The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-11-10
LIONS SHUN
WHITE MAN
As He Advances In Africa They
Retreat.


A foreign member OF the geographical
congress had an interested group around
him the other day at the luncheon be-
tween the sessions while he told stories
OF pioneering In Africa A question about
lions started food Of "reminiscences
that lasted till the crowd scattered for
Che section meetings.
"The lion viii not live where there are
many white men" he said q" large pro-
portion Of the whites who go to Africa
are keen sportsmen. aud the lion soon
learns to shun this variety Of the human
race.
Twenty years ago there was not a
coast settlement In tropical East Africa
that was not occasionally visited by lions.
They would swoop down on the cattle
or goats and now and then a man eater
would create the utmost terror and never
leave the neighborhood where he had
tasted human flesh. The one thing TO do
was to organize q big hunt, surround the
jungle with hundreds of natives and leave
no loophole Of escape till the animal
was slain.
When the Germans first went to East
Afl sca they never Ventured into the
streets of the coast towns after nightfall
without carrying revolver and q rifle.
a prowling lion was likely TO lie met
anywhere In the darkness
II remember one night one of our black
men was pounced upon by Lion in the
heart Of the settlement. The unearthly
move the man set up and the wild comni,9- %,
tiOn into which the town was instantly
thrown so frightened the king Of beasts
that he left his prey and skunk back into
the jungle. His claws had torn deep
grooves IN the mans scalp, but that was
tho only damage done.
III suppose 1t is AT least ten years since
lion has been known TO visit one OF the
German settlements on the cast coast.
rhpre are plenty Of them in the interior
Hut as the white stations multiply and
fhe natives in the service OF the whites
are armed with guns. Il Is becoming very
uncomfortable for beasts Of prey. ana
they are disappearing from the neiglbor-
hood OF all the stations. ~
Zone day. toward evening, in 1890. !
stroiled out OF Bagamoyo, the coast port
opposite Zanzibar, for a walk Of "A rev
miles in the country ] carried ouiy
light walking stick 4,
.The sun was low In the west when
started back for the settlement, ! soon
saw that a hundred steps OF so behind
me a little Rantn girl perhaps zen
years old. was following IN my path'
ana about the same distance behind her
were two native women.
'.'rhe night was fast closing In when l
heard a Shrek Looking around the lit
lie eiri was nowhere TO be seen. but /
noticed rustic IN the jungle grass on 70
one side. The two women We're scream
ing Simba' Ciom at the top or tneir
The girl was certainly doomed. Be
ing unarrned | could do nothing except
10 run at top speed to the little tort
which the Germans had planted at the
inner edge of the town. Twilight lasts
only a few minutes in that latitude, and
81 was pit0l daik BY the time l reached
the fort.
"A force OF natives with white officers
were sent nut to beat the Jungle, but
pothug WAS found. OF course. the
torches and the noise would irightsn the
animal away, but " wus thought that at
beast the remains Of his poor victim
might be discovered. ! believe no trace
OF the little girl WAS oyer discovered.
hut this was not strange IN such sea
.rhis rnan-eaiirg lion was killed a few
days later Thnre is much nonsense IN
the talk OF the courage with which the
grc-test OF African beasts Is endued
This partculnr animal saw me pass aild
lct me go unscathed because was a
fun grown man. bur he pounccd upon a
littie girl because he knew he could make
her an easy victim.
THE hon disdainy nothing In the way
of animal food Pe-hanS altelopes are
iis favorilc. ard he will wait hours for
them by the paths along which they
iravel TO the drinking places.
But he viii take anythiug he can Kill
from mouse x an elephant, and some
times when gaRe is scarce and The lion
becomes thin and ravenous. he Will even
aftack man n he gets good chance
When he becomes a man-caier there Is
nothing 60 do for the safety Of the neigh
barhood hut 70 hunt him to the death
''rhc n0r-eatcr comes and goes like
ghost. and ! have mes sr seen anything
more distressing then the panic into
which a man-eafine iieu throws native
settlement remember one day We
reached native hamlet TAR on the road
~ lske Taugsuyika ana found every body
in fhe greatest CONSERVATION.
"A lion had just run OF with q half
grown hoy. the fourth member OF the
community whom be Rad killed ia a forf-
night His visits had been made at vari-
ous times or the d1y and night and there
WAS not a moments peace.
we organized hunt and with our
native escort we were able 10 SURROUND
a considerable tract Of jungle where The
anims WAS believed 10 be lurking We
heat the bush for half a dav ard found
nothing We thought the ground had
opened and swallowed the animal up.
"Tn the heat of midday, while we Euro
means were resting In tho shade. We
heard 3 vollev OF SLOTS fr1m beyond the
area where We had been hunting The
Hon had curup ou. or the high grass and
was retreaiing along The valley OF
l'panea creek when our men caught
sight % him.
Hrhe range was short some Of the
guns were rapid-iiring and IL took only
y minute 20 end his career. One bullet
broke his backbone. and stili he tried 10
Ait M and menace us with his paws. but
a. vas only for an instant
"He was o large and aged brute. with
= ragged nsne aud sides that bore long
sears that had evidently been made b.