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

L
set to work to do was to try to make out
whereabouts the brutes lay up Tor the
day. About three hundred yards from
the wagon was the crest OF rise, COW
cred with single mimosa trees, dotted
about in parklike fashion, and beyond
this was stretch of open plain, run
ming down to dry PAM or water mole.
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 up again to great cleft or nui-
lab, which had been cut out by the ac-
ton of water and was pretty thickly
sprinkled with bush, among which grew
some large trees, forget OF what sort
cit at once struck me that ting dry
pan would be likely place 10 ind my
friends iD, as there is nothing lion Is
fonder of than lying up In reeds,
through which he can see things with
out being seen himself.
Accordingly thither 1 went and pros
pected. 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
r~and partially devoured by lions,
daYsN other indications about l was
and trom\~ that if the family were not
soon assured 49,. they spent good
in the pan that dSeA~ +bere. But if
deal of their spare timB<AN rot them
there the question was how tdRcNs,> 10
| out, for it was clearly impossible~S
| think Of going in after them unless one
was quite determined TO commit suicide.
''Now there was a strong wind blow
| ing from the direction of the wagon
across the reedy pan toward the bush
! clad kloof or donga, and this trst gave
me the idea Of firing the reeds, which,
as l think | told you, were pretty dry.
Accordingly Tom took some matches
and began starting little fires 20 the left,
and I did the same to the right. But
| the reeds were still green at the bottom,
| aud we should never have got them well
alight had it not been for the wind,
which got stronger and stronger as the
san got higher and forced the fire into
them. At last, after half an hours
trouble, the flame 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 to-
day where you shot the woodcock.
1T was a rather risky thing to do,
but used TO be so sure OF my shooting
in those days that did not so much
mind the risk. Scarcely had I got round
when l heard the reeds parting before
the onward rush of some animal. Now
for it, said |. On it came l could see
that it was yellow and prepared for &C
ton, when, instead OF a lion, out
bounded a beautiful reit-bOk which had
been lying in the shelter OF the pan. 1t
must, by the way, have been ret-bOk
OF peculiarly confdiHE nature TO lay
itself down with the lion like the lamb
OF prophecy but 1 suppose that the
reeds were thick and that it kept a long
way off.
Well. I let the reit-bok go, and it
| went like the wind, and l kept my eyes
/ fixed on the reeds. The fire was burn
| ing like a 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 it in 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 a curtain, lying very
! low on account OF the wind. Presently
above the cracking of the fire heard
/ a startled roar, then another and an
other. So the lions were at home.
81 was beginning to get excited now,
for as You fellows know, there is moth
| ing In experience to warm up your
nerves like a lion at close quarters, un-
| less il is wounded buffalo, and l got
| still more so when 1 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
again. l knew that it must be getting
pretty warm behind them, and that they
| could not keep the game up for long,
and I was not mistaken, for suddenly
all four OF them broke cover together,
the old black named lion leading by a
few yards. l never saw more SPLEEN
did sight in all my hunting experience
than those four lions bounding across
the veldt, overshadowed by the dense
| nall of smoke and backed by the fiery
furnance of the burning reeds.
~ reckoned that they would pass, on
their road to the bushy kloof, within
about FIVE and twenty yards Of me; so
taking a long breath l got my gun well
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 10 tighten on
the trigger when suddenly l went blind
"a bit OF reed ash mad drifted into my
right eye. l danced and rubbed, and
got it more or less clear just 10 time 10
see the tail OF the last lion vanishing
around the bushes up the kloof.
"If ever man was mad, was that
man. 1t was too bad, and such shot
in the open, too. 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 a general rule l never pre-
tended to be very brave (which l am
not), | 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 ! was go
ing, and being a plucky fellow, Swat
! by birth, he shrugged his shoulders,
| muttered that 1 was mad or bewitched
and followed doggediy in my tracks.
1--WE soon got to the kloof, which
was about three hundred yards in length
and but sDarsely wooded, and then the
real fun began. There might be lion
behind every bush-there certainly were
four lions somewhere; the delicate ques-
ton was where. l peeped and poked