St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1893-04-22

vegetation. It was beautiful place,
but the beauty was the beauty Of death,
and all those lines and blots of vapor
wrote one great word across the sur
face of the country, and that word was
fever
~ had trekked from dawn till eleven
o'clock-a long trek-but wanted to
get ON, and then had the oxen turned
out to Craze, sending the voorlooper to
look after them, meaning to inspan
again about six o'clock and trek with
the moon till ten. Then | got into the
wagon and had good sleep till half
past two or so in the afternoon, when
got up and cooked some meat and had
my dinner, washing it down with pan
nikin Of black coffee-for it was diff
cult to get preserved milk in those days.
Just as had finished and the driver, a
man called Tom, was washing up the
things, in comes the young scoundre1 of
voorlooper driving one OK before him.
"tWhere are the other oxenY asked.
'Koos,' he said, .koos Chief, the
other oxen have gone away. turned
my back for minute, and when
looked round again they We're all gone
except Kaptein here, who was rubbing
his back against tree
"sYou mean that you have been asleep
and let them stray, you villain. / will
rub your back against a stick, / an
swered, feeling very angry, for it was
not pleasant prospect to be stuck up in
that fever trap for week or 80 while we
were hunting for the oxen. OFF you go,
and you, too, Tom, and mind you don't
come back till You have found them.
They have trekked back along the Mid
delburg road and are dozen miles off
by now, I'll be bound. Now, no words
Go, both of your
"Tom, the driver, swore and caught
the lad a hearty kick, which he richly
deserved, and then having tied old Kap-
tein up to the disselboom with REIN
they got their assegais and sticks and
started. would have gone, too, only
knew that somebody must look after the
wagon, and did not like to leave either
of the boys with it at night. was in a
very bad temper indeed, although was
pretty well used to this sort of occur
renee, and soothed myself by taking
rife and going to kill something.
"For couple of hours poked about
without seeing anything that could get
a shot at, but at last, just as was again
within seventy yards of the wagon, ]
put up an old Impala ram from behind
a In c{, 1,f fnr
the wagon. and it was not till he was
passing within a few feet of it that
could get decent shot at him. Then
pulled and caught him half way down
the spine. Over he went, dead as door
nail, and pretty shot it was, though i
ought not to say it. This little incident
put me into rather better temper, es-
pecially as the buck had rolled over
right against the after part of the wag-
on, SO had only to gut him, fix REIN
round his legs and haul him up.
by the time had done this the sun
was down and the full moon was up, and
a beautiful moon it was. And then there
came down that wonderful hush that
sometimes falls over the African bush in
the early hours of the night. No beast
was moving, and no bird called. Not
breath of air stirred the quiet trees, and
the shadows did not even quiver; they
only grew. 1t was very oppressive and
very lonely, for there was not sign of
the cattle or the boys. was quite
thankful for the society of old Kaptein,
who was lying down contentedly against
the disselboom, chewing the cud with a
good conscience.
Presently, however, Kaptein began
to get restless. First he snorted; then
he got up and snorted again. / could
not make it out, SO. like a fool, got down
off the wagon box to have look round,
it might be the lost oxen COM
ing.
sNext instant regretted it, for all of
a sudden heard an awful roar and saw
something yellow fash past me and light
ON poor Kaptein. Then came below
Of agony from the OK and crunch as
the lion put his teeth through the poor
brute's neck, and began to realize what
had happened. My rifle was in the
wagon, and my first thought was to get
it, and turned and made bolt for it. |
/ got my foot on the wheel and flung my
body forward on to the wagon, and there
I stopped as if / were frozen, and no
wonder, for as / was about to spring up
/ heard the lion behind me, and next
second felt the brute-aye, as plainly as
I can feel this table. ] felt him, say,
shifting at my left leg that was hanging
down.
"My word, did feel queer. don't
think that ever felt SO queer before.
dared not move for the life of me, and
the odd thing was that ] seemed to lose
power over my leg, which had an insane
sort of inclination to kick out Of its own
mere motion-iust as hysterical people |
want to laugh when they ought to be |
particularly solemn. Well, the lion
shifted and shifted, beginning at my
ankle and slowly nosing away up to my
thigh. thought that he was going to
get hold then, but he did not. He only |
growled softly and went back to the OK.
Shifting my head little got full |
view of him. He was the biggest lion |
ever saw, and have seen great many, /
and he had most tremendous black |
name. What his teeth were like you |
can see-look there: pretty big ones, amt
theys
Altogether he was magnificent ami |
NAL, and as lay there sprawling on the I
fore tongue of the wagon it occurred to |
me that he would look uncommonly well |
In a CAGE He stood there hy tho careasa I
of poor Kaptein and deliberately disem-