The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-26
MANY AFRICAN
 LIONS REMAIN King of Beasts Not Yet Wipe
 from Continent FURY OF THE CHARGE Is Great Strain on the Hunters Nerve. Some Remarkable Escapes Due to Coolness-Arrow Saves
 Life of.
FURY OF THE CHARGE
From Chambers Journal.


 A good many years since writer on South Africa remarked fippantly that the lion was retiring from business More than two decades have passed, yet the lion has by no means finally retreated, even from South Africa, and in many other parts Of the dark continent his presence is constantly in evidence
 Ire favorite food of the lion may be classified in the following order: Zebra, buffalo, all kinds of antelopes, cattle, sheep, goats horses and asses Where game Is plentiful, the lion will. as a rule, leave domesticated animals pretty much alone. When game becomes scarce he betakes himself nightly to such food as he can pick up. Where an old lion or lioness becomes 80 decrept and worn out as to be unable to catch and kill it's own food from herds of game, the beast will hang about native hraals; and. find ing that the dreaded foe, man, is usually much easier prey than had been imag- ined, these animals take readily to human food and become maneaters.
 When the lion is about to charge he throws his tail in the air. holding it erect and stiff as a bar of steel. This he may do twice or thrice, after which he in- stantly charges with a hoarse, grunting roar. It may be doubted whether the charge of an angry elephant, rushing to close quarters at high speed and accom- panied by the furious screaming which these pachyderms raise when infuriated Is greater trial to the nerves even of a cool and courageous hunter than the lion's B assault in the open. heavy bullet will, however. often turn both elephant and lion at quite close quarters, and the lion, being thin-skinned animal and possess ing much less tenacity of life than the tough antelopes of Africa, is, if hit in a vital place not difficult to kill.
 Can Go Faster Than Horse.
 Even on horseback the hunter is by no means safe at close quarters. tn Hons speed for a short distance be- ing greater than that of a sallopine horse. Mir. Selous, who has shot most of his lions on foot, has beeen several times hard put to it to get away on his horse; and Mir. Baldwin in the year 1880, while riding up to a lion he had shot at, had an extraordinarily mar row escape when the lion charged at him.
 My horse Is fast one" he says. and has run down the gemsbok, one of the heetest of the antelopes; but the way the lion ran him was terrific Tn an Instant l was at my best pace lean ing forward. rowels deep in my horse S Hanks. looking back over my left shoulder over hard. fiat galloping ground. On came the lion, two strides to my one. I never saw anything like 1t, and never want to do so again. To in ha I across my mind when he was with sa three strides of me, but on second thought l gave a violent jerk on the near rein, and a savage dip al the same time with the of heel, armed with q desperate rowei, just in the nick Of time, as the fierce beast bounded by me, grazing my right shoulder with his and all but unh orsed me: but managed to right myself by clinging to the near stirrup-leathsr." Notwith standing this fierce ordeal, the hunter turned and with a couple more shots killed the brute that had so nearly made an end of him.
 How a Zulu Escaped.
 Natives in savage Africa have at times extraordinary encounters with lions Years ago. before Zululand was conquered and became British. Zulu hunting ir thick brush, came suddenly upon a full grown lion. with not a yard between them It was terrible moment; if the man had moved hand or foot the flor would have seized him. The Zulu was however, a cool-headed fellow, and. al. though armed with some assegais, stood stock still, moving not a muscle. For a couple of long minutes the brute watched him. then moved off, turning its head every now and again to make sure thai atf Nv,t 1nix, A- this case the man never raised his eyer from the ground.
 Before going very far the same lion me' another native, who raised his spear tt defend himself. The Hon instantly sprans at him and inflicted such wounds that tn. M-vee-demfwyp cmfwyp cmfwypcmfwyJ unfortunate Zulu died within half ar hour. On another occasion a Zulu tray ersing the bush veldt in search of game and armed with single-barreled gun found himself suddenly in the midst O. ! family party of six lions-a lion, younger male lioness and three cubs 1 the last named about the size of cats. On, 1 of the cubs instantly ran up to him, as | 1 a playmate, and the lioness, furious witt anxiety, rushed up, and, as the mal afterward said, fairly danced around him The ulu, with iron nerver, remaine, 1 perfectly quiet and moved not even al eyeld As he said: Tt was hundre' to one that l did not kill the mother, am 1 if I had the other two would soon hay avenged her" After a minute of the mos terrible suspense the whole party of lions seeing that the man attempted no hsQsr retired into the bush and left him to con gratulate himself upon his wonderful es | cape.
 Slew Him With Arrow.
 Here is another encounter of a differ ! ent kind, related by Maj. Powell Cot ! ton in his recent book or travel, 'In Un known Africa" An Elgeyo hoy was sud l denly confronted at close quarters by 1 fine. black k-naned lion, which opened it i jaws and drew back its lips in an ugl, snarl. The boy promptly fired a poisoned i arrow into its open mouth, and whil the lion was trying to cough it out ral 1 for his life. In short time the beas :, was dead. and the lad returned and tool the scalp, in the hopes of trading it 1t t 1 the Nasal.
 | stil lmore wonderful native adventur with lion is vouched for by two unim peachable witnesses Oswell and Living 1 stone. At Mabotse. in Bechuanaland some women were hoeing in the fields an' F. young man was chatting to them. lioness suddenly sprang upon him and wal carrying him off when one of the youni women ran after her, and. catching he by the tail, was dragged for some lit tie distance.
 ''Hompered with the man in her mouti and the woman behind her" says Oswell ''she siackened her pace. whereupon heI opponent straddled over her back and hi' her over the head with a heavy short handled hoe" Strange to relate, the lion ess dropped her prey and slunk away into cover. The plucky woman who accom-
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