Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1902-10-30

4
and grand lion. heavily named,
sprang toward the tree. The hunt
er fred and scored 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 and knocked them
insensible with sweeps Of his great
paws.
DR.. Peters was just about to FIRE
when the lion leaped ON o fifth man,
driving his hind claws deep into his
body and tearing savagely at his
neck and shoulders with forepaws
and teeth.
Peters aimed little too high and
shot into the lion's ribs instead of
his backbone. But the bullet had
the desired effect of diverting the
beasts attention from his victim
and he turned. arose maiestically to
his full noble height and glared ut
Peters, who stood barely ten feet
away.
The doctor reached out for more
cartridges, and, failing to get them,
peered backward. To his horror he
saw his cartridge-bearer running at
top speed toward the village. Con-
vinced that he was at the end of his
earthly hunting, he eclubbed his rifle
to make one last hopeless fight for
his life.
The lion crouched, gathered him
self for spring and-fell in q heap.
The expanding bullets effect on the
blood-vessels had made itself felt
just in the nick of time, and not q
tenth of second too soon.
With his last strength the beauti-
full creature, still facing the hunter
fearlessly, dragged himself toward
some high grass. On the way q big
negro tried to spear him. Dying
though he was, the lion, with a mo.
tion as IL he were tanning fiy away
struck his assailant one light pat
(it hardly could be called blow }
That pat ripped off all the flesh of
the mans left leg from the upper
thigh TO the knee.
With 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 were not
found.
The wounded men were taken TO
camp and saved only by the expend-
iture of all the remedies carried by
the expedition.
A month later some of the blacks
OF the party appeared in camp and
reported that a leopard had been
seen by them lying in wait for them
at water hole. Peters and Block
er started at once. Blocker had
his rifle. Peters shouted TO his
servant to follow with him. The
water hole was only a few yards
away. Before DIR. Peters dreamed
that be was anywhere near the ami
NAL, his companions s rife rang, and
an immense leopard bounded into
the air and fell back into the thick
ct. He had been lying directly in
front of Peters, and yet, despite his
gaudy hide, the markings were Sc
perfectly blended with the Jungle
that the doctor had not seen him
at all.
This leopard did not need another
shot. The soft bullet in mushroom.
ing tore the brute's vitals to pieces.
Man-Killing River Beasts.
AS IL they were matching their
wits against man, the crocodiles and
hippopotami are becoming more dar
ing and dangerous every year in
that country. Two black men be
longing to the Peters expedition
were killed by crocodiles at one time
The creatures lay in wait under the
bank Of the river, and when themer
stopped to wash. the immensely.
powerful tails af the amphibians
were swung at them and whipped
them into the water, where the croc
odiles seized them and carried then
away to an island i'm the middle O
the river. Mr.. Thompson saw thu
whole tradegy. He could see ths
bodies Of the men clearly as they
were being dragged along just I'M
der the surface.
Another favorite trick OF the man
killing crocodiles along the Zambe
81 is tolie perfectly still under grass
es near the shore and seize passers
by by the leg. Sometimes they ART
so fearless that they donot even hide
but lie on the shore with eyes shut
mimicking sleep.
The hippopotami, says DR.. Peters
seem to have learned that there is ;
connection between canoes and ex