The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-04-10


but little-neither of US wanted to dis
courage the other by the utterance OF
his thoughts Tired, footsore and hot
we reached at noon low range OF hills
At the foot we found some inchie bulbs.
and feasted on them and some OF our
melons About five o'clock that after
noon We were pushing our way over q
rocky plain, dotted here and there with
clay beds on which grew tufts OF tall
grasses and veldt thorn bushes Pass
ing around . thorn bush we both came
TO O sudden halt at the sight we saw.
A great yellow lion lay outstretched on
q rocky ledge-not twenty yards away.
Before we could retreat he raised up
with threatening growl. We darted
behind the thorn bush and drew our
knives The lion bounded round the
bush and we faced him. We were not
long in suspense. The great brute
crouched and, with 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 hearings horrible growl OF pain
and rage. and then became unconscious
When ! regaincd my senses l 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 tho jaws of the mortally-wounded
brute.
dragged tho body OF my friend to
cleft in the rocks and spent an hour
wedging powders in the rift and piling
up heap of hugo stones to protect tho
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 a 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 tho flesh of the bones When
crawled out Of the protective shelter
Of the vol bush l made for 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
tho forenoon / toiled forward without
seeing trace of zame or mangaton, and
finding only tho poisonous scilla and
marbo bulbs
No pen can express the torture OF that
day. In tho afternoon was wild with
thirst. The rocks danced before my
eyes aud my brain was in whirl, but
fore my path, and, with q fierce, hoarse
shout l 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 it out of my sight. The memory
of that day is burned into my mind
Towards nightfall Igained the summit
of a small hill, and, looking over long
stretch of sand and rock, saw a sight
that gave mo feeling OF delight such
as no words can describe. Three camp
fires were brightly burning about mile
away. l have no idea how l reached
them. but when German acquaintance
stepped forward and led mo to . seat /
wept tears Of goteful 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 vaar and contents. There
wero seven horses with the party and
o~I 10 oly
out with me early next morning. We car
ried only small portion Of dried meat,
relying on the zame and melons for
LIQUID refreshments. The trail was
plain, and on the afternoon Of the third
day we reached the last campfire Of my
former servants. Pushing on we came
| in sirht of tho rascals as they were
outspanning tho cattle. Charging upon
them, we captured the whole gang be-
fore they had time to organize any de-
fense. 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 tho private store OF dain'
ties, besides having killed aud feasted
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.
When ono comes to know how cx-