Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-11-01
COMING OF THE KING.
Under tho Cover of Night lie Deiies All
Who Face Him.

NAueT inc cover pI NiEhh nc AJehes All
Who Face Him.
Our camp is made in a grove between
the water hole on the north and the thicket
on the south, and right through the center
of the grove, leading from thicket to water,
is hard beaten path. The elephant rhi,
noceros, giraffe, zebra, sprinEbok, buffalo,
lion, hyena wolf and jackal have trod this
path on occasions.
The hunters have driven the big game out
of this section of Griqua Land, but the
path is still in use. Even before the sun
goes down big hyena, painting with thirst,
lodges us to the right to get to the water,
and three wolves emerge from the thicket,
to make n hasty retreat ut sight of the
camp. As soon as supper is disposed of the
oxen are secured to the wheels of the wag-
ons, a large quantity of fuel brought in,
and then the 40 natives close up the open
ings with a breastwork of thorn bushes.
They make this breastwork thickest and
highest on the south side, and they further
strengthen it with sharp stakes as in aba
It's. ask them why they do this. and old
Mingo Grins and replies
This is the path by which the king
comes and goes, and he will be angry when
he finds us here"
The sun went down, dar kueSs came like
the fall of a curtain and presently we heard
from the king. mile or more away to
the north, in some dark, cool spot in the
great thicket. he had been sleeping away
the summers day. Rest and sleep had
brought thirst. He would drink his I'LL
and then stalk through his realms and ex-
hibit himself to his subjects, asking no IA
vors, but commanding servility from all.
/ heard the distant rumble of thunder and
stood up to see from which direction the
storm was approaching.
1t is not thunder, but the voice of the
king - said MiOpD q = he lpopal against ono
of the trees.
Five minutes later the sound came again.
Ii was nearer now and this time | could
not be deceived. Lions in captivity will
roar when excited, but it is IA weak imita-
ton of the voice of Il lion on his native
heath. The roar of n full grown lion as he
moves ont of his lar for the night is a sig
nal to every living thing for miles around
that he is aStir and a challenge to every
thing with life to cross his path at their
peril No hunter hears it without feeling
awed Mt its immense volume and power
without making oheisance to the throne
from which it comes rs n proclamation.
There is a longer interval this time. His
highnesS has got our scent and is perhaps
a bit puzzled and put out, though all the
time he is advancing toward us and intends
to make thorough examination. During
this interval the oxen crowd closer togethe
and begin low, sad moaning, and after
heapinG fuel on the fires the natives hide
away in the wagons or find safe places in
the tree tops The captain and are left
alone, and rs we get out our double barreed
shotguns and slip in hnckshot cartridges
the king reaches the edge of the thicket
and stands for moment without the
slightest movement to stare at us. 1t is a
starlit night, and Mingo, who is perched
above my head, can plainly see his royal
highness and will keep us posted
Now comes roar which drops half the
cattle to their knees and fills the ear like
thunder rumbling along n mountain side
1t begins as if the lion was in n deep pit al
most Mt our feet, and when it reaches its
climax the believing of n dozen oxen
would be drowned out. The dying away is
like the beginning, but through it all is
savageness that tries the nerves far more
than the brief roar of Il tiger as he leaps
up for a charge. We are camped on the
kings highway, and that roar expresses
his surprise and Indignation at our audacity
The glare of the camptires is new sight
to him. The big white topped wagons
have never greeted his eyes before As he
stands and switches his tail about he must
realize that the camp is a strong one and
that he has no friends within, but fear is
not mingled with his indignation.
The king is coming, naster!' shouts
Mingo from his perch, and we get ready to
greet him.
There is no more roaring. He has chal
lenCed us and defied us, and now he is
coming TO punish us for daring to obstruct
the path which perhaps he first marked
out as n royal highway. Everything is so
quiet for moment that we can hear his
footballs. He does not advance a few feet
and then halt, but comes straight on, his
head well up, his eyes shining and his long
tail switching the bushes each side of the
path. Mingo can read his intentions by
his walk, and he shouts down to us:
Look ont .mastcrl He will come into the
camp
The captain took n tree about 20 feet
from the one sheltering me- and we dropped
to our knees and brought our guns to a
ready. The path was midway between us.
/ The king did not change his pace until he
came within 100 feet of the breastwork.
Then he uttered catlike snarl, broke int
a run to get his spring, and five feet from
the thorn bushes he lifted himself and
came sailing over like a great bird. The
height was II feet. The distance on q
straight line was 81 feet. Both of us fired
at him before he landed, and again as he
touched the earth, but all four shots
missed. He bounded up the path between
US, cleared one of the tents at leap and
landed among the oxen. The natives
raised n direful yell. and to this was added
/ lhe oeIIo"lhS Oh the frantic Cattle, ana De
fore we could seize fresh guns and cover &C
feet of ground the king had taken his de
parture. One OK was dying of broken
/ back, and two others We're badly clawed,
but that was getting OF cheap. The beast
kept on to the water hole, quenched his
thirst and then roared us another defy.
went down to the breastwork on that side
and emptied my winchester at him rs fast
rs could pull the trigger. He snapped
and spat at the bullets whistling by, but
was too proud to retreat under fire. When
| got through shooting, he lay down with
his head on his paws and watched our
campfire, but after awhile, satisfied that he
had suffered no loss of reputation. he rose
up and stalked away into the darkness.
and we saw him no more. NJ QUAD