The San Francisco call., 1901-10-06

Besides these three instant es OF Euro
peans having been attacked in the day
time by lions | have known of a certain
number of natives having been killed in
broad daylight. Such incidents are, how
ever, by no means everyday occurrences.
and. speaking generally. it may be said
that the risk of molestation by lions in
Africa during the daylight is very small.
1t is by night that lions roam abroad with
stealthy step in search of prey and at
such times they are often, when hungry,
incredibly bold and daring have known
them upon several occasions to enter a
hunters camp, and, regardless of fires. to
seize oxen and horses and human beings.
During the year following the first oc-
cupation of Mashonaland, in 1890, a great
deal Of damage was done by lions, which
could not resist the attractions Of the
settlers livestock. For the first few
months L kept as accurate account as
could of the number of horses. donkeys.
oxen, goats and pigs which were killed
by lions, and it soon mounted up to over
200 head. During the same time several
white men were also mauled by lions, and
one unfortunate man named TeaIe was
dragged from beneath the cart where he
was sleeping by the side of a native
driver and at once killed and eaten.
Several of the horses were killed inside
rough shelters serving as stables.
In the following year QS9D over 100 pigs
were killed in one night by a single
lioness. These pigs were in a series OF
pens, separated one from another, but all
under one low thatched roof. The lioness
forced her way in between two poles and
apparently was unable, after having
satisfied her hunger, % find her way out
again. and. becoming angry and fright
ened, wandered backward and forward
through the pens, killing almost all tho
pigs, each one with bite at the back OF
tn head or neck. This Honess, which
had only eaten portions of two young
pigs. made her escape before daylight.
but was killed with a set gun the next
night by the owner of the pigs.
Old Lions Like Human Diet.
When lions grow old they are always
liable to become man-eaters. Finding their
strength failing them and being no longer
able to hunt and pull down large ante
Iopes or zebras, they are driven by hun
ger to killing small animals such as
porcupines and even tortoises: or they
may visit a native village and catch a
goat or kill a child or woman going for
water; and, finding a human being very
easy animal to catch and kill. an old
lion which has once tasted human flesh
will, in all probability. continue to be a
man-eater until he is killed.
On this subject. in his Missionary
Travels Dr. Livingston says: "A man
f- -4~,I,I- la
he overcomes his fear of man so far as
to come to the village for goats the peo-
pie remark. His teeth are worn; he will
soon kill men, They at once acknovI-
edge the necessity of instant action and
turn out to kill him" 1t is the PROMPT
ness with which measures are taken by
the greater part of the natives of South
ern Africa TO put an end to any lion
which may take to eating men that pre-
vents these animals, as a rule. from be-
coming the formidable pests which man
eating tigers appear to be in parts OF
India.
But man-eating lions in Africa are not
invariably old animals. One which killed
thirty-seven human beings in 1887. on
the Majili River. to the northwest Of
the Victoria Falls of the Zambesi was.
when at last killed, found to be an ami
NAL in the prime of life. while the ceIe-
brated man-eateTs of the Tsavo River, in
East Africa. were also apparently strong.
healthy animals These two man-eatina<
lions caused such CONSERVATION among
the Indian workers on the Uganda River
Railway that the work Of construction
was considerably retarded, the helpless
coolies refusing to remain any longer
in country where they were liable to
be eaten any night by man-eating lion.
Both these lions were at last shot by
one of the engineers on the railway q.
H. Patterson), but not before they had
killed and devoured twenty-eight Indian
coolies and an unknown number OF ma
tive Africans.