Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-05-29

,-Ttl HLTN ItItIE
stomary '0cdpons for big game.
fore resuming our march in tie even.
ing we sailed out once more to search
the river.bed and an islet grown Win
bushes, where we hoped he might he
And while w searched the hnss,r
who had been assigned to me to bold
my horse, and who was the man who
in the morning, had been posted 10
watch the river-bed, asked: How
many lions are there supposed to be
here?" told him only the one wa
fired at this morning.
Whereupon he grimly said, ooh, I
saw him go away up the river when
you went down it. He was a dragging
his hindquarters after him"
1t appeared that the man thought
he had been posted to guard against
surprise by an enemy, and did not
realize that we. being down among
the rocks, could not see the lion which
was so visible from his lookout place.
And SO we lost that lion.
But | had better luck another time.
1t stands thus recorded in my diary.
10th October.-(To be marked with
a red mark when l a get a red pen.
cid jackson and a native boy ac.
companied me scouting this morning:
We three started off ut 3 a. NJ. In
moving round the hill that over]ooks
our camp we saw n match struck high
up near the top of the mountain.
This N little spark told us a good
deal. 1t showed that the enemy were
, there; that they We're awake and alert
q say they because one Niger
would not dare to be up there by
himself in the dark); and they were
aware of our force being at Posselts
las otherwise they would not be oc.
cupying this hill).
However, they could not see any,
thing Of us as it was then quite dark.
And we went farther on among the
mountains. III the early morning
light we crossed the deep riyer-bed
of the Umchingwe River, and, in do
ing SO, noticed the fresh spoor of a
lion in the sand. We went on and had
a good look at the enenly's stronghold;
and on our way back, as we ap.
preached this riper-bed, agreed to 20
quietly, in case the lion should be
moving about in it. On looking down
over the bank, my heart jumped into
my mouth when l saw a grand old
brute just walking in behind a bush.
jackson did not see him, but was, off
his horse as quickly as l was, and
ready with his gun: too ready. indeed,
for the moment that the lion appeared,
walking majestically out from behind
the bush that had hidden him. Jack.
son fired hurriedly, striking the ground
under his foot, and, as we afterwards
discovered, knocking off one of his
claws.
"The lion tossed up his shaggy head
and looked at us in dignified surprise.
Then I fired and hit him with a leaden
bullet from the Lee-Metford. He
reeled, sprang round, and staggered
a few PAGES, when Jackson, who was
using a Martini-Henry. let him have
one in the shoulder. This knocked
him over sideways. and lie turned
about, growing savagely.
Bagglng a Royal Prlze.
II could scarcely believe that we
had got a lion at last, but resolved
TO make sure of 1t; SO, telling Jackson
not to fire unless it was necessary
(for fear of spelling the skin with the
larger bullet Of the Martini), Invent
down closer to the beast and fired Q
shot at the back of his neck as he
turned his head momentarily a
from me. The bullet went through
his spine and came out through the
lower jaw, killing him.
1--WE were pretty delighted at our
success, but our niger was madsWita
happiness, for a dead ~lion-protided
he is not a man-eater--has many l'
valuable gifts for a Kafir, insthe shape
of love.philtres, charms against DIS
ease or injury. and medicines lnas
produce bravery. 1t was quite fae'
lightfu1 to shake hands with tne
mighty paws of the dead lion, TO pNi.5
at his magnificent tawny name, anu
to look into his great deep, yelloW
eyes. Then we set to work 10 shih
him; two of us skinning While 1ne
other kept watch in case of the enemy
s~neaking up to catch us while We Wsle
thus occupied. We found that ne wa g
fat, and also that he had been inuen
wounded by %porcupines, portions =,
whose quilts had pierced the sklI, anu
lodged in his flesh in severaitpHees
Our niger cut out the eyes; galrpiaa.
der, and various bits of the lion
anatomy. as fetch medicine. hi'sa
my carbine-bucket with some OF tls
fat, ash knew my two boys Dianloha
and M'tini. would very greatly valus
it. Then. after hiding the head N naa
neighboring bush where we could INV
it again. we packed the skin on :
one of the ponies and returned
camp nightly pleased WIN ou'
selves
BY permission Of Longinans, Green .
Co. New York,
Copyright. 1899, by BENZ. b. Hampton