Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-06-22

vive. IF mournfully meditated, "the |
lost men have miraculously escaped at
tack, the mere horror Of the situation will
surely kill that tenderly nurtured boy"
But after all our intimacy, little knew
the gallant youth.
Several times during the night the raw
enous brutes behind so crowded on those
in front that some of the latter were push
ed for moment out of the dark bushes
and into the rays of freight. We watch
ed revengefully for such chance and always
shot on the instant, killing in this way, as
we afterward found, three jackals, four
foxes and an ugly spotted hyena.
When daylight came, we brealfasted,
drew our boat well inland turned 1t up
sido down, placed Harold goods and most
Of cur own under it and covered the bot
torn with thick layer of sand, to prevent
warping. Then, taking our rifles blan.
ket each, two axes and a liberal supply Of
provisions and water, we struck into the
forest, after comparing our compasses.
We took a northwest course knowing
that in that direction, and probably not
many miles away, lay mountain range,
| of which, though invisible from our posi-
! ton, the lost men might have caught
glimpse in their wanderings and attempt
ed to reach.
Before starting we had tried to find the
spot whence the lion had emerged and de-
parted, but we could not do SO; hence we
concluded that the elastic bushes had
sprung into place again after the passage
Of the brute and his pursuers and hidden
their trail.
This was my first attempt at exploring
n truly tropical forest, and all had ever
| fo11 for CHI Ff
reality. Overhead the giant trees were fes-
tooned AND looped together by network
of clinging vines, while spiked mimosas,
thorny acacias, priokly cacti and an end
less variety of obstructing shrubs, closely
matted together, covered the ground and
rendered our progress painfully slow.
How ever q lion could have borne full
grown man through such place without
leaving a trail was mystery indeed, but
it was quickly solved. In fact, the beast
had not done so at all, for presently, lying
at right angles to our course, we came
upon clearly defined path, running north
east and starting, as we later discovered,
from the southwest extremity of the cres-
cent shaped copse bounding the sandy cove,
a point where we had never thought Of
looking for it, being on the opposite side
from the spot where the broken musket
lay.
Although, amid the multitude Of other
tracks, we could distinguish neither the
lions spoor nor the mark of boot heels, 1t
seemed certain that the men and the brute
must have gone by this way, and we turn
ed into 1t with renewed hope. So long as
the trail lasted we got on fairly well, but
after following 1t for about mile 1t ended
at the edge Of stony waste whereon grew
only few trees and scattered clumps Of
Jungle
"This Is real lion country" observed
Tom. They never stay for long in the
deep woods The ono we're after has his
lair in some of those jungle NOTES. But
there's nothing to guide us now, and which
way to 40 Is puzzleH. II tho men were
within sight Of the lion when no got here,
there's one chance in hundred that they
have saved Kola's life, always supposing
he wasn't killed at first or on the way,
and, as we've seen no blood, 1 don't think
he was"
We've not signaled for some time, "
said Joe. Lets rest a little and fire q
few shots The sound will travel better
here
After long pull at our water TASKS we
fired three shots at one minute intervals,
but heard no answer. Then Joe climbed
lofty sage palm to get view Of the
country ahead When he came down, there
was new look ON his face
! boys, " said he this plain s about three
miles across and reaches to heavy belt Of
4 timber this side the foothills, and If I'm
= not nightly mistaken I saw the smoke
" of fire rising above the trees. If it's SURF
= enough smoke, some of the TaSn are alive
U for there are no blacks round these parts. y
, This was glorious news-too good to b.
true Tom Brackett thought So he shin
ned up the tree himself while we anxious
ly awaited his report. He had not ascend
ed 60 feet, however, when he yelled out;
:, 1T is smoke, certain, bearing thre'
. points east of north, !" and down he came
a looking as If he'd found a fortune
q Our gloomy thoughts vanished, and W.
: hurried away over the rock strewn level
a steering straight for the indicated point.
a Travelling was comparatively easy now
), Getting along at the rate Of % or 8 mile
, an hour we had come to about the mid
die Of the plateau and were nearing
" dump Of jungle bush when, heavily wing
( ed there arose from IT'S depths cloud o
:. vulturesl
4 Shuddering at the thought of what Nigh
= lie within, we dashed through the oppos
u ing thorns, and there, close to the moutl
y of q rock inclosed den, lay not that whicl
+ we had so dreaded to see, but the hal
y picked skeleton of an enormous lionl Nea
the head Of the beast was dark patch O
> dried blood, and scattered around wer
|. several fragments Of cotton cloth.
, "Hurrah, hurrahr' shouted Tom. "Tha
= brave boy has killed the lion here, and KC
y La has been saved alive See how the youn
n fellows torn his own shirt up to max
II bandages"
n "How do you know twas Harold an
"a not Matu who killed the brutef" asked
"a willing to have my pride In the youth
n exploit still further gratifed.
. why, don't you see that tho head
Il bored through and through by an expires
n bullet~ Tom replied. Besides all crea
- ton couldn't have coaxed the black clos
=. enough to do execution with his old blur
derbuss till the lion was dead. 1 knoN
"A the breedr'
, II can't exactly tell, " sold the younge
= brother, how far the smoke Is from thi
N plain, but maybe the men can hear a she
70 now" and he fired in the air.
% Three seconds Of suspense Then cam
= the faint but unmistakable report Of q
>, answering rife, followed moment late
= by the dull, hollow boom OF Matu's bi
~ | - H. l..