Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-03-12
&PTER III.


Gn~ 'unded off farther up the kloof.
NAPIER III.
OHhN,s,' said Tom; let's
"Come on, lnkoos
get back to the wagon swered. 4
"'All right, Tom TSn> use three
will when 1 have killed tRC~,s bent
other lions, for by this time wal Der
on shooting them as never remenNa.
being bent on anything before or sintN
You can go if you like, or you can get
up tree
"He considered the position little,
and then he very wisely got up a tree.
! wish that l had done the same.
Meanwhile had got ont my knife,
which had an extractor in It, and sue
ceeded after some difficulty in hauling
out the case which had so nearly been
the cause OF my death and removing the
obstruction in the barrel. 1t was very
little thicker than postage stamp; GER
tainly not thicker than piece OF writ
Ing paper. This done, loaded the gun,
bound my handkerchief ronnd my wrist
and hand to staunch the flowing OF the
81 had noticed that the lioness went
into d thick green bush, or rather clust-
er of bushes, growing near the water,
for there was q little stream running
down the kloof about fifty yards higher
up, and for this | made. When got
there, however, | could see nothing, so
| took up big stone and threw IL into
the bushes. l believe that it hit the
other cub, for out 1t came with rush,
giving me broadside shot, Of which |
promptly agailed myself, knocking it
over dead. Out, too, came the liOness
like flash of light, but quick as she
went managed TO put the other bullet
into her ribs, so that she rolled right
over three times like shot rabbit. L
instantly got two more cartridges into
the gun, and as | did so the lioness got
up again and came crawling toward me
on her forepaws, roaring and groaning,
and with such an expression OF diabol-
ical fury on her countenance as l have
not. often seen. | shot her again
through the chest, and she fell over on
her side quite dead.
THAT was the first and last time that
I ever killed brace of lions right and
left, and, what is more, l never heard
of anybody else doing II. Naturally |
was considerably pleased with myself,
and having again loaded up went on to
look for the black named beauty which
had killed Kapteln. Slowly and with
the greatest care proceeded up the
kioof, searching every bush and tuft OF
grass as l went. 1t was wonderfully ex-
citing work, for never was sure from
one moment TO another but that he
would be on me. ] took comfort, how
ever, from the reflection that 4 lion
rarely attacks man rarely, L say;
sometimes he does, as you will see) I'M
less he is cornered or wounded. must
have been nearly an hour hunting after
the lion. Once | thought saw some
thing move in clump OF tamboki grass,
but | could not be sure, and when trod
out the grass | could not find him.
"At last got up 10 the head OF the
kloof. which made cul de sac. 1t was
formed of a wall of rock about fifty feet
high. Down this rock trickled little
waterfall, and in front of it, some sew
enty feet from its face, was great
piled up mass of powders, in the crew
ices and on the top Of which grew ferns
and grass ana stunted bushes. This
mass was about twenty-five feet high.
The sides of the kloof here were also
very steep. Well, got up to the top
OF the nullah and looked all round. No
signs of the lion Evidently l had
either overlooked him farther down or
he had escaped right away. 1t was very
vexatious, but still three lions were not
a bad bag for one gun before dinner,
and was fain to be content.
Accordingly departed back again,
making my way around the isolated pill
lar of powders and beginning to feel
that was pretty well done up with ex-
element and fatigue, and should be
more so before l had skinned those
three lions. When 1 had got, as nearly
as could Judge, about eighteen yards
past the pillar or mass of powders, l
turned to have another look around.
have pretty sharp eye, but l could see
nothing at all.
."Then on a sudden I saw something
sufficiently alarming. On the top OF the
mass Of powders opposite 10 me, stand
ing out clear against the rocks beyond,
was the huge black named lion. He had
been crouching there, and now arose as
by magic. There he stood flashing his
tail. Just like statue OF the animal on
the gateway Of Northumberland house
that have seen picture OF, But be
did not stand long. Before | could fire
before could do more than get the
pun 10 my shoulder-he sprang straight
mn and out from the rock, and driven by
the impetus OF that one mighty bound
came hurting through the air toward
me.
"Heavens, how grand he looked, and
how awful! High into the air ne flew,
describing a great arc. Just as he
touched the highest point OF his spring
I fired. did not dare to wait, for |
saw that he would clear the whole space
and land right upon me. Without a
sight. almost without aim, fired as one
would fire a snap shot at snipe. The
bullet told, for I distinctly heard It's
thud above the rushing sound caused by
the passage OF the lion through the air.
Next second / was swept 20 the ground
Onckilv | fell into low creeper-clsd
bnsh. which broke the shock, and the
lion was on top of me, and the next
those great white teeth Of his had met
In nv thigh heard them crate against
the bone.
II yelled out in agony, for did not
feel in the least benumbed and happy,
like DIR. LivingstoDe-whom, by the
way. knew very well-and gave my
self up for dead. But suddsaiy. as