The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-03-19
A PAIR OF PET LIONS
Amusing Antics of the Young Ter
rors Of the Forest.
An African Traveller Gives an Interesting
Account of Their Capture and
Subsequent Mlschicvous
Conduct.

wives of the Beers in the outlying dis
tricts. Tea is used by them only In
cases of sickness, and the donation of
calico dress is always met by an inter
change Of dairy and hen-roost products.
In one of my trips, while in the neigh
borhood of an old vrouw, finding that
the larder needed replenishing, jumped
on my shooting pony and cantered to
her house., followed by my Kaffir hench-
man, January. carrying basket con-
tanning the tea and dress. The noise
of my pony's hoofs on the sun-balSed
earth caught the old lady's ears and she
met me at the door with the exclama-
tion:
"'Pm so glad you have Gomez
"'Why?'
".Because have pair Of young
lions for you
"'Where are they?'
Knocking about the house some
where
81 Immediately dismountcd, handing
the reins to January: started indoors,
and finally brought up in the kitchen,
where found the whelps asleep on the
hearth On asking how they were cap
tured she informed me that some two
weeks previous her son had shot lion
ess, and, finding her in milk, hunted
around until he picked up the young
sters. immediately bargained for
them, with the understanding that they
were to be given all the milk they would
drink, not teased, and kept until my re-
turn, some three months ahead. The
tea and dress were then produced, and
January had to enlist the services of
one of the farm Kaffirs to assist in car
rying to the wagons the butter and
egg which were received in exchange.
'tOn my return found the lions had
been partially weaned, which was for
tunate, as it would have been impossi-
BILE to get fresh milk for them daily.
Taking them in my arms. I started to-
ward my cart, which had been driven
up in front of the house, for the purpose
OF throwing them on my bed; but the
oxen bolted on catching scent of them,
and it required deal of patience
before they would allow them to be
loaded On coming up with my train OF
wagons loaded with antelope, guns,
etc, the cart was prudcntly kept some
distance in the rear, for fear Of a stam-
pede of the teams, and it was fully a
week before the oxen became thorough
1y accustomed to lion odor.
1--WE had reached the more thickly
settled portion Of the country, when
one day, just as we were outspanning,
. couple of young Beers cantered up to
the wagons, one Of whom carried fine
-chacma seated behind him. On dis
mounting the reins were handed to tho
baboon, which had seated himself just
In front of the horses, and started for
the cart in search of the square rigger'
II e., gin hasls-in order to pave the
way to purchasing the baboon. On
reaching it the heads Of both whelps
appeared, expecting to be lifted out, as
was customary. On catching sight Of
them the baboon gave a scream, the
horses snort of terror, and each ono
took a separate path across the veldt,
followed by a pair of blasphcming
Beers. saved my gin, but lost the
chance Of buying fine chacma, and
sullkily refused to join in the usual
frolic.
'The trip home was made without
further incident, and on arriving the
yOOuSoNoIo WSTc dtlOWCu Vic IAN Va UAAS
house, but at night they would pe-sisl
IN sharing my bed with me. After hav
ing been nearly smothered by trici
(, which they had Of lying across my fac<
! finally compromised matters by AZ
ranging cot alongside my bed with q
stout wire screen intervening. OF course
the arrival of the yourg lions was soor
noised about. and did not lack con,
pany, especially on Sunday afternoons
when my establishment resembled I
miniature geological garden, and ths
female whelp seemed to select just sucl
occasions to play pranks on the bipedl
Of her own sex.
s'Her favorite ambush was under th'
table Of the dining-room, the door o
which opened on the passagewa.
through the house. So long as mel
passed she would remain quiet, but a
sure as single woman or party o
them attempted to pass through sh'
would spring out and crouch just Il
front Of them, invariably causing
hasty retrograde movement, accom-
panied by series of screams. Once
while in the rear, giving some direction
TO the Kaffirs, was startled by pierc
ing shrek, and turned just in time +
zee frightened female dart out Of tn
back door and come at racing spec
toward me. In SO doing she had
pass directly under tree in which wa
chained baboon.
$50 soon as she was fairly under 1t tn
brute dropped on to her shoulder
whisked off her bonnet and wrap an
was mp on his perch in jiffy. Sh
dropped in dead faint, and before
could dash some water into her face an
tring her to her senses the bonnet an
wrap were torn into shreds. and o
looking toward the house I saw th
hesd Of the lioness lying over the doo
IN seemingly enjoying the mischief sh
had wrought
'AOn another occasion, hearing serie
< - suppressed screams in the house.
lhurried in and found trio OF youn
ladies standing on the dining table, wit
u1r{v-<c x,,,1lo1 kho 1l<~-~