Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-07-24
Hunting Lions on the Southern Coast
of Arabia Some Startling Ex-
periences of a Hunter.
Two of the Animals Killed and a
Third Trapped and Captured
Alive.


would at once clear the country of mar
camps. call up their manhood and cour-
age, and defend their property with their
lives.
About fifteen miles to the west of Keshin
is the eastern border of the Arabian des-
ert, 5l,d dioug this border for distance
OF 200 miles north and south were camps
and villages of half-civilized Arabs. |
had :; talk with one of the men who came
in. aud he told me that none of them
could remember when there were so many
lions about. and when they exhibited such
bolJleSe. Every flock not only suffered
iron; their depredations, but many peo-
pie lttd been killed and carried off. The
hunters had gone out, but somehow the
beast, had either evaded them or their
Weapons had been hoodooed, and they
Were now at their wits end to know what
TO do. AS had months let up from
b1siEc>s just then, and wanted to study
the native character as much as possible.
] agreed TO 60 out with them and see what
could be done. | was no mighty hunter,
Hor had | ever tested my nerve on big
game. but the confidence of the natives led
me to hope that might acquit myself
with credit should occasion offer In their
childhke simplicity they argued that a
whiteman had only to show himself in a
neighbOrhood to cause the lion to flee in
alright.
took with me an outfit of such things
as | thought might be needed, and mount
ed on camel headed away for a camp
called El Hex. Each camp has its NAME
| and is generally named after its head man
or ruler. | found this camp to be situated
| on the bank of a creek, and as it had been
permanent for two years it was inclOSed
The people numbered about 800 souls, oc-
cupying about eighty huts and tents
which were packed very closely. The
herds pastured on the level lands to the
north during the day time, and at night
were brought into the village for safety.
There was palisade enclosing about five
acres of ground, but it was old and out of
repair, and there was no place where a
lion could not jump it. Indeed they had
jumped it, and their weight had crushed
1t down for a distance of several feet, en-
aiding them to trot off with goat or calf
or colt without hindrance. On the night
before my arrival a lion had smashed down
place seven feet wide, and this had not
yet been repaired. 1t was easier to
build fire in the gap than to inclose it
again.
AS rule, no more than one pair Of
lions will frequent a neighborhood, but
the natives insisted that there were at
least half dozen providing around this.
That first night | he.ud distinctly from
four. at any rate, though none of them
came very close to the camp. To the west of
us was scrubby, rocky ground, with here
and there thicNet 1t was the same
to the south. 1t was from these directions
that the |. ons came, and they often passed
clear around the inclosure before attack
ing. Next daT after my arrival every
man, woman and child set about strength
ming the inclosure drought out from
Keshin a camel load of telegraph wire,
which had been stored in a warehouse
there for several years, being part Of the
cargo taken from vessel wrecked on the
coast. By stretching this wire in three
lines above the palisades we considerably
increased the height, and many new
poles and great quantity of mud helped
to make the defence secure.
Six feet inside the gap alluded to dug a
rifle pit. Then we set stout post on
either side of the gap and wove the wire
back and forth until it would have stop
ped the charge of buffalo bull. About
4 O clock IN the afternoon a goat was kill
ed opposite this gap, and its blood allowed
to soak into the ground When the focks
were driven up at night a large, fat goat
was tied to stake just behind my rife
pit.
Just as dusk came ON | got into the pit
with a double barrelled shotgun, loaded
with slugs; while, as agreed upon, the
camp continued its regular routine, so as
not to arouse suspicion. 1t was a star
light night Eight enough so that / could
| see a rabbit running over the close-cropped
plain fifty feet away It was hardly dusk
before | heard the far-away roars of lions,
but it was An hour later before an enor-
nous big fellow suddenly walked into
view on the spot where the goat had been
slain, and, after shifting at the blood. he
raised his head and uttered roar which
made the earth tremble He stood head
on to me. right in front of the gap, and
while he still roared he was joined by his
mate They hadn't come to play the
sneak. They had come to take what they
| wanted by force of arms, whether the vii
lagos thought we'll or poorly, and they
| were even willing to give the men time
to prepare. The animals in the inclosure
were wild with fright, and that was to my
advantage. | knet down, rested my gun
across ridge of earth, and was ready.
After standing for ten minutes GA the
spot where the goat was killed. roaring
almost continually, the lion advanced to
within twenty feet of the gap. He was the
chap who had made it, but | was afraid
he would suspect some trap and go over
the palisade at another point. He stood
looking square into the gap for three Or
four minutes, lashing his eyes with his
tail, and the goat behind me kept up a
mournfui beating. While | was looking
full at the lion he made his bound. HIS
first leap was about fifteen feet, and his
next brought him against the wires with
an awful crash. His four laws must have
passed through the interstices, as he hung
for a moment in perpendicular position,
his whole belly exposed. / gave him the
right-hand barrelful in the breast, and
would have pulled the other on him, but
he fell in a heap just as the lioness struck
the wires to the right of him. | fired at
her, and tore a part of her head away,
and then a picnic occurerd. In falling
backward she got her foot twisted in the
wires and could not extricate it. She
hung with shoulders on the ground, and
of all the Internal noises ever made by
wild animal her racket capped the climax.
She roared, shrieked. growled, howled,
sobbed, moaned and wheezed, and while
every man in the village covered in fear,
| was so ratified that it was a couple of
minuets before | could reload When this
feat was accomplished. advanced to the
wires, put the muzzle of the gun right
against the writhing body, and then blew
the life out of it. The other beast was
lying in heap and had no fear but what