The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1909-09-16

softer ground. This led us into a fat
place with clumps Of dense bush in
tersected by bare ground; any of
these clumps might have held an
army of lions. This was the most
critical part. The lioness was wound.
ed, and we did not know how badly.
She might have sprung on us from
any of these dense bushes and, in fact,
Inc tracks In one place led around
Into a bush We had already passed.
Luckily, she had gone on A long
wait ensued while the men were gath.
cred In and given instructions. Haid
and l then crept noiselessly round to
a fairly open space at right angles to
The direction of the track, while an.
other man was sent forward to q
large ant-heap to mark. Presently
Haid whispered: There she is:
shoot!" and I could see a dark-colored
beast threading its way slowly through
the bushes, heading straight toward
US and about thirty-1ve yards of. AS
l put up my rifle it saw us and turned
back. I shot and hit 1t behind the
shoulder. the bullet lodging in front Of
the chest.
We were at once in hot pursuit
though ! was delayed. and actually
prevented from having a second shot
by a cartridge jamming. The lioness
was soon found in a dense bush dead
She was hauled out and photographed,
On cutting her open we found she was
full of milk. SO we decided to 20 the
next day and see If there were any
cubs about.
Three Of them were found in q
crevasse near the spot where the
lioness had been killed the previous
day. They were the size of half-grown
cats and looked half asleep, and not
at all resentful. They we're rather
dull. sleepy little beasts for the first
week or two, but woke UP when feed.
Ing time came. We kept three goats
for them. who showed little objection,
except when the latter dug their
claws in.
They commenced teething a week
after we got them, and when the
CANNES began to appear they suf-
fered considerably, one in particular
getting quite cantankerous. They
travelled each day on a fast mule, q
camel being too apt to jolt and a
donkey not fast enough. On arrival
at camp and at the midday halt they
got a drink from the goats. which
travelled along, keeping pace with the
mule all the way. We were making
for the coast by Abyssinia. and
reached Harrar when they were about
three weeks old. Here they had the
run of our bedrooms in an old Arab
house, and occasionally got outside on
the veranda, one distinguishing itself
by falling down into the yard below.
a feat which had absolutely no i'll ef-
fects. They loved the early morning
sun. but by 1880 it was already too
hot and they craved for shade.
We heard at Harrar that we might
experience difficulty with the Abys-
sinians. 1t appears that all lions are
considered to be the perquisite of
Menelik, lions being the royal arms,
and that no one Is allowed to take
lions out Of the country. So we put
them on a camel passing out of Har-
rar and escaped attention. They slept
contentedly all the way, every march,
and arrived with excellent tempers
and appetites.
On arrival at Diridawa, the head of
the French railway from Jibuti into
Abyssionia, they were well housed in
a loose box in the Hotel Continental.
1t was at. this place, at about the age
of five weeks, that we first tried them
with meat. They took no interest in
1t at first, and in the first few days
we had to put pieces in their mouths.
which thew mistook for the teat, and
which, on being sucked hard, not un-
naturally, disappeared down their
throats. We tried them with blood.
but they did not are about it. They
got quite excited over a freshly.
killed goat, sucking hard at the neck.
just at the spot where a grown lion
bites It's prey. namely. low down on
the front Of the neck