St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-17

49, VA Az 4Obi VI DSSOiAOCl3 lCOO, q
rying letters to anxious friends from
the little band of British pioneers in
M~ashonaland, also bore my supplement
TO The Graphic. Late in the evening
or Christmas day a young fellow named
Thomas started southwark from Ma
tipTS post station with the same mail
bag.
"He rode one horse and led a second
that carried the mailbag on a pack sad
Ole. The sky was cloudy and overcast,
driZZly rain soon commenced to fall, and
when night set in the darkness became
intense. A ride on such a night alone
through the endless silent woods of the
African wilderness would be depressing
at any time, but more particularly so on
Christmas night, and especially SO after
a Christmas dinner of bully beef and
hard biscuit.
However, young Thomas Che was
but a lad, not long out from home) O O
had something more enlivening to think
about than the Christmas dinner he
had not eaten, for suddenly both the
horse he was riding and the pack ami
NAL he was leading began to snort and
plunge II then galloped forward in
the darkness along the wagon track, and
MIR. Thomas Immediately became aware
that a lion was close behind them, as
every stride was accompanied by a
hoarSe, grating growl that. heard at
close quarters on a dark night, is not a
reassuring sound. In this weird chase
the darkness no doubt favored the lion.
n probably the horses never got prop
erly into their stride.
I'm any case it was but a matter of a
second or two before the lion sprang up
Il seized the horse Thomas was riding,
ciaSplng it from each side with It's
m SEWN lanS ond ainni,,- -, a,,oI .Iz--
deep into either quarter. The horse was
checked, and the jerk threw Thomas
from the saddle. but the sharpness OF
the lions claws, aided by the pace at
which the horse was going, made them
cut through skin and flesh like so many
knives, SO that the grim beast lost his
hold and fell to the ground, while the
horse rushed madly forward along the
road.
THE lion at once took up the chase
again, neglecting to notice Thomas, who
ran to the nearest tree, which he
climbed without any unnecessary
dawdling. Before long the lion. not
having been able to again overtake
either of the horses, came back to where
he had made his first spring Il then,
probably seeming Thomas in the tree.
walked up and lay down at the foot of
ii. Here he remained the entire night,
sometimes lying down and at others
walking round the tree. Thomas had
no rifle with him, but carried a revolver
slung over his shoulder. He was. how
ever, afraid TO fire at the lion with this
weapon, as the tree in which he had
taken refuge was but a small one, and
he feared that the dangerous beast be-
meath him might, if irritated bv a
wound. spring up and possibly succeed
] Ill w him out of the tree.
ut was broad daylight the next morn
ing when Thomas heard the crack of
the whip, and presently was reioiced to
see a wagon train coming along the
road. Then the lion got up and walked
sulkily away into the bush, and Thomas
came down the tree and told his strange
story to the people with the wagons,
with whom he returned to Matipi's.
Both horses turned up early in the
nLght at me next post station. The
Hanks or the II that had been at
tackled were badly lacerated by the
claws OF the lion, but it eventually re-
covered. The horse which carried the
mail bag seems to have left the road and
dashed away into the bush when its
companion was seized by the lion, and
eventually turned up at the post station
minus the mailbag, which was doubtless
torn off by the bushes through which
the terrified animal rushed.
-Four months later, after it had lain
on the ground during the greater part
Of the rainy season., the lost mail bag
was picked up by Mr.. Gouriay. who was
on his way up to Mashonaland, and who
came upon it a short distance away
from the road when he was out shooting.
1t was brought back to Salisbury and
lis contents handed back to the owners.
My supplement to the Graphic had,
however, been a good deal injured by
not time to spare just then to rewrite it,
so that, thanks to the lion, it never APP
peared in print"