Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-03-23


"'Where are the other oxenY Iasked.
"'Koos,' he said, 'koos chief, the
other oxen have gone away. turned
my back for a minute, and when /
looked round again they were all gone
except Kaptein here. who was rubbing |
his back against tree
"'You mean that you have been asleep |
and let them stray, you villain. will
rub your back against a stick l an
swered, feeling very angry, for it was
not pleasant prospect to be stuck up in
that fever trap for week or so while we
were hunting for the oxen. OF you go,
and you, too, Tom, and mind you don't
come back till you have found them.
They have trekked back along the Mid
delbnrg road and are dozen miles of
by now, I'll be bound. Now, no words.
Go, both Of youp
"Tom, the driver, swore and caught
the lad hearty kick, which he richly
deserved, and then having tied old Kap-
tein up to the disselboom with REIN
they got their assegais and sticks and
started. would have gone, too, only l
knew that somebody must look after the
wagon, and l did not like to leave either
of the boys with it at night. was in
very bad temper indeed, although l was
pretty well used to this sort OF occur
renee, and soothed myself by taking
rifle and going to kill something.
"For q couple of hours / poked about
without seeing anything that could get
q shot at, but at last, just as ! was again
within seventy yards of the wagon, !
put up an old Impala ram from behind
o mimosa thorn. He ran straight for
the wagon, and it was not till he was
passing within a few feet of it that !
could get decent shot at him. Then ]
pulled and caught him half way down
the spine. Over he went, dead as door
nail, and a pretty shot it was, though !
ought not to say it. This little incident
put me into rather better temper, es-
pecially as the buck had rolled over
right against the after part of the wag-
on, so had only to gut him, fix REIN
round his legs and haul him up.
"By the time had done this the sun
was down and the full moon was up, and
beautiful moon itwas. And then there
came down that wonderful hush that
sometimes falls over the African bush in
the early hours of the night. No beast
was moving, and no bird called. Not a
breath of air stirred the quiet trees, and
the shadows did not even culver; they
only grew. 1t was very oppressive and
very lonely, for there was not sign of
the cattle or the boys. l was quite
thankful for the society of old Kaptein,
who was lying down contentedly against
the disselboom, chewing the cud with a
good conscience.
Presently, however, Kaptein began
to get restless. First he snorted; then
he got up and snorted again. could
not make it out, so, like fool, l got down
off the wagon box to have look round
thinking it might be the lost oxen com.
ing.
''Next instant regretted it, for all Of
sudden l heard an awful roar and saw
something yellow flash past me and light
on poor Kaptein. Then came below
of agony from the OK and crunch al
the lion put his teeth through the poo
brute's neck, and began to realize wha
, had happened My rifle was in thu
= wagon, and my first thought was to ge
it, and / turned and made bolt for it
J I got my foot on the wheel and flung my
5 body forward on to the wagon, and there
stopped as if l were frozen, and NJ
! wonder, for as was about to spring vi
I / heard the lion behind me, and mex
| second felt the brute-aye, as plainly al
: / can feel this table. felt him, say
shifting at my left leg that was hanging
down.
= my word, did feel queer. dom
: think that ever felt so queer before.
: dared not move for the life of me, ant
. the odd thing was that seemed to los
!. power over my leg, which had an insan
y sort of inclination to kick out of its owl
mere motion-just as hysterical peopl
want to laugh when they ought to b
!, u particularly solemn. Well, the hol
u shifted and shifted, beginning at m,
ankle and slowly nosing away up to m.
: thigh. / thought that he was going t
get hold then, but he did not. He onl
IS growled softly and went back to the OK
Shifting my head little | got full
= view Of him. He was the biggest lion
= ever saw, and have seen great many
and he had q most tremendous blacl
: name. What his teeth were like yo-
y can see-look there; pretty big ones, ain
y theyp
y Altogether he was magnificent ami
: NAL, and as ! lay there sprawling on th
= fore tongue of the wagon it occurred t
= me that he would look uncommonly wei
. in cage. He stood there by the carcas
! ofpoor Kaptein and deliberately disem
: boweled him as neatly as butcher coul
y have done. All this while / dared nc
y " move, for he kept lifting his head an
Y keeping an eye on me as he lifted hi
!, bloody chops. When he had cleane
y Kaptein out he opened his mouth an
! roared, and I am not exaggerating whe
= = I say that the sound shook the wagor
7 Instantly there came an answering roal
7 'HeavenP thought, there is hi
mattel
% "Hardly was the thought out of m
=, head when / caught sight in the moor
i light of the honess bounding alon
4 through the long grass, and after her
: - couple of cubs about the size of mastiffi
~ She stopped within a few feet Of m
rs head, and stood and waved her tail an
Is fixed me with her glowing yellow eye
le but just as I thought that all was ov
g she turned and began to feed on Ka
1T tein, and so did the cubs. There we
m the four of them within eight feet of n
rs growing and quarreling, rending al
Of tearing and crunching poor Kapteir
st bones, and there | lay shaking with te
a ror and the cold perspiration pouril