The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1895-09-05
A ROYAL COMBAT.
BY AN OLD HUNTER.

hAtt{ u!in up dS Well as we cGuiu. aIC
then the paymaster set out on horse
lack to bring a surgeon from Albasini
-Ixty miles to the south. 1t was on q
Monday morning the accident happen
ed. Itrained heavily all day, but Tues
| day morning was bright and clear
nd the natives got out blankets and
nlo, hing to dry in the sun. At the
sama +, ne | overhauled the guns, and
m paro ;, 1loaded when there was 2
-nddan alarm in camp One of the
latiyas had disc. nyered a large serpent
lurking under son,'e bushes, and the
houtinG and running stamPeded th'
captains horse He gall, 'peq away "
he stream as fast as he ot7ld go, aho
thinking only of recovering nm as
speedily as possible | rose up q. " RAJ RAJ
after him, taking no weapons OF my
sort. 1T wasn't the most senslbl
thing | could have done, and yet 1t
wasn't SO very foolish | didn't sup
pose he would go over half mile, and
though there were plenty OF lions
about we seldom ran across them on
a bright day.
ran up a narrow path about mile
before sighting the horse. He was
facing me and had got over his scare.
! cut as L came nearer he turned a2d
klcked up his heels and trotted off.
Here and there was tree, and there
were many bushes scattered about, the
5oil was sterile and rocky, and ne&r
be centre of the plain was a hill which
was little more than a mass Of rock
The horse passed to the left Of this
hill, and [ followed. He was not oyea
200 yards away, head up and paving
lie earth III paly, when a full grown
male lion made long sprinig and
atighted on his back.
The horse uttered horrible cry arc
sank down, probably having his back
broken. 1t was not until he was down
that really knew what had happened
The lion stood there with his forepaws
on the foundering horse and looked
me full in the face and growled men
acingly. / began backing away, and
S. the beast showed no dispoiition &c
follow me [ no sooner got two or three
bushes between us than | turned tC
Fnn.
There was another surprise party IL
store for me as [ turned about. Not
Egrtv feet away stood a lioness. / was
nrobably the first white man she had
/ eycr seen at close quarters Her head
vas up and her tail down. a sure sign
d doubt on her part, and / made
haste to get out of the way before she
should take it into her head that [ was
an enemy [ had to go to the left, OF
'g|ard the hill, and it was DOUBTLESS
lie fact Of seeing hole among the
racks about ten feet up that sudden
y took my nerve away and induced me
- seek shelter. Had | hanked the
r;.,,. os5 and gone away all would have
a..no ell | rea ehed the hole IN the
,o@is vi, hout difficulty and backed
ITO # neve, stopping to think that Il
iqht be the ar &f a Wild beast o.
II a serpent. :. The ops.ning would not e
lave lat me in had { weighed 1ot
Eannds. There wasn't Ii 'ucA' space pc pc
Lind it-only sufficient to enc ''a IN -,
T. sit down. / confess to l'e1ng ''lol
oughly ratified for time, and ne 'ei
recall the situation without wanting
r. kick myself. After an hou.~ or SO
J aegan to realize what q foolish thing
lad done, and determined to crawI
ont aud make for cap. | had my Lead
epd one arm out of the opening when
4 fierce snarl saluted my ears, aud
right IN front OF me not thirty feet
away | beheld both lions. More than
,hat. cub lion about ten months old
IS frisking at his mothers heels.
] was boxed up, and the only hope |
lad was that If | kept quiet the lions
would soon retire. The presence Of
the cub was proof that the lair was
not far away. Indeed. I got an odor
now and then which satisfied me that
[ nad almost blundered upon it Had
the sun continued to shine the beasts
might h We laid up. as the bushes Of
feIed but little shade. but the sky
cIouded over and the atmosphere ,greE
.ooler | waited an hcur by my watch
before looking ont again. The lioness
.~E upon her back, feet in the air.
~99nd asleep, with tAe cub near by.
huf tbe lion lay with his head
on his paws and his big yellow
ayes vide open He did not growl Of
e. hut his eyes shone like Goals or
.i.. he sight of me. While he could,
te az >ver the distance at single
!. most c. IS not afraid Of him. | had
ping, L W; 7own to be safe. That
my 20 SINK { "as twice too large fol
lts head OF his y ocks were too solid
me hole, and tbe Il my watch up
q be moved. | gol time and then
.hare ] could note the xactly 1920
5. l. m experiment. At e, nd began
) e3oeh [ caught his eyes a. st;on oF
.oiug at him. It wasn't que W. /
taE ha coull stand it, but how l. -,
,@uld continue the stare. At the G.
i seventeen minutes my eyes achea
that [ had to close them. During /
tl that time the lion never WInked .
- say nothing OF betraying nervous I
ness.
knew that Capt. Jordan at the |
5aup would send some of the men /
.s.a after bit 10 search for me, bat /!
,t- AE-ff-E+ VI ttAi tflSith 1Sl-CNS hIltfF
mach q. use of firearms and were also |
when tdera was no white |
man to lead them (ill not anticipate
t nat their search would extend as far
Sc the nil. theu' half an hour he
fore noon i heard them firing their
slets and canght the sound Of
II voices, but they were long way
The noise rousad up the lions,
nj fer two CT three minutes they
need disposition TO sink away.
E2+,e lioness and her cub did retreat
lew rods, but the male held his ground
and they soon returned. There We're
eight natives in the party searching
for me. and though their near ap-
psoach might have sent the lions away,
inc chances were at least even that
they would have been attacked. They
returned to camp to report that they
c0uId discover no trace of me. and the