The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-04-19

| awful situation and attended u4,l
| extreme peril.
When the lioness spTang on Coles
berg, | stood out from the horse,
ready with my second barrel for the
| first chance she should give me OF
clear shot; this she quickly did, for
| seemingly satisfied with the revenge
she had taken she quilted ColesGerg,
and turning her tail TO one side,
trotted sulkily past within a few
PAGES of me. Taking one step TO the
left, pitched my rife to my shoulder
and in another second the lioness was
stretched on the plain
One dark windy night on the Linn
popo River terrible tragedy hap
pened i'm his camp. The appalling
roar Of lion was heard, followed by
the shrieking OF Hottentots, then one
OF them, Stofolus, rushed mp to his
masters = agon shieking out, The
lion! The lion, lie has got Hen
drick. Hendrick is dead 1t was
too true. Hendrick, Cummings
most trusty Hottentot, had been
seized by the camp fire and carried
on such night, pitch dark and
windy. little could be attempted.
The dogs were encouraged to attack
the dangerous brute, but the lion re-
peatedly drove them off, and, safe in
his bushy lair, actually devoured the
unfortunate man within fifty yards of
the camp. "AS day broke" says
Cumming. "we heard the lion drag
ging something up the river side, un-
der cover of the bank, and we pro-
ceeded to inspect the scene of the
nights awful tragedy. In the hollow,
where the beast had consumed it's
prey, we found one leg of the unfor-
tunate Hendrick, bitten off below the
knee, the shoe still on his foot; the
grass and bushes were all stained
with blood, and fragments Of his pea
coat lay around. Poor Hendrick!
knew that old coat, and had often
seen some of its shreds in the dense
coyerts where the elephants had
charged after my unfortunate after
rider. Hendrick was by far the best
man | had-of a most cheerful dispo-
sition. flrst-rate wagon driver, fear
less in the field, very active, willing
and obliging, and his loss to us all
was very serious. felt sick at heart,
and could not remain at the wagons,
so | resolved to go after the elephants
to divert my mind" Gordon Cum
ming shot an elephant and returned
to camrs.wo hours before sunset:
then he orders horses to De saddled
and goes in search Of the man-eater.
The lion had taken covert in some
reeds, and the dogs were sent in to
dislodge him. He held up the river
bank, but presently turned and stood
at bay. AS | approached" says
Cumming, its horrid head was to
me- his jaws open, growing fercely
and his tail waving from side to side.
"On beholding the brute my blood
boiled with rage, and setting my
teeth I dashed my steed forward
within thirty yards Of him and shout
ing, Your time is up, old fellow
placed my rife TO my shoulder and
waited for broaIside. This the
next moment he exposed, when | sent
bullet through his shoulder and
dropped him on the spot he again
rose, but finished him with second
i'm the breast. - natives now came
up in wonder and Jelight, and order
ing John To cut off his head and fore
paws and bring them Go the wagons,
! mounted my horse and g1lloped
home, having been absent a0oJL5
fifteen minutes, When the Baksla-
har women heard th2t the man-eater
was dead they danced for JOY, calling
me their father Thus was poor
Hendrick avenged"
Fear, however. was a thing abso-
lutely unknown to such a man. He
would tackle anything living. The
great python of Africa is not the kind
OF creature that the average man
cares about handling in the wild
state. A fearsome looking serpent,
having great constructive power and
attaining as much as twenty feet in
length. il is far from an attractive
object in natural history Yet Cum
ming once seized one of these mon
sters by the tail just rs it was enter.
ing a creyice beneath mass Of rock,
and getting a rawhide thong round
the middle of its body tugged at il
with the aid Of his Hottentot Klein.
boy until the reptile relaxed its hold.
The snake suddenly sprinEing out at
them open-iawod. snapped within a
foot of their legs Releasing his hold
Cumming quickly overlook the mos
ster and belaboring its head with 4
big bough, presently killed him
Forest and Stream.