The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-04-26

on the wall and door and tries to get
into the Office. Please send cartridges
for a Snyder rifle by the first train
Cor my protection. I have blank car
tridges, but they are of no use against
lions.
This profound observation has the
earmarks Of sober truth. Whether the
lion desired TO buy a ticket or whether
fellow feeling for the lonesome bahu
induced him TO try TO cultivate his &C.
quaintanee is not known. but it is quite
certain that blank cartridges were not
appropriate ammunition. and that ball
cartridges Were in demand.
It is 10 be supposed that they We're
promptly supplied. but, if So. they did
not make a deep impression upon the
lions, for in August another hair rails
ing telegram reached the traffic man.
ager, as follows:
August II, las A NJ.
Urgent. To Traffic Manager:
A lion is on the platform. Please in
struct guard and driver of train to pro-
coed carefully and to make no signals
in the yard. Tell the guard to advise
passengers not TO get out here and TO
be very careful himself when he comes
into the office.
1t is not quite certain whether the
babu was chiefly solicitous for the
safety of the guard or whether he
thought that the lion might take adj
vantage of the open door to come into
the office. However this may be. the
distress signal from Simba had the i'm
mediate result of starting a British
sportsman in that direction.
He took the next train for Simba.
and under the water tank he and the
railroad men erected a platform about
ten feet above the ground, where the
nimrod spent several days waiting for
the visitors. His patience was at
length rewarded
The first animal he saw was a lioness
that came walking out of the scrub.
very likely for the purpose of quench-
ing her thirst at the little stream that
was leaking from the tank When she
was within about $50 feet of the plat
form the hunter put cordite bullet
into her and stretched her on the
ground.
The hunter did not leave his perch.
for he thought that something more
would be doing. He was not mistaken
A little later two lions came out of the
high grass and We're soon in great men,
tai distress over the strange attitude
of the dead female.
They kept circling around her body.
row growing, then whining. They hit
the body with their paws. and at last
began to drag it away, perhaps with
the idea OF awakening her.
Just then a bullet ended the life of
che of the brutes, and the other,
by the second shot, sprang
into the bush.
For half an hour the sportsman
awaited on the platform any signs of
life in the bushes, but detecting no
he descended from his perch.
He had hardly reached terra firma,
however. before the wounded lion burst
put of the scrub and struck the hunter
a blow with its paw which tore the
flesh of his arm to the bone The hunt
ar was knocked to the ground. and the
ion, which was evidently growing
weaker, rolled over on the grass and
then dragged itself back into the bush.
wher its dead body was found a little
ater.
The hunter gave up watching for
ions and sought a hospital at the
coast and the poor babu was left again
n the wilderness, not exactly the mon
arch of all he surveyed He told the
rain hands every day that he could
cot sleep nights and his nerves We're /,
BADLY shaken
There was nothing doing, however, |
or several weeks after the great day /
when three lions had been laid low I
within a few rods of the station. Then !
anne another nervous telegram:
Extra Urgent-Track hand was sur
ounded by two lions while returning
rom signal box. He climbed a tele-
raph pole near the water tank. He
up there yet. Order train to stop
here and take him aboard. The traffic
will please make necessary
lg the station before relief arrived.
or several days the telegraph wire
as burdened only with routine des- I
atches. Then another episode was
reclaimed in the following shape:
o Guard and Drive of Down Train:
Carriage of secretary is on the siding,
here he shot a lion just now. and
hers are roaring on Makindu side. (
river must proceed without signals [
Id stop engine opposite station. Guard (
ust not get out of the brake van.
Later advices have not yet come to
and, but if any station master is find
g life monotonous and longs to have
dull routine peppered with incident J
Id adventure, perhaps he may ar J
nge 10 swap jobs with the babu at Z