The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-04-20
TALES OF PLUCK
and ADVENTURE.
,ssocOooss.s@s0090..sD00s
ItesIeged by Lions.

T ION-HUNTING is dangerous
r. enough when the hunters
health and strength are OF
the best. But an inyeterate
sportsman does not regard conse-
auences. and the author of sport in
East Central Africa" gives an account
of foolhardy adventure which he
seems to have enjoyed. He was i'll
with fever in little settlement OF
blacks, but since lions were in the
neighborhood he must needs insist
upon having the carcass OF a boar
placed as bait not far from his hut;
and although his legs were too weak
10 allow him 10 walk a dozen steps,
he had himself propped against the
oor.jamp, and laid his double-bar-
relied rifle across his knees.
II was nearly | o'clock, he says,
when the lions gave notice OF their
whereabouts. heard the heavy
grunting sighs of three or four OF
them as they moved about in the
scrub two hundred yards away. Then
followed series of rushes, as they
leaped down the bank of the creek
and Tapped noisily at the water.
Next came terrified voice from
neighboring hut
"White man, we are going" he
said, and the "boys" rushed pell-mell
from their shelter, some passing IN
front of me, others behind me, max
ing for a grove OF trees.
Scarcely had the first Of them got
we'll outside the huts, before it seemed
as if lion were right among them, a.,
with deep, savage grunts, 1T dashed
past my hut, bounding through the
scrub in close pursuit.
Suddenly yell rang out from the
darkness, and / was convinced that
one OF my blacks was being deyoured;
but 1 was too weak to stand, and was
powerless TO act.
After some further noise and con
fusion, | heard lion treading over
the dead leaves near by. Then came
n prolonged mufiled sound, half roar,
half moan, uttered in a deep voice,
which under the circumstances, /
recognized as profoundly musical.
Then there was n heavy but silent
football as the beast walked to the
back of my hut, and thrusting his
nose among the matched grass,
smiled loudly, till 1 could see the
lighter stalks stirring with his breath
and hear the rustling, when he en-
deavored TO insert paw between the
interstices OF the wattles.
Each instant / expected the whole
structure to collapse, but luckily the
beast forebore TO take mean advan'
tage, which would have secured my
destruction. I should have fired, had
/ not been afraid of setting fire to the
hut.
At length the brutes cleared out,
uttering deep growls. They had de-
stroyed 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,
snuffing, grunting and snarling, break
ing sticks and clnnking metal, while
every now and then one would leap
down the bank into the water and
then como tearing back, breathing
heavily and growing low. Yet not
whisker hair did one of them show in
the freight in front Of me.
The excitement did me good. The
next morning / was up and about in
pajamas and an ulster. Not one of
the boys had been injured, although
one had had marvellous escape. The
lions were close upon him as he
reached tree lie sprang at n
branch, and in his terror seized the
leg of another black who had clam
bered up before him. Fearing lest
he, too, should fall into the lions
NAV, the other fellow kicked his leg
clear, so that the unfortunate fugitive
fell to the ground, uttering the yell /
had heard.
Why the nearest lion did not seize
him, cannot say The boy explained
that it merely growled as he scram-
bled to his feet and climbed up an.
other tree as fast as his black legs
could ship,