The Morning examiner. [volume] (Ogden, Utah) 1904-1910, 1909-04-25

HRFETIRP1Ou purpose TO use IL as
GS3@fNu an Introduction 10
ESsza@4ASy8 that general method
of lion hunting
Two OF my men got badly mauled by
lion, so our camp had TO stop where
1t was till they could be moved After
time one of them was able to walk
about with his arm In a sling. and the
other was getting on well. so one night
] decided 10 leave the big camp next
DAY and go with two or three camcls
TO some villages only a days march
away. Early the next morning Ma
homed Moor, the beadman, started
with the camels- | stopped behind to
get some breakfast Just as We were
going TO follow. a camelman, who had
gone up the riycr-bed close by to get
some water, came running back TO say
that a lion had been down TO drink
at one of the shallow sand wells in the
night l started at once with Abdul
lah and two other trackers, telling my
pony boy to follow on as soon as he
could get the pony saddled. When
tracking. / have always found II the
best plan TO have the pony led some
distance behind. Tho boy ought to
have no difficulty In following the
tracks of two or three men and a
lion, and If the pony is kept close
up. 1t is sure TO stamp or blow It's
nose at the critical moment
When VIC got to the well there was
the spoor plain enough in the sand.
but rather blurred by some rain which
had fallen at daybreak This made
the tracking little difficult after we
left the rlver.bed. but when we had
followed II slowly for some distance,
We came to place where the lion had
lain down under a thick BUSH, evil
IDENTIFY to shelter from the rain, as the
spoor after this was quiet distinct on
the top OF the damp ground. This
made US think We were In for short
track, for 1t must have been light
when the lion went on again from
here. and lions generally lie up short
" after the sun rises: but this day
proved an exception. because 1t was
cloudy and cool through the forenoon.
Trailing the King of Beasts.
The spoor now led Us along sandy
path. where we could follow 1T as fast
as We could walk. When 1t turned of
into the bush we quite expected to see
the lion at any moment, but not a bit
OF it-he wandered about through
endless clumps OF mimoSa a-d "irgln"
bushes, as IL he did not mean to lie
up at all.
The track at last led us down
little sandy watercoursc, which II fol
lowed for some distance. Up TO this
time we had had no real difficulty
in making 1t out, but now came our
first serious check. The nullah turned
OF along the side of stony ridge,
and. instead of going along 1t. the
lion had turned up the bill. We had
got the general direction th7 the lion
had been going In. but this was no
good 10 us, as on casting forward in
the same line to the bottom OF the
other side OF the ridge whore there
was some sandy ground, we could find
no sign OF his having passed in that
direction. We spent some time hunt
Ing about, growing less hopeful as
time went OH. A man following a
trail by sight certainly has an enor-
nous advantage over hound hunting
II by nose, because time lis of no
particular object to him. and every
direction can be tried In turn. After
making out cast forward We went
back to the little watercoursc. and
followed that down for some distance,
hoping that the lion had turned down
hill again: but here. too, we were dis
appointed. and gravitatcd back to
where We had first lost the spoor. We
knew that the lion had not gone
straight on, nor had he turned back;
he must have gone along the top Of
the ridge and then crossed into other
stony hills where Is was hopeless to
try TO track him.
Abdulab. who Is never defeated.
said there was a big riyer-bed further
on In the direction In which the lion
was going. II seemed a very slender
chance, as he might have turned on
anywhere In between. but 1t was the
only one, so OF we went. We were
evidently In luck that day. for we had
when We struck the spoor. The lion
seemed now to have made up his
mind as TO his direction. for he kept
on straight down the middle Of the
river bed The sun had come out from
behind the clouds. and in places the
sand Was very deep. so that NE were
not sorry when at last the track led
into a little Island OF bush in the
seat Nat sand. There WAS no doubt
the lion was at home. for on casting
round no sign was perceptlblc OF a
track coming out The island, raised
little above the rlyer-bed. was
formed OF a mass of thick-tangled
bush and creepers clustered round
few big trees. The water coming down
the riyc- after heavy rain had "asbe |
II roughly into the form OF triangle