Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-01-22
A LOWS FEAST.

A LIONS FEAST.
3s0-Ts0 Rays sAs FsrSelt Fer 0ssslAsang
Assshsr's LaSs.
We bed our camp ut the big bend Of the
Zouga nver. where Il approaches nearest
the great desert Of the Hottentot country,
and one morning word was brought in that
we hsd captured very large lion in pit
which had been dug for that purpose.
Among the natives who went out in ad-
vance Of us were two fellows who had been
threatening each other with personal vio-
lence ever since We left the Vaal river. Both
were tall, strong men, and each had his fol-
lowing, - ID always the case, even in civil
lised communities. They had been re-
strained only BY threats Of the colonel to
turn them out Of camp. They met at the
lion pit, and by accident or otherwise one
jostled the other. Il was the spark leading
to an explosion. Tom Tom, as we had
nicknamed one Of them. seized the other,
whose title was Joe-Joe, and with =
twist and wrench threw him into the nit
upon the lion. il was q terrible thing to
do, and neither the colonel nor believed
that TOm-Tom really had meant to do it,
though he would not have hesitated to use
Ratchet or knife.
We met the natives coming back with the
murderer in custody. and they demanded
that his life should nav the forfeit. The
pair Of us ran on to the pit in hopes to save
Joc-Joe, but we were too late. The lion was
not only hungry, but in a terrible temper
over his capture, and he had killed the man
a. soon as he could get to him. Had the
victim lost his life in fair fight, nothing
would have been done Had he been stabbed
to death in camp. the murderer would have
had to give his widow or other relatives
about 30 cents worth of heads Az IL was
the men would hear of no punishment short
of death.
About 10 O'Clock In the forenoon b.v;,,
exhausted every effort and the men h.u;n.
piuy to threaten loudlv. we turned Tom
Tom over to them. He Ind been verv o,,;et
all the morning. and when told tina. b,.
must die he exbih;,ed M emotion ". ,,.,s
in his prime and had a wife and three chill
frcu MT home. lint he was too brave and
proud spirited to breaL down He w.s
given his cboice of de.,b-,b,, IL ,h.v
would strip him and leave him hound hand
| and foot or, nm antbilI ar h. sbou,d he Am,
TO the lion. who had nv thar time ,aten the
| last morsei of moor ,Joe,,Joc. He wonld NTH.
er hnye been shot or clubbed 10 death but
| they Thought that would he getting of too
EASY. After thinking it over for awhile he
said TO MS:
~ have seen men left to the ants. and il
WINS sometimes n whole ,lay btfore they
died. lam thrown into the nit. the lion
will kill me within n minute. and there
| will he no suffering. And, too, the man
| who is killed by a lion dies n proud death.
and his wife and children need not he
ashamed to say how he died. Yes. will
die that way The lion will not he hungry
again before tomorrow, but wish the men
to annoy him until he raves with anger.
Then he will finish me ut once. and you can
get the cage up and secure him."
| Tom-Tom talked the matter over rs
calmly rs if speaking of an OK gone astray.
Wedoubled our offer only to have it prompt.
ly rejected, and then turned him over to
the escort and sadd!ed up and rode away.
What followed was told to us on our re
turn. A portion OF the natives armed
themselves with long poles and sticks and
stones and angered the lion until he was
positively furious. TOm-Tom was then led
forward by his guards. All agreed that ht
was the least excited OF the crowd. Two
strong fellows had been appointed to fling
him into the pit, but when he was brought
forward he said:
Il am to die for causing the death of q
man who thirstcd for my life. i do moi
complain Of that, but wish to die like Q
man. Cnbind me and stand back! Iknov
what lion can do. He can kill an OK with