The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-07-04

males with manes-which were by that
time making off. The natives meant 10
try to keep them engaged till T. had
time to get his rifle and cartridges and
catch them up.
The lions were galloping among scat
tered mimosa scrub, making for the
thick bush beyond; and with an object
in view a lion can get along at very
fair pace in the cool of the morning
One of the men got start Of the 9TH
ers, and was rapidly overhauling the
lions, when he lost sight of them for a
moment, He galloped up to the bush
where he had last seen them, and as he
rounded 1t, one lion came at him from
behind and the other two from in front
| They had got sick of running and had
waited for him. The native did a very
clever thing. There was no chance Of
getting away by galloping, as he was
regularly hemmed in, so, half checking
the pony, he put his foot on its wither.
and jumped right into the middle of a
pimosa bush. Almost as he jumped
the lions knocked the pony over, and
when 7 came up he found them
eating 1t, taking no notice of the
mounted men close by. T hit one
and while he was following it up the
other two gave his men the slip.
These two lions were decidedly out Of
luck, as got them the same night.
That morning a lioness killed heifer
close to my camp I had already seen
her tracks several times, but they had
always led us on to some stony hills
where we had lost them. This time the
same thing happened again. so, think
ing she would probably come back that
night to finish the heifer, we decided to
sit up for her. We therefore made an
enclosure of thorns under a mimosa
bush close by. The fiat top of the bush
came down to meet the thorns built up
all around, and one could hardly tell
the whole thing was not BUSH In
the front was a hole to shoot through,
and at the back we left an opening so
that we could get inside. After this we
returned back to camp, and in the
evening after dinner went off again,
taking my bedding on a donkey. This
donkey was also to serve as bait, for
the natives had cut up and carried
| away the heifer. We tied the donkey
by enc foreleg, almost touching the
fence of our zereba, and after showing
in my bedding, crawled in through the
| opening at the back. Two men who
had come with us crammed this hole
up with thorns and then went away
talking loudly to make the lioness
think that all was safe if she We're
anywhere near
After looking about for some time
made out the lioness sinking along be-
hind our BUSH She would not come up
to the donkey but lay down some way
off under a bush. There was no hole
on that side, so ! could not shoot with
any certainty: and at last getting
sleepy, / lay down, telling Abdulla to
keep his eye on the lioness, and wake
me If there was any chance of a shot.
had not slept long when he touched
me, at the same time putting his hand
over my mouth to prevent me from
| calling out on being suddenly woke.
got up on my kneep, looking out of the
hole, but for a moment / could not
make out anything.
1t was lovely night but even by the
brightest moonlight lion is not a very
easy thing to see There was an open
glade in front of the donkey, and at
SldIulbS lie III Out III lic OpSil 4
saw two lions. They seemed as If they
could not make out why the donkey
did not run away and stood quite still
looking at him. AS watched they
suddenly started, and came racing to-
ward us side by side, like two ei1or-
nous dogs. When the lions got up to
the donkey they did not seem to stop in
their rush. but donkey and lions all
went down with d crash together.
How they actually knocked him over
did not see, as at the moment drew
back my head involuntarily, because,
although we were absolutely safe in
side a mass Of mimosa thorns, the
whole thing felt unpleasantly close.
When / looked out again l could easily
have touched one of the lions, which
was standing with it's forepaws on the
donkey and its headquarters within
few inches of our fence. The other lion
was standing on the far side looking
me straight in the face, but I am sure
he could not see me- as the moon was
right in his eyes, making them shine
as if they We're a light. could only
see his head, as the other lions body
was in the way, so determined to give
the one nearest me shot. There was
very little of him to be seen except his
headquarters, but he was so close was
sure the bullet would drive right
through him.
AS the rifle came up to my shoulder
1t touched branch, which seemed to
make crack like pistol shot, and the
lion turned round to see what 1t was.
At the same moment fired and he fell
rolling over and over against the fence,