Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1890-01-25
ssse usqSde ptrth.s

hau LoAIONeu mI16TLo turned OH IN a
westerly direction. so we left il. AL
that day we rode across rolling uplands,
and about an hour before sunset halted
at o little stream which ran down frum d
range Of hills In front of ms. By this
time was heartily tired OF the biltong,
90 taking my elephant rihe-for had
nothing else--I left Tota with Indaba-
ximbi, and started to see II could shoot
something. 06diy enough we had seen
no game all the day, nor did we see sny
on the subsequent days. For some
mysterious reason they had tempo.
rarity left the district I crossed the
little streamlet in order to enter
the belt of thorns which grew
upon the hillside beyond, for there
hoped to find buck. AS did so was
rather disturbed to see the spoor of two
lions in the soft, sandy edge of O pool.
Breathing hope that they might not
still be in the neighborhood, went on
into the belt of scattered thorns. For q
long while hunted about without seeing
anything, except one dinker buck, which
bounded off with crash from the other
side OF a stone without giving me a
chance, At length, just as 1t grew dusk,
I spied Petite buck, q graceful little
creature, scarcely bigger than large
hare, standing on a stone, about forty
yards from me. Under ordinary cir.
cumstancesI should never have dreamed
Of firing &C such thing, especially with
an elephant gun, but we were hungry.
So sat down with my back against
rock, and aimed steadily at its head.
did this because If struck it In the body
the three-ounce ball would have knocked
II to bits. At last / pulled the trigger,
the gun went off with the report Of a
small cannon, and the buck disappeared.
ran to the spot with more anxiety than
] should have felt IN an ordinary way
over koodoo or an Gland. To my delight
there the little creature lay-the huge
bullet had decapitated II. Considering
all the circumstances, do not think
have often made better shot than this,
but IL any one doubts, let him try his
hand at rabbits head fifty yards away
with an elephant gun and a three-ounce
bali.
picked up the petite in triumph and
returned to the camp. There we skinned
him and toasted him over the fire. He
just made good meal for US, keeping
the hind legs for breakfast.
There was no moon that night, and 80
1t CHANGED that when I suddenly remem-
bered about the lion spoor, and suggested
that we had better tie upthe horses quite
close to us, we could not find them,
though we knew that they were grazing
within fifty yards. This being 80, we
could only make up the fire and take our
chance. Shortly afterwards / went to
sleep with little Tota in my arms, Sud-
denly I was awakened by hearing that
peculiarly painful sound, the scream of
horse, quite close to the fire, which
was still burning brightly, Next second
there came a noise OF galloping hoofs,
and before I could even rise my poor
horse appeared in the ring Of freight.
AS In fash of lightning, saw his star
ing eyes and wide stretched nostrils, and
the broken rein with which he had been
knee haltered flying in the air. Also I
saw something else, for on his back was
a great dark form with glowing eyes,
and from the form came q growing
sound. II was lion.
The horse dashed ON. He galloped
right through the fire, for which he had
run in his terror, fortunately, however,
without treading on us, and vanished
into the night. We heard his hoofs for n
hundred yards or more, then there was
silence, broken now and again by distant
growls. AS may be imagined, we did
not sleep any more that night, but waited
anxiously till two hours later the dawn
broke.
AS soon as there was sufficient light
we rose, and, leaving Tota still asleep,
crept cautiously in the direction in which
the horse had vanished. When we had
gone fifty yards or so, we made out its
remains lying on the veldt, and caught
sight of two great cat like forms sinking
away in the gray light.
To go any further was useless; we
knew all about it know, and we turned
to look for the other horse. But ourcup
OF misfortune was not yet full; 1t was
nowhere to be found. Soon we came
upon its spoor, and then we saw what
had happened. Terrified by the sight
and smell of the lions, it had with des-
perate effort also burst the rein with
which 1t had been knee haltered, and
galloped far away. For now we were
left alone In these vast soIitudes without
a horse to carry us, and with child who
was not odd enough to walk for more
thaNa little way at time.
Well, it was no use giving In, 30 with
few words we went back to our camp,
where found Tota crying because she
had woke to find herself alone, and ate a
little food. Then we prepared to start.
First we divided such articles as we must
takeswith us into two equal parts, reject
inga6@rything that we could possibly do
without. Then, by an afterthought, we
filled our water bottles, though at the time
I was rather against doing SO, because
Il T. l.