River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-08-07

a rocky ledge-not twenty yarus away.
Before we could retreat he raised up
with a threatening growl. We darted
behind the thorn bush and drew our
knives. The lion bounced round the
bush and we faced him. We were not
long in suspense. The great brute
crouched and, with a fearful roar, he
sprang right at me. / fell fat and he
passed over me, but before ] could rise
his great claws struck my shoulder and
held me helpless on the ground. i re-
member hearing horrible growl of pain
and rage. and then became unconscious
When regained my senses | sat up
and looked around. A few yards away
the lion lay dead in a pool of blood.
There was cut in his body over foot
long. Lieutenant V R lay by his
side. his right hand still clutching the
knife, but my brave comrade was dead.
His head had been crushed by stroke
of the lions paw and his chest crunched
in the Jaws of the mortally-wounded
brute.
dragged the body of my friend 10 a
cleft in the rocks and spent an hour
weighing powders n tie rift and piling
up heap of huge stokes to protect the
remains from wild beasts and birds of
prey. Already vultures were in sight
soaring in great circles over the spot
where the dead lion lay. When the sun
went down hacked passage into vol
bush and stopped the way with mass
of the sharp, thorny branches. All
night long jackals and hyenas snapped
and snarled around the carcass of the
dead monarch. and by morning they had
stripped the flesh off the bones. When
crawled out of the protective shelter
of the vol bush | made for a rolling
tract of land which gave promise of
water The melons were scattered and
smashed in the fight with the lion and
had eaten my last inchie bulb. All
the forenoon / toiled forward without
seeing a trace of zane or mangaton, and
finding only the poisonous seilla and
mario bulbs
No pen can express the torture of that
day. In the afternoon | was wild with
thirst. The rocks danced before my
eyes and my brain was in a whirl. but l
staggered on A leopard bounded be-
fore my path, and. with fierce, hoarse
shout rushed at it, longing to sink my
teeth into its flesh and to suck its blood.
1t fed and / chased it, but few leaps
took il out of my sight The memory
of that day is burned into my mind.
Towards nightfaIl gained the summit
of small hill, AMI. looking over long
stretch of sand and rock, | saw sight
that gave me feeling of delight such
as no words can describe. Three camp
fires were brightly burning about mile
away. / have no idea how reached
them. but whe German acquaintance
stepped forward and led me to a seat l
wept tears of grateful JOY.
My rescuers, as ! may call them, were
/ a party of four German officers travel
/ ing westward. and when had refreshed
myself / told my tale. 1t was instantly
/ decided to pursue the robbers and re-
cover my war and contents There
/ were seven horses with the party and
/ two officers and four trusty blacks set
/ out with me early next morning. We car
/ ried only a small portion of dried meat,
/ relying on the zane and melons for
| LIQUID refreshments. The trail was
plain, and on the afternoon of the third
I udN We EEdIItA bA4t Aaob NdiAI pAAAt VI
/ former servants. Pushing on we came
/ in sight of the rascals as they were
outspanning the cattle. Charging upon
them. we captured the whole gang be-
fore they had time to organize any de-
| Tense Some of them fred few shots.
| but none of US were hit Disarming
them we led them away from the camp
and treated them according to the South
| African custom.
The damage to the property was but
slight. They had finished the liquor
and eaten all the private store of dain-
ties, besides having killed and Toasted
upon eight of the cattle.
The westward party kindly gave me
four men to drive the oxen, and one Off
Ger returned with me to the Transvaal,
which we reached without further
mishap.-Zu Befehl. in Detroit Free
! Press.