Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1897-06-24

II - II young uOClOf ana sur
n geOn on board one of the small
gllnDoats placed on a great AT
'lcan lake. Frcsh-colOred still, thougl
Tightly tanned by exposure to the lax,
winds. with merry. Irish eyes of blue
sray, square-cut jaw and obstinate
illh, long upper lip, little whskel
u the temples and short wiry black
9rown hair. Like many men of hi,
'ass, he is a potential Darwin, and
having no means to travel and study
natural history, has entered the navy
IS Il surgeon. He has landed on the
!hores of the lake for days shooting.
hoping to get an elephant at least. but
meantime content to study sunbirds.
let us in Imagination enter his mind.
see through his eyes what he saw and
lay bare his thoughts.
Grass. forest of grass, with stout,
EnOtted stems six or eight feet high,
md abundant leaves starting from ey-
Fry joint Each stem ends in a droop.
ing plume of ripened seed. As the
aoctor forces his way through the tan
sled herbage and cane-like stalks the
seeds shower down upon him, each one
'teadied in its descent by its long feath-
Fry supule. The seeds are sharp point
ed and barbcd at the ends. so they
pierce their way through his khaki
clothing easily and scratch the per-
spring flesh beneath This raises to
evaporation the discomfort already
telt to be well-nlgh unbearable. for the
loctors face Is now the color of raw
beef from the sitting heat and tbe
irlghtful eXertion of forcing his way
through such thicket of grass. and
MS hands are scratched and cut nv
contact with the raZor-edged leaves.
His Terai hat is constantly being
ragged off his head and it is all he can
40 to carry his gun and elbow his way
through the obstructing herbage. pro-
lectlng his face as well as possible with
The left hand. SO he is in an i'll tenn |
per anu cannot stop to notice the weav-
Pr DlrdS OF flame color and black. the
extraordinary stick insects (eXactly |
STIMULATING stalks of grass and the
green, leaf-like mantises which thrOnp |
the dense brake on either side. He is |
hfter bigger game. The most expe-
rlenced of his boys pioneers him
through the stlhing grass Jungle, anoth.
Pr boy with Il second rifle follows be-
mind. The idea is elephants" ele.
phants having been reported hereabout
me previous day, when suddenly (they
nave reached Il space where the grass
s little drier, II little less dense, the
pioneer boy" comes doubling back on
Ills master with every gesture express
We OF "llush"' The doctor stops. mons
lis boiling face thankful for the mo- I
nentary halU and asks inuuiriuply.
Elephants" NO" says the negro In
painting whisper Lion! There, there;
TO- not there. You see that ant hill?
wen, climb on to its side and YOU will
'ee the lion lying in II clear space inst
beyond a male lion, truly: It's BODY is
learly white and its name is black"
with Express rifle at fun cock. the
loctor advances glngerly through the
hterEhced grass, bent nearly double
,eeplng the muZzle of the gun directed
tralght before him and shields its sen.
itlHe trigger from the Intrusive grass
TENS. The ant hill is reached; he clam.
'ers to its sloping side. Good God
lie boys right What a beauty! And
sleep, too" But something in the doc.
or coming mas aroused the lion, not
eh yards away; aroused him partially
OF There Is sudden movement Ue
alsed the great head set in n collar of
elbow, brown, black name; SLOWLY tho
I'm nictitating membrane passes over
lie yellow eyes, but as they are focus.
hs 10 meet his own gaze the doctor
res hreS precipltately This position on
he sloping ant hill is insecure), wounds
he lion somewhere, somehow. but doas
ot XIII him. The beast gives sharp
NpioslNe roar seems to jump into tho
If with all four feet and then I'm three
ounds has crashed of into the grass
jingle. Silence. well, I'm muffr
links the doctor "He WASN'T 20,
ards away and didn't kill him dead,
don't know quite where | hit him.
4 the chest, | think. But he can't no
ar away and | must finish him on "
ie descends from the ant hill into tho
lear trampled space where tho lion
ad been lying. At the spot where the
east had made its first bound into the
ense grass hedge there is a great
lulrt OF blood over the tangled green.
ry-the dark crimson liquid still drips
rom lear blade to leaf blade. "Ah!
hought so; he must be pretty badly
It," ''
Two black faces, with starting eyes
nj anxious grins, now cautiously peer
round the ant hill. The doctor rails.
lg his head, recognizes his boys and
eckons them down The three con.