The evening times., 1896-12-17

it not for the fact that he is over W eeningly
fond OF donkey flesh.
Sometimes in the uncertainty OF the light
which struggles through the tree shade ws
at night lion will be only wounded and
Will make its escape. The next day the
trail must be taken up by the natives
This happened once during the continua nee
of Prof Elliott's expedition. A wounded
lion must necessarily be approached with
great care. The difficulty is that they
Keep in hiding, and 1t is not always pos
sibie To tell just when they are near.
More than one man has paid the forfeiture
OF his life by stumbling upon one when
he thought the beast was at a distance
One day Prof. Elliott, his comrade, Mr.
Akciy, and some OF the attending Arabs
caInc face TO face with three lions, WHO
blocked their passage. 1t is doubtful which
was the more surprised-thc animals or the
hunters. 1t was broad daylight and, as
this was the first encounter of the Chicago
party with the lions on their native heath,
they expected a fight. The natives prob
ably knew different, for the three kings
OF the beast kingdom instantly turned tail
and SUNK away like little ours which had
received deserved whipping They We're
fired upon and one OF them was wounded
Those lions were chased for five miles, and
they made no stand in defense of themselves
or 20 protest against the invasion of their
country.
b.irndg the leupards and the lions. nearly
all the animals which were secured by the
members OF Prof. Eliot's party were
shot at great ranges. The antclopcs, wild
asses and other creatures We're extremely
difficult OF approach, and they were kiIled
at distances nearly all OF whi IN We're
greater than 200 yards. Killing the crea-
lures at this range with any degree of
certainty was made pos IDLE only by the
use OF the most modern small-bore weapons.
10Th Prof E.llinrr and Prof kaIy.
Lee-Metford and Manlicher rifles, and
with them some shots which would do
credit To any crecdmoor expert were made.
There was one thing which this collect
ing party hunted as ash tuously as it did
game, and that was waller. For 100
miles in straight line there was not
one drop OF water to be had, and 'or a
great many hundred miles non. If the
fluid Gould be obtained except after iong
and 1aborious digging for it in the beds
of what should have been rivers. When
Prof Elliott was asked, Immediately FOL
lowing his return, what the climate was
Of the section Of Africa which he had
Just visited, he answered Will iii energy
born OF deep-seated feeling: He'll"
Then he continued: That NAV not
sound nice bit, but 1t is the only word
in she range OF my vocabulary which Will
convey to any ones mind an adequate idea
OF the heat OF the region through which
10 degrees most of the time, and not
infrequently it was knocking against the
top Of the bulb. Many a time We were
saved from apOpIexy only by taking the
utmost precautions to prevent such an
Issue. The heat was simply internal.
and this, coupled with the scarcity Of
water, kept us at times on the verge OF
suffering. and perhaps some might think
under like conditions that the verge was
on the other side of u.s.
One trip, lasting three weeks was made
for the express purpose of securing some
wild asses. \ number ofthe creatures were
snot, but on this expedition water was
50 scarce that the men and animals en-
gagged suffered act ual torture from thirst
In speaking of this place where the asses
picked up a prccarious living. Prof Elliott
said that 1t seemed hardly possible that.
with the scarcity of moisture any animal
could live there. Then he tCld of small
antelope that makes its home on desert
"nerc water IL absolutely unknown and
where the little creature lives entirely
upon wire-lke grass which contains no |
apparent moisture. In crossing the Hand |
Desert great many specimens OF reptiles |
which are exceedingly valuable were Sc |
cured Three hundred birds We're taken. |
as were conere CATION of big spiders that |
look like Holsters |