Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1897-07-02
THE LION SLAYER.

OIL DOhru one OF tne small RunDOhtb
placed ON great African lake---fresh
colored still. though slightly tanned by
exposure to the lake winds, with merry
Irish eyes of blue gray, square out
jaw and obstinate chin. a long upper
lip, little whisker at the temples and
short why black brown hair.
Like many men Of his class, he is a
potential Darwin, and, having no other
means to travel and study natural his
tory. has entered the navy. as u surgeon.
He has landed on the shores of the lake
for days shooting, hoping to get an
elephant mt least, but meantime content
to study sunbirds. Let us In magma
ton enter his mind, see through his
eyes what no saw and lay bare his
thoughts. 1870
Grass, forest of grass. with stout
knotted stems six to eight feet high.
and abundant leaves starting from ev-
cry joint. Each stem ends in dropping
plume Of ripened seeds. As the doctor
forces his way through the tangled
heritage and canelike stalks the seeds
shower down upon him, each one stead
led in it's descent by its long. feathery
stipule. The seeds are sharp pointed and
barbed at the ends, SO they pierce their
way through his khaki clothing easily
and scratch the perspiring flesh beneath.
This raises to evaporation the dis
comfort already felt to be well nigh
unbearable, for the Doctors face IL now
the color of raw beef from the sitting
heat and the frightful exertion Of
forcing his way through such a thick
ct of grass and his hands are scratched
and cut by contact with the razor edged
leaves. His terai hat IL constantly be-
ing dragged off his head. and 1t Is all
he can do to carry his gun and elbow
his way through the obstructing herb
age, protecting his face as we'll as posi-
BILE with the left hand.
So he is in an i'll temper and cannot
stop to notice the small weaver birds Of
flame color and black. the extraordi-
nary stick insects, exactly Stimulating
stalks Of grass, and the green. leafiike
mantises which throng the dense brake
ON either side. He.is after bigger game.
The most experienced of his boys pio-
neers him through the sitting grass
Jungle. Another boy with a second rife
follows behind The idea Is "ele-
plants, elephants having been report
ed hereabout the previous day, when
suddenly (they have reached a space
where the grass is little drier, "a little
less dense) the pioneer boy comes
doubling back on his master with every
gesture expressive Of "Hush"
The doctor stops, mops his boiling
face thankful for the momentary halt)
and asks, .inquiringly, "Elephants?"
mo-" says the negro In painting
whisper; ''lion. There, therel No, not
there. You see that ant hillp Well,
climb on to its side, and you will see
the lion lying in clear space just be-
yond. A male lion, truly It's body Is
nearly white, and its name is black.
With express rifle ut full cock. the
doctor advances gingerly through the
interlaced grass, bent nearly double,
>eeping the niuzzle of the gun directed
traight before him and shielding its
sensitive trigger from the intrusive
grass stems. The ant hill IL reached.
He chambers on to its sloping side
Good God, the boys right What
beauty, and asleep toop' But something
in the DOCTORS coming has aroused the
lion, not ten yards away-aroused him
partially, for there IL no sudden move
ment
He raises the great head set In coll
lar Of yellow, brown. black name.
Slowly the dim nictitating membrane
passes over the yellow eyes, but as they
are focusing to meet his own gaze the
doctor flres-fres precipitately (his po-
sition on the sloping ant hill 10 inse-
cure), wounds the lion somewhere,
somehow, but does not kill him. The
beast gives n sharp. explosive roar,
seems to jump into the air with all four
feet and then In three bounds has
crashed off into the grass jungle. ST.
lence.
"Well, I'm muffp' thinks the doc
tor "He wasn't ten yards away, and
didn't kill him dead. / don't know
quite where hit HMM the chest, I
think But he can't be far away, and
must finish him Off. "
He dcscends from the ant hill into
the clear trampled space where the lion
had been lying. At the spot where the
beast had made its first bound into the
dense grass hedge there is great squirt
of blood over the tangled greenery-the
dark crimson liquid still drips from
leaf blade to loaf blade. "Ah; thought
sol He must be pretty badly hit. "
Two black faces, with starting eyes
and anxious grins, now cautiously peer
around the ant hill. The doctor, raising
his head, recognizes his boys and beck
ons them down. The three converse In
whispers. The situation Is explained
how the lion was wounded, the direc-
ton in which he bounded away. The
boys urge caution Lion plenty fierce.
Mkango mkali nditu. Master must take
care; better climb tree and look all
around-not 90 into grass" But there
is no tree anywhere near.
A boy hoists himself to the slender
summit of the ant hill and reports that
he sees the grass moving in the direc-
ton whittier the lion had withdrawn
moving as though stationary animal
were shaking It with convulsive throes
TALL Of which Is explained more by ges-
lures than by words). The doctor, clam
bering up beside the boy, thinks he can
even descry (as the grass stems bend
and droop before some writhing objeot)
the lions waving tail and q yellow
gray haunch. He fires and descends from
the ant hill to reload. A rush comes
through the grass. deafening roar;
some great yellow object in the air
above Observation-Disclosures against
the sky--yellow eyes, inssnsibility)