The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1897-06-02
THE LION SLAYER.

He is young doctor and surgeon
ON board one of the small gunboats
placed ON great African lake-frosh
colered still, though slightly tanned by
exposure to the lake winds, with merry
Irish eyes of blue gray, square cut
| jaw and obstinate chin, II long upper
lip, little whislier ut the temples and
short wiry black brown hair
Like many men of his class, he is Il
potential Darwin, and, having no other
means to travel and study natural his
tory. has entered the navy as surgeon.
He has landed ON the shores of the lake
for a days shooting, hoping To get an
| elephant ut least, but meantime content
to study sunhirds Let us III magma
ton enter his mind, sea through his
eyes what he saw and lay bare his
thoughts.
Grass, II forest of grass with stout
knotted stems six to eight feet high.
and abundant leaves starting from ev-
cry joint Each stem ends i'll n dropping
plume of ripened seeds. As the doctor
forces his way through tho tangled
hcIhage and canelike stalks the seeds
shower down upon him, each one stead
led i'll its 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 tn evaporation the dis
comfort already felt To be we'll nigh
unbearablo for the doctors face is HOW
the color of raw beef from the sitting
heat and the frightful cxcrtion of
forcing his way through such a thick
ct of grass and his hands arc scratched
and cut by contact with the razor edged
leaves. His tcrai hat is constantly be
ing dragged Off his head, and il 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 III an i'll temper and cannot
stop to notice the small weaver birds of
hamo color and black. the extraordi-
nary stick insects, exactly Stimulating
stalks of grass, and the green, leailiko
mantises which throng the dense hral1,
on either side. He is after bigger game
] The most experienced of his boys pio
neers him through the stIfiing gras
! jungle. Another boy with second riff
| follows behind The idea is "ele
| plants, elephants having been report
cd hcreabout the previous day, wheI
suddenly (they have reached n spac,
where tho grass is little drier littl,
less dense) the pioneer boy comes
doubling back on his master with every
gesture expressive of "Ilushi"
Tho doctor stops, mops his boiling
face thankful for the momcntary halt
and asks inquirinRly, "Elephants?'
mo, says the negro in painting
whisper; Lion. There, there! No, not
there. You SEQ that ant Hill? Well,
climb ON to its side, and you will see
the lion lying in II clear space just be
yond A male lion, truly. Its body is
nearly white, and its name is black. F."
With express rno at full cock, the
doctor advances gingorly through the
interlaced grass, bent nearly double,
keeping the muzzle Of the gun directed
straight before him and shielding its
htllSlIlNO tIiHEfI lItil Ail' IllllAhiNt
grass stems Tho ant hill is reached.
He Chambers ON to its sloping side.
Good God, the 10y right What a
beauty, and asleep tool" But something
in the Doctors coming has aroused the
lion. not ten yards away--aroused him
partially, for there is no sudden move.
mont.
Ia Y.fuag I. Igu1 s,ti IN f.pl-
lar of yellow, brown black name
Slowly the dim nicttatng membrane
passes over the yellow eyes, but as they
are focusing To meet his own gaze the
doctor firos-fires preeipitately (his po-
sition on the sloping ant hill is inse-
cure), wounds the lion somewhere,
somehow, but docs not Lill him. The
beast gives 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. 81.
lencc.
'Wcll, I'm muffp' thinks the doc.
tor 'IIc wasn't ten yards away, and !
didn't kin him dead don't know
quite where / hit HMM the chest, |
think But he can't be far away, and
must finish him off. "
He descends 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 a great squirt
Of blood over the tangled greenery-the
dark crimson liquid still drips from
leaf blade to leaf blade. Ali thought
SOL lie 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, tho 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 go 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-
tion 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 Gas the grass stems bend
and droop before some writing object1
the lions waving tail and yellow
l. a f..,.,