The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1899-08-22

human face, with great white rings
painted round the eyes. watching Inc
from the cover Of several large. dark
colored rocks. fifty or sixty yards
away. Without seeming to notice
anything, 1 finished tying the knot.
mounted, and rode back TO the skern.
While the black boys gathered
round the quagga, helping themselves.
L told Walter what I thought l had
seen. He looked at me and laughed.
You were probably mistaken" he
said. But if you really saw a black
there with his eyes like that, it means
mischief
We ate our supper, but / was keep
ing an eye out all the while, and pres.
emily l climbed on Que OF the wagons
and lay down on top of the lions cage
where | could look around. The new
moon set while l was there, but the
stars shone brightly. On the high
weld one can see far starlit nights.
After the blacks and Martens Law
down to sleep. Walter stepped up on a
wheel Of the wagon. "Are You going
to watch" he asked.
ITS safer" I said.
"All right" he replied cit will be
as well. Call me az one o'clock. I'll
relieve you then.
He lay down and soon they were all
asleep. A lion at a great distance be-
gan roaring, and ours stirred uneas
lily. They yawned loudly. and once
one Of them uttered few short. gruff
sounds. Several lines game, prob
ably quagga or Gland, approached the
pool, but bounded away on getting
our scent. Nightiars cried, and I
heard hyenes snarling ct times, but
otherwise nothing disturbed me. 7
felt almost ashamed to wake Walter.
and when l did so he grumbled q lit
tie, but after a few yawns took nv
place on the cage, and took with him
old PETS double-barrelle d gun instead
OF his csrbine.
1 did not fall asleep for more than
an hour; and meantime Walter was
alternately browsing and waking. It
was from one of his cat-naps, at about
three o'clock, that he suddenly awoke
to see as many as twenty white-eyed
Matabele in long row not two hun
dred feet away, They were sneaking
up, assagais in hand, to take us
asleep, and had come very near to do
ing so.
Walter sprang TO his feet and cock e
ing both barrels OF PETS gun, fired
at them. 1t seemed to me that | had
barely closed my eyes when the re-
ports came. l jumped up, complete
" dazed, and while fumbling for nv
carbine heard something go "siit,
slit, - into the ground not q yard from
my feet, They were assagais: I
bumped against them, stopping for
my carbine
Walter was now off the wagon on
the ground, and fired his cnrbine
twice more before fairly got mine ia
hand. By this time old Martens was
shouting and the Ksfr boys tumbling
over each other. Bang! bang, went
Walters carbine again, and the rank
powder smoke drifted back in our
faces. | oould see nothing on either
side; but Walter fred again
Where are they" I exclaimed
In that scrub across the pan" he
said. There comes an assagaii'
With AZ odd "whisp," the weapou
flew clean over us and stuck in the
ground beyond the skerm. Another.
better aimed, struck an OK. and a
third flew between the bars Of one Of
the cages and hit lion The beast
yelled hideousiy
Walter was shooting where yer he
saw Al assagai rise, and babe me do
Z. y. 4
and after a moment or two three
shriil whistles were heard. From the
stir in the reeds and scrub We per
ceived that our assailauts were moving
back We fired as many as twenty
shots. on the chance Of hitting some
Of them but We could not see them
distinctly. The Matabele retired
but half an hour sfterward we caught
sight Of some Of them near the river.
T fired, and they disappeared again.
B. as already beginning 90 grow
light, aud that Was the last we saw Of
them there.
Naturally we had been a good deal
alarmed The KaGr boys were dread.
fully frightened The lion that had
been hit by an assagai was snarling
aud leaplnR about his cage The
wounded OK. too, had added 10 the
confusion
We picked up Gfteen assagais.
wirko3-lookinR weapons. with slaves
OF lard. black wood, and long, sharp
iron blades, wound on with animal
-tuew The OK had one sticking in
his neck, and Walter ordered the
creature killed The lion had freed
himself from the assayai. but the
smell 1f his blood had excited his
cage mate 90 attack him. and we had
bard work Goo stop tho faht and
eparat8 the hrute7 by partition of
assazais tied scross the cage
Meantime 10 seemed likely shat the
Mstabele bad started for Lion Kloof.
and wc we're much perploIed whetbor
Co go on NJ % return home
only father and Grant there. f."
Walter said 20 me. These black
gbouls will steal M and pluodsr the
place
''But II we start 70 trek back they
would get there ahead Of us, I said.
They may DO we'll on the way a..
ready