St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1893-04-22
oPELOUsAs, La, SATURDAY, APRIL y, 1898.

toward me like curtain, lying very low
on account of the wind. Presently above
the cracking Of the fire Iheard startled
roar, then another and another. So the
lions were at home.
81 was beginning to get excited now,
for, as you fellows know, there is moth
ing in experience to warm up your
nerves like hon at close quarters, un-
less it is wounded buffalo, and / got
still more SO when made out through
the smoke that the lions were all moving
about on the extreme edge Of the reeds.
Occasionally they would pop their heads
out like rabbits from burrow, and
then, catching sight of me standing
about fifty yards out, draw them back
again. knew that it must be getting
pretty warm behind them, and that they
could not keep the game up for long,
and I was not mistaken, for suddenly
all four of them brake cover together,
the old black named lion leading by a
few yards. never saw a more splendid
sight in all my hunting experience than
those four lions bounding across the
veldt, overshadowed by the dense pail Of
smoke and backed by the fiery furnace
of the burning reeds.
81 reckoned that they would pass, on
their road to the bushy kloof, within
about five and twenty yards of me; SO
taking long breath got my gun well
on to the lions shoulder-the black
named one-so as to allow for an inch or
two of motion, and catch him through
the heart. I was on, dead on, and my
finger was just beginning to tighten on
the trigger when suddenly l went blind
Ia bit Of reed ash had drifted into my
right eye. danced and rubbed, and
got it more or less clear just in time to
see the tail of the last lion vanishing
round the bushes up the kloof.
"f ever man was mad, I was that
man. 1t was too bad, and such shot
In the open tool However, / was not
going to be beaten, SO / just turned and
marched for the kloof Tom, the driver,
begged and implored me not to GO; but,
though as general rule / never pre-
tended to be very brave (which I am
not), / was determined that I would
either kill those lions or they should kill
me. So told Tom that he need not
come unless he liked, but was going,
and being a plucky fellow, Swat by
birth, he shrugged his shoulders, NUT
tered that was mad or bewitched and
followed doggedly in my tracks.
1--WE soon got to the kloof, which was
about three hundred yards in length and
but sparsely wooded, and then the real
fun began. There might be lion be-
hind every bush-there certainly were
four lions somewhere; the delicate ques.
ton was where. peeped and poked
and looked in every possible direction,
with my heart in my mouth, and was at
last rewarded by catching glimpse of
something yellow moving behind bush.
At the same moment from another bush
opposite me out burst one of the cubs
and galloped back toward the burned
out pan. whipped around and let
drive a snap shot that tipped him head
over heels, breaking his back within
two inches of the root of the tail, and
there he lay helpless, but glaring. Tom
afterward killed him with his assagai.
81 opened the breeeh of the gun and
hurriedly pulled out the old case, which,
to judge from from what ensued, must,
/ suppose, have burst and left PARTON
of it's fabric sticking to the barrel. AT
any rate, when tried to get in the new
case it would only enter half way, and
would You believe itf-this was the mo
ment that the ioness, attracted, no
doubt, by the outcry of her cub, chose to
put in an appearance. There she stood,
twenty PAGES or SO from me, lashing her
tail and looking just as wicked as 1t is
possible to conceive. Slowly / stepped
backward, trying to push In the new
case, and as did SO she moved on in lit
tie runs, dropping down after each run.
The danger was imminent, and the case
would not go in.
CAT the moment oddly enough
thought Of the cartridge maker, whose
name / viii not mention, and earnestly
hoped that If the lion got me some con-
dign punishment would overtake him.
1t would not go In, SO tried to pull ii
out. 1t would not come out either, ald
my gun was useless if could not shut
it to use the other barrel. / might as
well have had no gun. Meanwhile was
walking backward, keeping my eye on
the ioness, who was creeping forward
ON her belly without sound, but lash
ing her tail and keeping her eye on me,
and in it saw that she was coming in a
few seconds more. dashed my wrist
and the palm OF my hand against the
brass rim of the cartridge till the blood
poured from them-look; there are ths
scars of it to this dayP'
Here Quatermain held up his right
hand to tho light and showed us seven
or eight white cicatrices just where the
wrist is set into the hand.
"But it was not of the slightest use,n
he went on; "the cartridge would not
move. only hope that no other man
will ever be put in such an awful posi-.
ton. The lioness gathered herself to-
gether, and gave myself up for lost
when suddenly Tom shouted out from
somewhere in my rear:
g You are walking on to the wounded
cub; turn to the right
81 had the sense, dazed as was, to
take the hint, and Slowing round at right
angles, but still keeping my eyes on the
ioness, continued my backward walk.
To my intense relief, with a low grcwl
she Strengthened herself, turned and
bounded off farther up the kloof.
CHAPTER III.