Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-03-15
ATTACKED BY A LION,
Awful Experience of a Railroad
Man In Africa.
IN THE JAWS OF A MAN EATER.
Dragged From HE Bed BY the Fisre>
Monster, He Was Mansisd and
Cashed and Carried or Bodily By
the Brute.

0aoneo anu SST''eo VII o0o"y "
the Brute.
The following description Of an at.
tack by lion. as related to Mr.. St.
Michael Podmore. F. 2. s., while he
was returning from sojourn in the
wild places Of the earth, Is 50 terribly
realistic that we offer no apology for
printing it. Mr.. Podmore met the
hero Of this story while on trip
across the Pacific ocean and was
shown the terrible scars on the mans
body:
was engaged on the transconti-
mental Cane to Cairo line. and our
gang consisted Of two white men and
fifty blacks. We each occupied a sep
arate hut.
One dark night was aroused from
sleep by hearing something moving
backward and forward beneath my
bed. Becoming alarmed. I listened
breathlessly to loud, long and indie
scribable sniff-sniff which broke the
stiffness Of the night. My experience
of Africa was not extensive, but I
instantly realized that some wild ami
NAL was under my bed. Every one Of
my faculties became Immediately par
:alyzed with horror. was unable to
after SOUND.
After moment or two I became
aware that man eating lion was sniff
ing his way along the edges Of the
bed, perhaps little puzzled at the
mosquito curtains. I then felt l must
do something, and instinctively. yet
noiselessly, l huddled all the pillows
and bedclothes over my head. No
sooner had I done this than the lion.
with horrible pur, grabbed me by
the right shoulder and dragged me out
on to the floor and Immediately began
to suck the blood which streamed
down my neck and chest, and every
time l moved he bit me more savagely.
AS l raised my knees to get into a
tcrouching, protective position he gave
me little pat with his paw which
''~~'-0 - leg and inflicted
q dreadful wound. Then suddenly the
monster dropped me out Of his mouth,
placed one massive paw on my chest,
and then. throwing back his noble
head. he gave four terrible roars Of
triumph and defiance.
My chum walked round the hut and
Ihen saw with horror the hole made
by the lion, who had torn out the mat
walls ard crawled under my bed.
Then it dawned upon him what had
happened, SO he ran round to the other
side and kicked the door down.
All this time the only thing l seemed
to take interest in was the loud sip
ping suck, suck, made by the lion as
he drew my blood into his reeking
jaws. / remembered, with a pang Of
regret, that | had not lived model
life recently, and l began to pray as l
had never prayed before. AS l prayed
Il thought how curious it was that l
did not feel the slightest sense of
pain with man eating lion chewing
my flesh and drinking my blood.
had been lying on my back, with
my neck and head resting against the
side of the hut, when my friend
smashed the door AS he did so the
lion drove his terrible fangs into my
right groin and leaped out Of the hut
into the darkness. AS he ran with me
he seemed to be twisting and jerking
me round sideways, as though striving
; TO get me on his back.
The lion ran across the clearing
= with me for about thirty yards and
put me down under big bOabab tree.
d 1 lay on my back with the lion on top
of me, occasionally gazing with his
great luminous, greenish yellow eyes,
which filed me with unutterable lOath
ing, so eXpressionlcss and cold were
they, vet so diabolical in their ruth
les, q .tiiy.
The lion seemed perfectly content
with his prey felt his long, rough
tongue scraplng up my thighs and abb
,]omen, and as it crept higher and
higher I felt little gusts Of his hor-
rlble breath. | half turned my head
away, but still the long, greedy tongue
worked its way toward my throat.
could distinctly feel each bite, because,
although it did not cause the slightest
pain, yet as the fearful fangs were
driven into fresh place l was con.
SclOuS OF q strange nulnDneSS III lHit
particular part.
During all this time the negroes kept
screaming, "Nkanga, nkanga!" My
friend kept running round the clearing
In utter bewiluernent. The appalling
blackness of the night added horror
:" ~" "''''''- -''"'"N no pen could de-
scribe
"a, @.-st ,nu nes. oes We're induced to
make a couple of torches of dry grass
and by the lurid and uncertain light Of
these the lion was seen standing over
my PROSTATE body. He was an enor-
nous brute, over ten feet in length,
and with luXuriant, tawny name
thai Impaired to him most majestic
appearance. My friend told me after
ward that as he approached with his
gun | was moaning and grooming
softly to myself. For some time he
was afraid to shoot lest he should kill
me instead of the lion. He screamed
ont, "Kcep cool, Jack, and ! will see
what ! can do for you,'
AS he crcpt nearer the lion took his
fangs out OF my groin and faced about,