipping
our mugs of hot, strong coffee. The slain
lion had already been skinned, and his hide
was pegged out in the camp Enclosure. Some
Ovampo men were scraping off the fat and
rubbing the inner surface of the skin with
wood ashes to absorb the grease.
| Ono of them, noticed walked away with
especial zeal. He was a fine looking creature,
fully six feet in height, with well knit frame
and pleasant face. His name was Muropo.
Every one in camp liked him, and every one
knew his little history. Muropo, strange to
say for an African, was actually in Lowell
And the object of his affections was Kangon-
| be, the daughter of the old Chief Chintengo,
who ruled over a considerable village some
| ten miles from our camp. Unfortunately, in
Africa, as general rule, it is not much easier
| for penniless young man to get married
| than it is in more civilized countries. Now,
unless Muropo could procure ten COWS and
| present them to Chintengo, that chief would
not hear of his marrying Kangombe. Now,
| ten COWS in this favored land of Ovampo
| would cost about $50 worth of trade goods,
and this amount Muropo had set himself reso-
| utely to acquire, and this was one of the rea-
sons why he had attached himself to our hunt
ing expedition, hoping to come in for some
unconsidered trifies when our stay in Ovampo
Land should come to close.
| When my coffee was finished got up from
the zebra skin on which had been reclining
and went to look at the way my lions hide
was being prepared.
''Wel, Muropo," said, in my imperfect
| Ovampo speech, ''why didn't you catch one
of those little lions when had shot the ia
Their? Eli? You know how much want to
| have live lion cub to send to my country"
| ''Oh, master' he replied, laughing, ''you
didn't think Muropo was such strong man
that, without gun, he would be able to
snatch a lion cub from its mothers mouth,
did yous Why, had not even spear"
| eyes, but the lover of Kancombe should be
strong enough for anything single handed.
You'll never win your wife that way. Sup
posing you had caught one of those lion cubs
|
| given you enough to buy five cows, and there
would be half your marriage money!
! "What?n exclaimed Muropo, starting up
with an eager look in his eyes. "You are
speaking truth, master2 You would give me
| five COWS for one of those small lions?'
81 would, really"
| II won't forget that; won't forget that, +"
he repeated slowly to himself, sitting down
again on his launches and taking up some
more wood ashes to rub on the skin.
| The next day I missed Muropo's stately
form among the group of camp followers who
| were dressing the pagged out skin. He had
not been seen or heard of all day, but his
absence excited little attention, because it
was supposed that he had gone over to Chin
tengo's town to see his sweetheart.
However, just as we were going to bed
there was a commotion in the camp, and a
black, wild looking figure, carrying come
thing large and furry in his arms, rushed
through the crowd of heaters, guides and
| crackers, and threw himself down on the
ground close to my tent 1t was Muropo,
and he had brought little lion cub, with
it's paws tied together. The poor little thing
mewed piteously, so while Muropo went
to wash off the blood with which his body
was caked, had the leather thongs cut which
tied the cubs paws together, and sent for
some goats milk, which it eagerly Tapped.
Presently saw Muropo very busily engaged
eating and I called him up to hear his adj
ventures And this is the tale he told us;
-"Master, you know you told me yesterday
evening that you would give any one five
COWS who could bring you lion cub. Well,
I thought of that all night. I said to myself,
sIfI can get one of the small cubs we saw
the other day, when the white man shot the
lion that will bring me half the purchase
money of Kangombe, and shall soon be able
to make up the other half and get married to
nv sweetheart So this morning, at dawn,
started for that open place on the border of
the Ongave forest, where we saw the lions
Yesterday. I soon found the footprints of
the lioness going into the forest and coming
out-those coming out were the freshest, so
guessed she had gone out foraging for her
Cubs Then I began to follow the spoor
which led into the bush, for I knew these
tracks were likely to lead to the place where
she kept her cubs | walked very slowly
and very softly, for, you see, had only
my small spear with me, and no gun, and II
the lioness was in the wood l wanted to see
her before she saw me. AT last | heard
whining noise, and, pushing my head through
the leaves and twigs, saw in the hollaw be-
tween the roots of big tree three little cubs
about three months old. AS quick as pos
sible had jumped over the root and picked
up one of the cubs 1t was not very fright
ened and didn't struggle much, being used to
be carried about by its mother. l held 1t
tight under my left arm and crept out OF
the forest When was just outside, and
STOPPING to pick a thorn out of my foot,
II heard low growl, and. looking. UP.