The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-11-13
LION HUNT IN zAMBEISI.


 
 Far away on the confines of the Inorthern-most Praza of Portuguese
 zambezie lies little village nesting among the trees at the foot of a huge rock. Like other natives in this part
 of Africa it consists of few round huts placed anyhow on a more or less
 impenfectly cleared space in the forest and is inhabited by happy, careless population.
 One May morning it was the scene of "a fearful tragedy, only too common in
 such villages. Four men had been hoe
 ing in the mealie patch along the side
 of neighboring kloof, when suddenly.
 says correspondent of the London
 Field, lloness sprang among them,
 seized one man by the leg and en- deavored to drag him away. Whatever vices these natives may have, coward
 Ice is not one. Two attacked the lion ess with their hoes and were frightfully
 mauled in the melee A third took up
 his bow and sent two arrows into her side.
 It was of no avail The lioness stuck to her quarry, and carried him off, shrieking with agony which was merci-
 fully ended by his death, and the hor- rlfied villagers carried the survivors back to their homes and applied such remedies to their hurts as their limit
 ed knowledge of medicine dictated. The hunting men went out to track the ami nal to her liar; the others rapidly erected stockade around the village, long experience of similar occurrences having taught them the futility of de- lay in this matter; the appetite for hu- man flesh, when once cultivated is ne- yer appeased and the raids of man eating lion can only be ended by it's death.
 It happened that next day five white men found their way to the villages. They were new to the country and nat long out from home, and all being keen sportsmen they naturally jumped at the chance of having some excite ment and ridding the country of such a pest as we'll On their arrival they had a lengthy indaba with the head man and were promised the help of the entire male population of the village as beaters if they would go out and kill the lioness. The bow and arrow cham pion of the previous day agreed to act as guide, and daylight next morning saw a lengthy procession following a fairly evident blood spoor from the garden into the bush,
 I must now describe the men and their armament as the latter is prob- ably unique in the annals of African lion shooting. IA, the leader,a short man, brave as a gamecock, was armed with a double barrel cordite 450 rifle which kicked like a mule and developed a muzzle energy which would bowl over an elephant Around his middle was suspended Webley revolver load ed with hollow pointed bullets, and watches compaeses, notebooks, and other impedimenta recommended to sportsmen,.' Behind him stalked a doughty heathen carrying a second rifle a LeeIMetford carbine, loaded, at full cock, and with the cutoff open. B, larger edition of A, was with the ex- ception of the knife similarly armed and had also an attendant carrying second rife.
 Next in order came x. wearing a white helmet and armed with @ Lee Metford rifle and revolver, fiery man, keen as mustard and eager for the fray, Y followed him, a man of ele- phantine build, whose rubicund coun- tenance glowed with excitement. z, armed similarly to the othens, took up the rear. Behind followed a mixed crowd carrying shotguns, spears axes, knobkeries, cameras on stands, lunch- con baskets and other impedimenta eagerly scanning the bush and ready to drop their leads and clear at the first sign of danger. The bow and arrow man in his capacity as guide led them to an open space in the forest. Near it's centre was a clump of tall grass and one side and to their rear was a pool of water. Into the grass the blood spoor led. "Allpo!" Che is in thereD said the bow and arrow man,
 hurried consultation followed. It was decided to advance on the clump in column and to deploy to the left in front of it, while the beaters from the other side drove the brute out onto @ of rifles. The maneuvre began. With all rifles at full cock. IA led the column toward the clump of grass, then turning to the left pro- ceeded to take up his position B fol- lowed Conspicuous by his white l neadgear, x approached too near the grass. There was a sudden rustic, | couple of bounds, a magnificent l spring and a huge lioness dashed at him.
 He received her on the muzzle of his rifle, holding it at the ready, as if to repel a bayonet attack. Though it raked her from stem to stern the bull let missed her heart Simultaneously and B's rifles cracked, or rather ooomed. The beast died in midair as she made her spring. She fell on K aying him out on the ground. She ne- yer even twitehed a muscle, but Ks troubles were by no means oyer A