Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-08-24
THG
INTELLIGENT
LION.
Alton Story That Equals Some
Fish Stories.
By crittenden Marriott.

+ r..
This" said the African traveller as
he looked around him, lis not lie,
though it may seem so to any one want
ing in sufficient intelligence to realize
that truth does not need to be reasona-
BILE.
ut happened a good many years ago,
on my very first trip to Africa and at
time when l was considerably younger
than am now. had started north from
johannesburg with an OK wagon and u
party of surveyors who knew almost as
little of the interior of Africa as / did.
When we had trekked north for about
month, we came to place which was
clearly impossible along tile route that
we had been. pursuing. However, we
didn't mind that much, rs we had intend
cd to stop for a day or two to rest the
oxen. So we outspnnned and had good
nights rest, and the next morning, sent
out two parties, one to the east and the
other TO the west, to search for IL pass.
The only ones to remain with the
wagons were a big Englishman, six ma
tive boys and myself We loafed around
camp all day, the boys keeping close to-
gether and labbering away a good deal.
The next morning every one of them had
disappeared, and most OF our lighter camp
furniture, including our surplus firearms.
had disappeared with them. We had Just
one rifle, belonging to the Englishman,
and one miserable little pistol which had
come out of the ark. belonging to me.
when he realized the situation, the
Epglishman swore in blood curdling
fashion and started ont to run down the
boys, taking his rifle with him. He never
came back, and I never heard Of him
again.
"When evening drew near, I began to
get uneasy. Here was, alone in u
strange country, 10 miles from village,
with no weapon except worthless pis-
tol and with beasts roaming all around
me. We heard lions nearly every night
for week, but had kept them well away
by a circle of brush fires. OF course
might try to keep these up that night,
but knew it would be very difficult when
/ was all by myself. Moreover, when 1
went out III the afternoon to drive up the
oxen to the wagons where could hitch
them for the night the brutes became
frightened and finally broke away in a
wild stampede and vanished from view.
Il knew neither of the exploring par
ties was likely to be back till morning,
and SO determined to sleep in tree
and leave the ground free for any lions
that liked to investigate the wagons and
their contents. 1t was lions that was
chiefly, afraid of, and had read some
whereoprobably in copy book at school,
that those animals couldn't climb trees.
The books didn't say anything about
their fiendish intelligence, but ! was to
find that out for myself.
Pretty soon l found convenient tree,
one that had no big limbs near the
ground and that did have two or three
pretty well up, to which l could hang,
swing my hammock and let the vain
world go. A little way above these the
trunk had been broken short off, so that
it was not possible to retreat higher up.
But us l was good 80 feet above
ground us it was / thought myself per-
fectly safe.
In clearing the smaller branches out
of the way of my hammock used a
small saw which the natives had forgot
ten. When had finished, l fortunately
hung it on a twig close beside me instead
OF taking it down to the wagon again.
mat bit of carelessness saved my life.
When night fell, ate my supper and
climbed to my airy. resting place, smoked
cigar and tried TO go to sleep, but the
circumstances were not conducive to
siumber. and the romantic beauty of the
spot under the soft beams of the tropic
moon kept me awake for hours.
FINALLY slept and did not awaken
until nearly morning. The moon was low,
but still threw good deal of light on the
ground, and showed number of dark
forms moving beneath me. My heart
Jumped into my mouth and staid there
and grasped the ridiculous little revoly-
er at my belt in an agony of fear I felt
certain at once that the beasts below me
were lions, and even as watched a
thunderous roar showed that | did not
mistake. A lions roar may sound more
Or loss contemplate when it comes from
the other side of the iron bars of cage,
but it is quite different thing when
heard in the open.
After time recovered my nerve
and began to take interest in the scene.
After all. thought, the lions could not
reach me where was, and they would
probably go away at daybreak, which
was now not far distant. l could afford
to smile Mt the huge beasts as they rolled
over each other like kittens Mt play.
FINALLY the idea came into my head
that l ought to bag one OF them, and
without stopping to think I drew my fool
pistol and blazed away at the largest.
Strange to say. hit him. Never before
and never afterward did hit anything
at which l fired with that pistol, but I
did that time
THE great brute give short snarl OF
rage and peercd around for the person
who had so spitefully used him. 1t did
not take him long to locate me in the tree.
and in spite of myself shivered when
saw the look of cold malevolence with
which he regarded me. The others came
up and licked his wound aud gnzed at
me and expressed their Indignation by
repeated roars. 1t was most uncomfort-
able experience and wished again and
again that they would turn their atten-
tien elsewhere The concentrated stares
of n dozen angry lions is no joke to a
man of sensitive temperament like my
self
"After awhile the wounded lion seem
ed to be malSinga speech to the others,
who responded by short rtars and WIN.
dictiye glnDces at my unfortunate self.
or course l can't be certain as to what
he was saying, but feel sure that it was
embarrassingly personal. When he fin
ished, they all roared in concert, and for
moment hoped that they were going
AWAY with merely an axnrassinn nf thoir