The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-28
lFrom the New York Sun. ]

ClNlllLd lltL great otOllCo "a liz A-NiA~-A-G
in that part of Africa.
In that mysterious land between the
Zambesi and the Saba country the
Jungle has come to its own again. COW
ering ancient fOrtresSeS and palace
walls with growth that looks as II II
never had been disturbed by man since
the world began.
And in that jungle the wild beasts
rule. There the lions and leODards are
man-eaters. not waiting to be attacked,
but carrying the war into the camps and
into the very tents of the invaders
When DR.. Peters entered the country
with his expedition he was amazed at
the profusion of life. The land and the
waters and the air We're full of it
Since his return from his last trip. ne
has declared that the big game hunting
in many portions of the territory IS the
best in the world. The Zambesi river
there is full of hippopotami and croco-
d.les.
He saw herd after herd of elephant.
buffalo and rhinCceros. Everywhere ne
marked the tracks of zebra and quagga-
He describes the wealth OF Dlrds as
colossal. Guinea hens, pheasants, cranes,
herons. storks, famingoes, pelicans,
thousands. but in hundreds Of thousands
on the banks and islands of the mighty
African river
Book and antelope he found in enor-
nous numbers And east oil the Ma 4IIC
land the hunters met lions and leop-
ards that not only were plentiful, put
fearless. providing the very climax Of
sport and excitement.
DR.. Peters says that whatever may
be the case in some parts Of Africa, the
statement made occasionally by non
hunters to the effect that the sport IS
not very dangerous is not true IN TINS
region Lions and leopards there at
tack the domestic animals OF man ana
man himself by preference
They pass tempting antelODes and
other game deliberately and enter the
villages to break into kraals, where
they beat down steers and sheep ana
carry them off. So daring are they that,
contrary to the general habits of the
great cats, they hunt in broad daylight
as we'll as by night.
In the summer of 1899 two officials
of the Mashonaland railroad were act
ually dragged out of their rooms in
their huts by lions and carried off With
in fun view of the laborers along the
railroad on each occasion the lions
made their attack in the middle of the
day.
Another lion leaped into a tent on the
Sabi river and carried away British
prosDectOr while he was at luncheon.
One day. when DR.. Peters. DIR. Block
err an Englishman named Thompson
and several others were at breakfast IN
the valley of the Lupata, negroes ar
rived breathleSsly with the news that
three lions had broken into a kraal in
the neighboring village of Merula and
had killed and dragged off man and
number of hogs. The lions, said the
messenger. Wrere then sitting in a thick
bush near the village, eating their prey.
Blocker and Peters seized their rifles,
and, accompanied by two unarmer men,
who carried cartridges, they soon reach
ed the village, where there was intense
excitement, all the negroes screaming
and shouting in an effort to drive the
beasts away. The bush was only thirty
feet from the settlement, and extended
to the river, which was about $50 feet
distant.
Peters took his position near a big
tree about thirty feet from the bush.
Blocker stood on the other side of the
beasts hiding place. The negroes gath
cred on the other end of the bush and
began to fire old muskets, beat drums
and make. all the noise possible to drive.
the lions toward the hunters
Before many minutes a tremendous
roar sounded right in front of Peters,
and a grand lion, heavily named, sprang
toward the tree The hunter fired and
scored a clean miss
Instantly the brute leaped again, this
time directly at the doctor. He stepped
sideways, and in the next moment the
lion had beaten down four negroes who
had been hiding behind the tree ana
knocked them insenSible with sweeps of
his great paws
Dr. Peters was Just about to fire when
the lion leaDed on a fifth man. tearing
saVagely at his neck and shoulders with
forepaws and teeth Fearing to shoot
q
and shot into the lions ribs instead of
his backbone.
But the bullet had the desired effect
of diverting the beasts attention from
his victim. and he turned, arose males
tically to his full noble height and
glared at Peters. who stood barely ten
feet away.
The doctor reached out for more cart
ridges, and falling to get them, Deered
backward. To his horror. he saw his
cartridge bearer running at top speed
toward the village.
Convinced that he was at the end Of
his earthly hunting he dubbed his rifle
to make one last hopeless fight for his
lie.
The lion crouched. gathered himself
for spring. and-fell in a heap The
expanding bullets effect on the blood
vessels bad made itself felt Just in the
nick of time and not a tenth of a sec
ond too soon.
With his last strength the beautifu,
creature. still facing the hunter fear
lessly, dragged himself toward some
high grass. On the way a big negro
tried to spear him.
Dying though he was. the lion. with
motion as if he were tanning a fly away
struck his assailant one light nat-it
could hardly be called blow. That pat
ripped off all the flesh of the mans left
leg from the upper thigh to the knee
Witt one last roar of defiance the
tawny fighter won the grass. Later they
found him far away. dead near the foot
of the mountains. toward which he had
crawled despite his terrible INJURIES
The other two lions We're not found
The wounded men We're taken to camp
and saved only by the expenditure Of
all the remedies carried by the expedi-
tior.
month later some of the blacks Of
the party appeared in camp and report
ed that leopard had been seen by them
lying in wait for them at a water hole
Peters and Blocker started at once
Blocker had his rifle Peters snouted
to bis servant to follow with him.
The water hole was only a few wards
away. Before DR. Peters dreamed that
he was anywhere near the animal his
companions rife rang, and an immense
leopard bounded into the air and fell
back into the thicket
He had beap lviner 5irao+1,- :. g.. :