The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-05-30

the edge of the Marar Prairie, on bank
or open grass plain many miles in extent
This was the best place for lions it has
ever been my luck to come across. Hard
ly day passed that lions were not seen
by Z OF myelf, very often right out
in tho open, miles from any bush.
IL was cool. cloudy weather while we
were there, and the lions seemed to do
most of their hunting in the daytime.
There were SO many and they we've SO
bold that the Somalis were quite nervous
abou6 walking through the bush in the
daytime. T ara I between us shot
twenty-four lions in this place in little
over a fortnight. Besides lions there
was more game than I have ever seen
anywhere else. Large herds of harte-
beeste, oryx, and Soemmsring's gaZelles
were to be seen feeding in every direc-
ton. Besides this III the open there were
a good many ostriches and few hunting
oheetahs. In the bush ut tho back of our
camps were Wallors gazelles, lsopards,
'warthog, and innumerable dikdik and
birds. In the rocky hills saw sovera
klispringers.
One morning T was reused by his
natives, who told him that three lions
wers just crossing strip Of open ground
within a. hundred yards Of his camp.
Before T was ready, two or three of
the men jumped on ponies and galloped
after the lions-threc very fine males
with manes-which were by that time
making off. The natives meant to try to
keep them engaged till T. had time
to get his rife and cartridges and catch
them up
The lions were galloping among scat.
tered mimosa scrub, making for the thick
hush beyond him and with an object in
view lion can get along at yery fair
pace in the cool of the morning One of
the mon got start of the others, and
WAS rapidly overhauling the lions when
he lust sight of them for moment. He
galloped up to the bush where he had last
seen them and as he rounded it 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
natives did q very clever thing. There
was no chance of getting away by gal
Looping, as hecwas regularly hemmed in,
SO, half checking the pony, he put his
foot on its wither, and jumped right into
the middle of a mimo sa bush. Almost
as he jumped the lions knocked the pony
over, and when T came up he found
til elm eating it. taking no notice of the
mounted men close by. r 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 1
got them the same night.
That morning lioness killed q heifer
close to my camp. 1 had already seen
her tracks several times, but they had
always led us on to some stony hills
WHARF we had lost them. This time the
same thing happened again, so, thinking
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 mimosa bush close by
The fat top of the bush came down to
meet the thorns built up oil around, and
one could hardly tell the whole thing
was uOu ID DuSu. III bu6 lTOuU WAS u DOI0
to shoot through. and at the back we left
m opening so that we could get inside
After this we returned to camp, sand
in the evening after dinner went off
again, taking my bedding on donkey
This donkey was also to serve as a bait,
for the natives had cut up and carried
away the heifer. We tied the donkey by
one foreleg, almost touching the fenco Of
our zereba, anu after showing in my bed
ding, crawled in through the opening at
the back Two men who had come with
us rammed this hole up with thorns
and then went away, talking loudly to
make tho lioness think that all was SAT
if she were anywhere near. o9
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 bush. There was no hole on
that side. SO l could not shoot with any
certainty; and at last getting sleepy I lay
down, tslling Abdulla to keep his eye on
the lionegs, and wake me il there was
any chance of shot. I 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 knees,
looking out of the hole, but for mormon
I could not make ont anything.
1t was II lovely night, but oven by the
brightest moonlight lion is not very
easy thing to see. There was an open
glade in front of the donkey, and at last,
standing right out in the open, saw two
lions. They seemed rs if they could not
mo Ike out why the donkey did not run
away and stood quite still looking at
him. AS I watched they suddenly start
ed, and came racing toward us side, by
side, like two enormous 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 crash to-
gether. How they actually knocked him
over / did not see, as at the moment I
drew back my head involuntarily. be-
cause, although we were absolutely safe
inside q mass of mimosa thorns, the