The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-03-29

5E
Suddenly / awoke, conscious that =
loud, hoarse sound like-yet unlike
that made by lion when seizing its
prey, was ringing in my ears, followed
by rush, a crash and plaintive cry.
such as buffalo calf utters when
deprived of its dam. I sprang up in
my cot, listening, and saw q dark form
creeping toward the tent, and then
Dolambi, one of the carriers, crouched
at the open doorway. "a lion, master;
a lion! il has caught buffalo!" he
whispered excitedly. We listened aaain
no longer could we hear the bleating
cry, but twice or thrice cultural sounds
were borne on the gentle wind. I
jumped out, courting the attacks Of
myriads of mosquitoes, which pierced
through and through my pajamas, and,
taking refuge in the smoke of the fires
with the awakened, natives, listened in
tenscly. The sounds appeared. to en-
anate from spot about mile up the
river, and the boys said that d couple
of lions had seized young buffalo
out of troop in the reeds, and, hay-
ing dragged it on TO the opposite bank.
We're devouring it and growing be-
tween whiles. But I was not satisfied,
for / had never before heard lion
without recognizing the sound be-
yond all doubt. whereas in this case :
had many doubts. @ '''
Later on we heard a renewed crash
ing among the reeds, and grunts I
failed to recognize. That's no lion, .
said; ''fnffaloes would never con-
tinue moving about and feeding con-
tentedly in the reeds close to where
a lion had attacked them. believe
it's troop of elephants" ordered
the boys to remain quiet, and keep the
fires low, as it was evident some big
beasts were, advancing in our .direc-
tion. A quarter Of an hour later and
the question as to their identity was
decided, as the slumbering forest rang
with the shrill, trumpet-like notes Of
an. elephant; then Il brief pause, dur
ing which the echoes still vibrated on
the calm night air, and once more
pcaled forth the shrill, defiant chal-
lenge. How that sound electrifies q
camp, and what thrill of excitement
it sends through the heart of the hunt
er! The grand music of the lions voice
has its special and unequaled charms,
but it silences a camp in a wonderful
way. The boys cluster round the fires.
speaking with bated breath, and glanc-
ing fearfully behind and around them
into the darkness or the deceptive
moonlight, as they strive to make the
dying fires blaze up. hardly daring to
look one another in the face If the'beast
be close at hand. But the sshrill chal-
lenge of an elephant excites and ex-
hilarates. for every one realizes that
mighty though his strength is, huge
his bulk and loud his voice, vet the
merest child need not fear. To slip into
my tent for two rifles and ammunition
and back into the fire smoke to await
events, was the work of moment;
and how anxiously I watched that:
wavering smoke as it blew sometimes
straight across the river, then in the
opposite direction, responsive to the
shifting currents! The elephants were
still leisurely feeding toward ,ls, the
bulk keeping in the reeds and the bed
of the stream, but few apparently
moving through the forest ON the
other side. still had hopes that:as The
bank on our side was above the stream
fortune might favor, us. and the ele-
plants csmc swithin sight, so that +
might have the novel experience of
tackling them by moonlight. y5
We had not long now to wait, for
every moment the crashing of reeds
and branches as the huge animals
passed through became louder, till at
inst we could hear the splashing of
She water as they walked down the
stream, some collecting it in their
trunks, throwing it over their bodies.
and blowing through their trunks with
sharp, rattling sound. As I took up
my position on the bank in the shadow
of tent and trees, with my ten-bore
rife at hand, and my double metfordr-.-
on to which I had slipped the enamel
sight--on my knees, there enters the
first OF vast troop OF mighty crea,
lures. With my eyes fixed on the spot
among the moonlit reeds, which
stretched away like q silver hand be-
tween the somber forest, where the
constant crushing and deep rfmbling
indicated the Advance of the elephants,
1 marked the waving of the lofty
stems, among whose feathered heads
several black. sinuous objects, twist
ing and twining about like great
snakes, were visible, Then from the
stream bed rose a dark mass and stood
on high sandbank, a huge figure,
deep black in the shadows, glisteniRg
gray in the high lights, with two small
POINTS of white where the moonligfl
shone on thestusks. She was only IA
orlinary-sized cow, bnt i'm the spectral
light she looked like o monster stands
5Yse for some moments with trunk up
lifted testing the air. then outstretch.
eng ii in front Of her she sounded j
low call. heard doubtless BY every MEM
Der Of the troop. and simultaneously
al moved forwards yss8 vsssss -. ssyys