The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-06-10
THE LION SLAYER.

He is young doctor and surgeon
OH board one Of the small gunboats
placed on q great African lake-fresh
colored still, though slightly tanned by
exposure to the lake winds, with merry
Irish eyes of blue gray, square cut
jaw and obstinate chin, long upper
lip, little whisker at the temples and
short why black brown hair.
Like many men of his class, he is n
potential Darwin, and, having no other
means to travel and study natural his
tory, has entered the navy us n surgeon
He has landed OH the shores of the lake
for days shooting hoping to get an
elephant at least, but meantime content
to study sunbirds. Let us i'll imagina-
ton enter his mind, see through his
eyes what he saw and lay bare his
thoughts.
Grass, a forest of grass, with stout
knotted stems six to eight feet high,
and abundant leaves starting from ev-
cry joint. Each stem ends in n dropping
plume of ripened seeds. As the doctor
forces his way through the tangled
herbage and canelike stalks the seeds
shower down upon him, each one stead
led in 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 to evaporation the dis
comfort already felt to be we'll nigh
unbearable, for the DOCTORS face is now
the color of raw beef from the sitting
heat and the frightful exertion of
forcing his way through such thick
ct of grass and his hands are scratched
and cut by contact with the razor edged
leaves. His terai hat is constantly be-
ing dragged off his head, and it 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 second rifle
follows behind. The idea is 'ele-
plants, b" elephants having been report
ed hereabout the previous day, when
suddenly (they have reached space
where the grass is little drier, little
less dense) the pioneer boy comes
doubling back on his master with every
gesture expressive of "Hnsh!''
The doctor stops, mops his boiling
face (thankfnl for the momentary halt)
and asks inquiringly, Elephants?''
"No," says the negro in a painting
whisper; "lion. There, therel No, not
there. You sec that ant hill? Well,
climb on to its side and you will sec
tho lion lying i'll clear space just be-
You'd. A male lion, truly. It's body is
nearly white, and it's name is black
With express rifle at full cock, the
doctor advances gingerly through the
interlaced grass, bent nearly double,
keeping the muzzle of the gun directed
straight before him and shielding its
sensitive trigger from the intrusive
grass stems Tho ant hill is reached
LIZ OiunlDClo Oll W llS SlODlDH SlQc.
Good God tho boy IS right! What
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
ment.
He raises the great head set in col
lar of yellow, brown, black name.
Slowly tho dim nictitating membrane
passes over the yellow eyes, but as they
are focusing to meet his own gaze the
doctor fircs-fires precipitatcly (his po-
sition OH tho sloping antthill is inse-
cure), wounds the lion somewhere,
somehow, but does not kill him. The
beast gives u 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.
lenco
well, I'm muff" thinks the doc
tor. He wasn't ten yards away, and l
didn't kill him dead. I don't know
quite where hit HMM the chest. /
think. But he can't BIO 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 great squirt
of blood over the tangled greenery-the
dark crimson liquid still drips from
leaf blade to leaf blade. "Ah; thought
so! He mnst 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 heck
ons them down. The three converse i'll
whispers. The situation is explained