The Portland daily press., 1896-02-08
SOUTH AFRICAN LIONS.
Terrible Destruction Caused by the Big
Lions of Mashonaland.

South African lions are, beyond ques-
ton, 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 a
few yards of the camp fires and are a
constant and serious danger to travellers
in districts remote from the main tracks
of traders.
From Che Zambesi, through Mashona-
land, and north to the Limpopo, chorus
of complaints rises In the pages Of recent
travellers, whose cattl or followers have
suffered from their attacks. Mr.. Selous,
writes South African correspondent Of
the London Spectator, has recorded the
pursuit Of the post from Salisbury by a
lion, and tine loss of the mail bags, which
the animal tore from tho back Of the
pack horse.
Mr.. Mills, who crossed the NuanetSi
River with team of eight donkeys to
draw his Wagon-the oxen being left be-
hind on account OF the proximity Of the
fly" country-lost three in one night
by lion attack Carried out with the ut.
most contempt for human beings,
WLoeAOl W utoo VI UldCk. I16 was dWhk6I6u
by the lions roar, and almost immedi-
ately. saw one of the tethered donkeys
knocked over.
1t was not five yards from the fire, but
in the darkness and dazzle of the fire he
could not see the httaoker. s'We knew
instinctively that lion had killed the
donkey, and was standing over him not
five yards from where we were, but it
was hopeless to fire unless we saw some
thing, or at least could make certain of
his whereabouts. This odd scene con-
tinued for some moments, the actors be-
ing four or five black men, two white
men, pony, seven live donkeys, and a
dead one, and the lion standing over the
latter, with a fire partly lighting up the
figures. until couple more donkeys
broke loose.
They rushed into a mealie field and
there the party heard the lion chasing
first one donkey and then another, as ex-
cited and as little afraid as dog chasing
rabbits in field of barley. 6 At every
bound the lion emitted a subdued boo
uf as his fore legs struck the ground,
but the two did not go far. There was
presently loud scuff1e, a crack, and the
was still" The lion chasing the third
donkey round the camp, killed and ate
it, and was next day shot by an inge'
NOUS trap made by tying rifle to posts,
and fastening string to the trigger,
which the lion struck when reyisiting its
"kill."
The unsportsmanlike method of com
passing its death is excused by Captain
Millais on the ground of necessity. This
| lion was ten feet long, from tip of the
nose to the tip Of the tail, was in perfect
health and immensely formidable. But
besides the wagon and kraal business, y
which occupied 1t at the time of its last
attack, it had taken to killing womer
when game and native goats were scarce,
and travelling teams had not yet come VI
country. Six women had been killed BY
| it from one village.
These South African lions have moi
| the fine name which they show in captiv
| ity and in pictures drawn by English ar
lists to illustrate books on African sport
DIR. Livingstone noted the odd resemb
lanoe of the lions roar to that of the os
trich. Mr.. Millais says that though the
| roar OF the latter is not SO loud, it has
exactly the same lone as that of the lion.