The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1893-09-12
CAPTURED BY A LION.
An Adventure With a King of tho
Indian Jungle.

Among the crowd that gathered about
the lions cage in the Geological gar
dens one fine day recently the writer
observed middle.aged gentleman hold.
ing by the hand two children Of about
eight or ten years OF age. The gentle
mans erect and soldierly bearing be-
trayed ut once his calling, even had not
the Victoria cross he wore on his breast
doneNso.
WAS the lion you killed, grandpa, a.
big as this one?" asked the boy.
"Well.to my frightened eyes, Arthur,
he seemed three times the size, but can
truthfully say he was quite as large as
this one, replied the old soldier, as the
children led him TO scat near by and
implored that the story be told them
where ths big lion could illustrate 1t MS
no words could do; and, interested by
what ! had already heard, took the
liberty Of seating myself on the Same
bench and listening to the Test. Tho
gentleman saw me and understood my
desire, but only smiled bencvolently
and went on.
You Two have heard all about y
many times, but suppose there Is
nothing Tor me TO DO but tell II again.
Wei, then, In 1870 obtained fur-
Tough q month. which, with three
other friends, | meant 70 spend IN
grand hunt IN the great forest that lay
within nall mile OF the station where
we were camped had been In In,
dia nearly year, and was beginning
to get tired OF the inquiries that came
In every letter from England as to
whether ! had yet killed o tiger. 80
now resolved 70 XII one or know the
reason why. But DAY aiter DAY we
went further and further INTO the Jun
gle without meeting any Dig game that
we thought worth pursuing. we had q
native with us named Ram Hiatt, who
occasionally warned us that we were
getting into dangerous and unfre-
quented part OF the country which,
hunter as he was, he had never pene-
trated; but this was the very thing We
wanted, SO pushed on, thinking we
must surely run across q tiger soon.
One day, a very hot one, that even In
the forest nearly Frustrated us, we
were camped ON the bank OF little
river Haiti called the M, and toward
the afternoon my friends proposed to
take swim In the stream. was feel
ing rather unwell, SO did not join
them, but remained lying beneath the
trees and DOING at intervals. Ram
Haiti went with the others, and SO
l was left alone. had dozed longer
than usual when ! was awakened BY
feeling something warm and damp
touch my hand, that was thrown out
beside me.
Opening my eyes, TO my astonish-
ment saw huge beast standing over
me, shutting at my clothes and limbs.
Here Is my tiger at last, said. But
one glance at the creatures tawuy
skin, and at the splendid name that
swept the ground, told me that my
visitor was not tiger, but lion,
and magnificent male at that. He
was evidently trying to see II / was
dead, for he kept sticking his nose In
my face in a way that might have
found comical but for the gravity of
the situation. continued to eye
him through my half-shut lids and
hoped that he, would presently decideA
TO 60 away. But just here heard the
voices of my companions returning
from their bath, and one-a light
headed subaltern was singing some
camp ballad At the top Of his voice.