The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1893-05-18
The Three Lions.


whereabouts the brutes lay up for the
day. About three hundred yards from
the wagon was the crest Of rise, COW
cred with single mimosa trees, dotted
about In o parklike fashion, and beyond
this was q stretch Of open plain, run
ming down to dry pan, or water hole,
which covered about an acre Of ground
and was densely clothed with reeds,
now In the sere and yellow leaf. From
the farther edge of this pan the ground
sloped mp again to a great cleft or null
lab, which had been cut out by the &C
ton Of water and was pretty thickly
sprinkled with bush, among which grew
some large trees, forget Of what sort.
ut at once struck the that the dry pan
would be likely place to find my friends
In, as there is nothing lion is fonder Of
than lying up In reeds. through which
he can see things without being seen
himself. Accordingly thither l went
and prospected. Before l had got half
way round the pan found the remains
Of blue vilderbeeste that had evidently
been killed within the last three or four
days and partially devoured by lions,
and from other indications about was
soon assured that II the family were not
in the pan that day they spent good
deal Of their spare time there. But X
there the question was how to get them
out, for it was clearly impossible to
think Of going in after them unless one
was quite determined to commit suicide.
"Now there was q strong wind blow
ing from the direction Of the wagon
across the reedy pan toward the bush
clad kloof or donga. and this first gave
me the idea of firing the reeds, which,
- think told you, were pretty dry.
Accordingly Tom took some matches
and began starting little fires to the left,
and did the same to the right. But
the reeds were still green at the bottom,
and we should never have got them we'll
slight had 1t not been for the wind,
which got stronger and stronger as the
sun got higher and forced the fire into
them. At last, after half an hours
trouble. the fame got hold and began
to spread out like fan, whereupon
got around to the farther side Of the
pan to wait for the lions, standing well
out in the open as we stood at the copse
today where you shot the woodcock.
ut was father risky thing to do, but
i used to be so sure of my shooting in
those days that did not so much mind
the risk. Scarcely had l got round
when 1 heard the reeds parting before
the onward rush of some animal. Now
for it, said l. On 1t came. could SEQ
that 1t was yellow and prepared for &C.
ton, when, instead of a lion, out bound
ed a beautiful reit-bok which had been
lying in the shelter of the pan. 1t must.
by the way, have been a reit-bok of q
peculiarly confiding nature to lay itself
down with the lion like the lamb Of
prophecy, but suppose that the reeds
were thick and that it kept long way
of.
"Well, l let the reit-bok go, and 1t
went like the wind, and kept my eyes
fred upon the reeds. The fire was burn
ing like q furnace now, the flames crack
ling and roaring as they bit into the
reeds. sending spouts Of fire twenty feet
and more into the air, and making the
hot air dance above 1t in a way that was
perfectly dazzling. But the reeds were
still half green and created an enormous
quantity Of smoke, which came rolling
toward me like q curtain, lying very low
on account Of the wind. Presently above
the cracking Of the fire heard startled
roar. then another and another. So the
Lions were at home.
II was beginning to get excited now,
for, as you fellows know, there is moth
ing in experience to warm up your
nerves like lion at close quarters, un-
less 1t 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 a burrow, and
then, catching sight Of me standing
about fifty yards out, draw them back
sgain. / knew that it must be getting
pretty warm behind them, and that they
could not keep the game up for long,
and was not mistaken, for suddenly
all four Of them broke cover together,
the old black named lion leading by q
few yards. never saw 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.
II reckoned that they would pass, on
their road to the bushy kloof, within
about Eve and twenty yards of me; so
taking long breath got my gun we'll
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. was on, dead on. and my
finger was just beginning to tighten on
the trigger when suddenly went blind
"a bit of reed ash had drifted into my
right eye. l danced and rubbed, and
got 1t more or less clear Just in time to
see the tail Of the last lion vanishing
round the bushes up the kloof.
''If ever man was mad. was that
man. 1t was too bad, and such shot
In the open tool However, l 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
mott, l was determined that / would
either kill those lions or they should kill
me. So told Tom that he need not
come unless he liked, but l was going,
and being plucky fellow, q Swat by
birth. he shrugged his shoulders. NUT
tered that ! was mad or bewitched and
followed doggedly in my tracks.
eve soon got to the kloof, which was
about three hundred yards in length and
but sparsely wooded, and then the real
fun began. Thara lnioht ha n lion ha.