The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-08
SOUTH AFRICAN LIONS.
They Are Savage Creatures and
Fearless of Man.
From the London Spectator.


From the London Spectator.
South African lions are beyond question
the boldest of all predatory animals. and
those of Mashonaland are perhaps the
boldest of all. During the night, their
natural hunting time, they attack draught
animals, or even men, within few yards
of the camp fires, and are a constant and
serious danger to travellers in districts re-
mote from the main tracks of traders.
From the Zambesi through Mashonaland,
and north to the Limpopo, a chorus Of
complaints rises in the pages of recent
travellers, whose cattle or followers have
suffered from their attacks. Mr.. Selous
has recorded the pursuit of the post from
Salisbury by lion, and the loss of the
mail bags, which the animal tore from
the back of the pack horse. Mr.. Millais,
who crossed the Nuantesi river with a
team of eight donkeyS to draw his wag-
on-the oxen being left on account of
the proximity of the Sly" country-lost
carried out with the utmost contempt
for human beings, whether white or black
He was awakened by the lions roar, and
almost Immediately saw one of the teth-
cred donkeys knocked over. 1t was not
five yards from the fire, but in the dark
ness and dazzle of the fire he could not
see the attacker. I'VE knew instinctiVely
that a lion had killed the donkey and
was standing over him not five yards
from where we were, but it was hope
less to fire unless we saw something or
at least could make certain of his where
abouts" This odd scene continued for
some moments, the actors being four or
five black men, two white men, a pony
seven live donkeys and a dead one, and
the lion standing over the latter the fire
partly lighting up the figures until a
couple more donkeyS broke loose. They
rushed into a mealiefield and there the
party heard the lion chasing first one
donkey and then another, as excited and
in field of barley. "At every round the
lion emitted a subdued "boo-uff as his
forelegs struck the ground but the two
did not go far There was presently a.
loud scufie. a crack and the sound OF a
heavy body falling, then all was still"
The lion chased the third donkey around
the camp, killed and ate it, and was next
day killed by an ingenious trap, made
by tying rifle to posts and fastening
string to the trigger, which the lion
struck when revisiting it's kill
The unsportsmanlike method of COM
passing its death is excused by Capt Mil
liaS on the ground of necessity. This lion
was ten feet long from the tip of its
nose to the tip of its tail, was in
perfect health, and immensely formula
BILE. But besides the wagon and kraaI
business" which occupied it at the time
of its last attack, it had taken to kill
ing women when game and native goats
were scarce and travelling teams had not
yet come up country. Six women had
been killed by it from one village. These
African lions have not the fine name which
they show in captivity and in pictures
draw by English artists to illustrate
noted the odd resemblance of the lions
roar to that of the ostrich. Mr.. Millias
says that though the roar of the latter
is not so loud, it has exactly the same
tone as that of the lion. But the ostrich
always roarS his best, the lion very sell
dom. This is partly because a good
roar needs a great physical effort. The
whole interior and muscles of the mouth,
throat, stomach and abdomen are for
the moment converted into an organ of
terrific sound, and the sound does make
the earth tremble-or appears to do so.
Unless he roars lying down, when he puts
"emitS his first moan in any position
then draws in his neck and lowers his
head, with extended jaws, right down to
his forepawS, as if about to be violently
SICK while at the same time the back is
arched and the whole animal bears the
appearance of concentrated strain This
is Capt Millias' phonetic rendering of
the sound, taken when listening to three
lions roaring their best:
Moan roar roar roar roar -
roar grunt = grunt grunt grunt
dying away"
Why lions roar when it ought to nav
better to keep silent, is not yet explain
ed. Gen. Hamilton was convinced that
tigers hunting in company roar to con-
fuse and frighten the deer. Possibly the
lion roars when prowling round a camp
in the hope of causing some of the draft
animals to break loose; at other times
it appears to be a form Of conversation
with Others at a distance.