Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-28
BESET BY HUNGRY LIONS.
FOOlhardy Adventure of a Hunter i'm
Wiids of Central Africa.

W1fds OF Central Africa.
From the Chicago Chronicle.
Lion hunting is dangerous enough when
the hunters health and strength are Of the
best. But an ineveterate sportsman does
not regard consequences, and the author of
Sport in East Central Africa" gives an &C
count of a foolhardy adventure which he
seems to have enjoyed He was ill with
fever in a little settlement of blacks, but
since lions were in the neighborhood he
must needs insist upon having the carcass
of boar placed bait not far from his
hut, and although his legs were too weak
to allow him to walk dozen steps, he had
himself propped against the door jamb and
laid his double-barreled rifle across his
knees
1t was nearly o'clock, he says when the
lions gave notice of their whereabouts. l
heard the heavy grunting signs of three or
four of them as they moved about in the
scrub 200 yards away. Then followed
series of Hushes as they leaped down the
bank of tie creek and Tapped noisily at the
water. n xt came terrified voice from
DeighboriIg hut.
white man. we are going" it said and
the boys rushed pellmell from their shell
ter, some passing in front of me, others be-
hind me. making for grove of trees.
Scarcely had the first of them got we'll
outside the huts before it seemed as if a
lion were right among them, as with deep,
savage grunts it dashed past my hut,
bounding through the scrub in close pur-
suit.
Suddenly a yell rang out from the dark
ness, and L was convinced that one of my
blacks was being devoured, but L was toe
weak to stand and was powerless to act
After some further noise and confusion
heard lion treading over the dead leaves
nearby Ihen came prolonged muffied
sound, half roar, half moan, uttered in a
deep voice, which even under the circum-
stances l recognized as profoundly musical
Then there was heavy but silent football
as the beast walked to the back of my hut.
and, thrusting his nose among the matched
grass, shifted loudly, till 1 could see the
lighter stalks stirring with his breath and
hear the rusting when he endeavored to
insert paw between the interstices of the
wattleS.
Each instant / expected the whole struc-
ture to collapse, but luckily the beast fore
bore to take mean advantage, which
would have secured my destruction. /
should have fired had 1 not been afraid of
setting fire to the hut.
AtIength the brutes cleared out, uttering
deep growls. They had destroyed one hut
and pretty much ruined two more not to
speak of smashing the hut next to mine.
which contained all my stores. L could hear
them there, making terrific noise, snuff
fling, grunting and snarling, breaking sticks
and clanking metal. while every now and
then one would leap down the bank into
the water and then come tearing back,
breathing heavily and growing low Yet
not a whisker hair did one of them show
in the freight in front of me.
The excitement did me good. The next
morning l was I'D and about in pajamas
and an ulster. Not one of the boys had
been injured. although one had had mar
velous escape. The lions were close upon
him as he reached tree. He sprang at a
branch and in his terror seized the leg of
another black who had -clambered up be-
fore him. Fearing lest he, too, should fall
into the lions NAV, the other fellow kicked
his leg clear. so that the unfortunate fugi-
tive fell to the ground, uttering the yell
had heard.
Why the nearest lion did not seize him
cannot say. The boy explained that 1t mere
ly growled as he scrambled to his feet and
climbed up another tree as fast as his
black legs could shin.