The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1897-07-08

Il Tunb92tS placed on q great Al
rican lake. F~reSh-coloreG still. though
Slightly tanned by exposure TO the lake
winds. With merry, Irish eyes Of blue
gray, Il sGuare-cUt Jaw and obstinate
chin, a long upper lip. a little whisker
BIT the temples and short Wiry black
brown hair. Like many men of his
class, he is a potential Darwin, and,
having no means to travel and study
natural history, has entered the navy
as a surgeon. He has landed on the
shores of the lake for Il 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, a forest of grass. with stout.
knotted stems six or eight feet high,
and abundant leaves starting from ev-
cry joint. Each stem ends in a droop-
Ing plume of ripened seed. AS the
doctor forces his way through the tan
gled heritage and cane-like stalks the
seeds shower down upon him. each u
steadied in its descent by its long feath-
cry stipuie. The seeds are sharp point
ed and barbed 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
felt to be well-nigh unbearable, for the
doctors face is now the color of raw
hnaf from tho crijinr hpot 1nl tho
frightful eXertion of forcing his way
through such Il thIcket OF grass, and
his hands are scratched and cut by
contact with the r~aZor-edged leaves.
His Ierai hat is constantly being
dragged off his head and it is all he can
do to carry his gun and elbow his way
through the ~obstructing heritage, pro-
tecting his face as We'll rs possible with
the left hand. SO he is in an i'll tenn
per and cannot stop to notice the Weav-
er birds of flame color and black. the
extraordinary stick insects exactly
Stimulating stalks Of grass and the
green. leaf-like mantiSes which throng
the dense brake on either side. He is
after bigger game. The most eXpe-
rienced of his boys pioneers him
through the sitting grass jungle, anoth-
er boy with a second rifle follows be
hind. The idea is 'elephants," ele-
plants having been reported ~hereabeut
the previous day, when suddenly (they
have reached n space where the grass
is a little drier. a little less densel the
pioneer boy comes doubling back on
his master with every gesture express
i've of "HuSh.' The doctor stops. mops
his boiling face Ghankful for the mo-
mentary hal) and asks inqhiringly:
"Elephants:" NO" says the negro in
& painting whisper. Lion. There. there;
no. not there. You see that ant hill?
Well. climb Oh to its side and you will
see the lion lying i'll a clear space just
beyond. A male lion, truly; its body is
nearly white and its 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 shields its sen
Sitive trigger ron the intrusive grass
stems. The ant hill is reached;-h clam
bers TO its Sloping side. Good God.
the boys right. What a beauty! And
asleep. too But something in the doc
tors coming has aroused the lion. not
ten yards away; aroused him partially.
for there is a sudden movement. He
raised the great head set in a collar OF
yellow, brown, black name: slowly the
Iip, ,,;.-;+n-;,nr man, b,,, ~, ,,,..n. .y-n,
the yellow eyes, but as they are focus
ing to meet his own gaze the doctor
fires, fires precipitately (his position on
the sloping ant hill is %insecurel, wounds
the lion somewhere, somehow, but does
not kill him. The beast gives a 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. Silence. We'll, I'm n muff.'
thinks the doctor. He wasn't ten
yards away and l didn't kill him dead.
l don't know quite where l hit him;
in the chest, | think. But he can't be
far away and l must finish him off. :
He descends from the ant hill into the
clear trampled space where the lion
nau Deen lying. Al the SpoI Wnefe INC
beast had made It's first bound into the
dense grass hedge there is a grea;
squirt of blood over the tangled green
ery-the dark crimson liquid still dripS
from leaf blade to leaf blade. "Ah,
thought so; he must be pretty badly
kit
Two black faces. with starting eyes
and anxious grins. now cautiously peer
around the ant hill. The doctor. rails
ing his head. recognizes his boys ant
beckonS them down. The three con
verse in whispers. The situation is eX
~plained-how the lion was wounded
the direction in which be bounded
away. The boys L caution. "LioI
plenty fierce. Mkango mkal} nditu
Master must take care; better climl
sree and look all ~arOund-not &c int
grass" But there is no tree anywhere
near. A boy hoists himself to the sfe1
der summit of the ant hill and report.
th:.t he sees the grass moving in tn
direction. whittier the lion had with
&C hA-T 49,