Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-07-11
ton hands on the railroad, and the quarrel
is said to have been about woman. Car
rera was arrested.
TRAPPING LIONS.
How the Great Beasts are Captured f
Geological Gardens.

whose business it is to supply the demands
of dealers in wild animals, has been tell
ing the New York Sun all about it. Here
is the most interesting part of his story:
was at Cairo, Egypt, when ! received
letter from the great Hamburg dealer in
wild animals that sent me off down the
Red Sea at days notice. | was to drop
the hunt for certain curiosities was after
in that direction and run down the African
coast and fill an order for lions
At the end of the third day, being then
forty miles from the coast, we found signs
SO plenty that We made permanent camp
1t was in grove on the bank of the
stream, and to the west of us was sandy
plain, with here and there a grove Of
scrub, and to the east sandy, broken
country, with rocky lodges cropping Out
at intervals.
The fra thing to be done next day was
to construct two cages. They were made
of stout cane, growing along the banks Of
the river, and after the manner of crock.
cry crate. We also had our goods to un.
pack, and 1t was two days before we goi
around to the business in hand.
There were two ways that promised us
success in capturing lions, and we arranged
to try both of them. l had three large
bear traps made on purpose to hold this
sort of game, and these we took over and set
about the drinking place, each one being
hidden under the soil and fastened to a
stake driven firmly in the ground. To the
east of the spot where we corraled our cat.
tie we dug four pits about twelve feet
deep. These pits were on line with each
other, and about twenty rods apart. They
were four feet wide and eight feet long
looking more like graves than anything
else. Each one was covered over with
light canes and grass, and then light COW
ering of sand hid all traces of our work.
The next night was fair and starlight
and the sun had scarcely gone down when
we heard the roar of lion. About an hour
after dark a commotion among our cattle
proved that the beasts were skulking about
and | took my rifle and went among the
herders and cautioned them not to fire a
musket, unless absolutely necessary to pre-.
vent an attack.
From the northern edge of the corral
could see three lions moving about over
the plain-a male, female and half.
grown cub. They acted as you have seen
cat when approaching bird on the
ground, but after bit the male got scent
of me, and stood still and began to roar.
As nearly as | could make out, he was
close to one of the pits, and fred over his
head to scare him. The bullet cut very
close to him, and he sprang sideways with
a fierce growl. Next moment we heard a
muffied roaring, and the natives cried out
that the lion had fallen into the pit.
l felt sure that this was the case from
the way the other two acted. We could
see them running around in circle, and
they kept up great whining and growl-
ing. Wafired upon them after bit and
drove them of, and the night passed with
out lions coming near us. As soon as it
was light enough to see some of the men
went out and found big lion at the bot
tom of one OF the pits. When | got my
first look at him he was sitting on end like
dog, his ears cooked forward and look
ing up with his eyes full of curiosity.
When we gathered around him after
breakfast, however, he soon got mad, and
made up his mind to give us fight.
If he had had the room / think he
could have leaped out of the pit. Cramped
as he was, he could make an astonishing
effort at it, and after every failure his
growls and snarls were something to make
one shiver.
We had some bark and grass nets for
Just such purpose. When one was
spread out and dropped down upon the
captive he began to tear at it, and by
dropping in two more he was soon tangled
up by his own actions until helpless to
hnrn f,0tn 4 L
means of pole, placed the cage conven-
lent, and rs he was elevated the rope was
led through the cage, so as to pull him
into it. He made fight for il, but it was
no use, and within an hour after we began
work he was safely Gagged. The net was
then cut away as far as we could reach
1t, and two of the natives set off with the
cage for Berbena. Poles were run through
it so that it hung like sedan chair. and
the fellows could travel with it at the rate
of two miles an hour.
We got nothing in our traps at the
drinking place, and for the next three
nights it seemed as if the lions had left
that neighborhood entirely. On the
morning of the fourth day, it being cool
and cloudy, | rode up the river about five
miles TO the edge of valley, rich with
grass, in hopes of getting some fresh meat.
| left my horse in a small grove and went
OFF on foot to stalk a herd of ten or twelve
hartbeests that were quietly feeding within
pistol shot of lone bush. got down on
my hands and knees to creep to this bush
for cover, and as | was to leeward of the
game they fed on without the least suspi-
cion of my presence. Creeping forward
foot by foot | had come within FIVE feet of
the bush when | scented lion. You
know how the cages in circus or zoologi-
cal garden smell. The sleeping place of a
wild lion is ten times as strong. and I
should have got the scent before did had
the wind been stronger.
No sooner did get the suspicion that a
lion was close at hand than | drew back.
but at the first move there was roar. a
rush, and ! fell fiat just as lion bounded
up and sailed straight over me. / could
have touched him by extending my arm.
| was up like flash, with my rife ready
for shot, but there was no danger. The
hon was gailoping away toward the ridge
as last as he could go, and when | sent a
bullet after him he increased his pace and
did not once look back.
mat same night the lions returned in
force, and before the evening was an hour
old we had to double the guard around
the corral. We hoped the pits would
catch some of them, but when morning
came We found them unoccupied. We
were in luck with the traps, however.
Riding over to the ford after breakfast /
found magnificent male lion fast in the
jaws OF the trap, caught by both forelegs
at the joints saw him when vet long
way off, and he also saw me and renewed
his exertions to free himself. When had
brought up party of the natives we sat
down to see the fun.
1t was sandy shore, and | believe the
lion had flung three wagon loads of sand
about in his struggles. He had bitten the
trap and chain until they were covered
with blood, and he had scratched and dug
with his hind feet until he had scooped
out hollow that almost hid him from
our sight. We let him work for am hour
before making move, and he finally tired
himself out and lay down and whined like
dog.
Then we attached the nets TO poles and
enseloped him, and as soon as he was
tangled up we got him into a cage and re-
leased him from the trap. 1t was three