Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1909-05-13

EEtH1HAE3H an introduction to
ri SsAxS2z8REJE that general method
of lion hunting.
Two of my men got badly mauled by
a lion, so our camp had to stop where
1t was till they could be moved. After
a 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 to leave the big camp next
day and go with two or three camels
to some villages only days march
away Early the next morning Ma"
homed Moor, the headman, started
with the camels. | stopped behind to
get some breakfast. Just as we were
going to follow, camelman, who had
gone up the river bed close by to get
some water, came running back to say
that lion had been down to drink
at one Of the shallow sand wells in the
might. | started at once with Abdul
lab and two other crackers, telling my
pony.boy to follow on as soon as he
could get the pony saddled. When
tracking, | have always found 1t the
best plan to have the pony led some
distance behind. The 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 we 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 a little difficult after We
left the river-bed, but when we had
followed 1t slowly for some distance,
we came to a place where the lion had
lain down under thick bush, evil
IDENTIFY to shelter from the rain, as the
gpoor after this was quiet distinct on
the top of the damp ground. This
made US think we were in for short
track, for it must have been light
when the lion went on again from
here, and lions generally lie up short
Iy 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 a sandy
path, where we could follow it as fast
as We could walk. When it turned off
into the bush we quite expected to see
the lion at any moment; but not bit
of it-he wandered about through
endless clumps of mimosa a-d ''irgin"
bushes, as if he did not mean to lie
up at all.
The track at last ed us down a
little sandy watercourse, which it fol-
lowed for some distance. Up to this
time we had had no real difficulty
i'm making it out, but now came our
6rst serious check The nullah turned
of along the side of stony ridge,
and, instead of going along it, the
Rton had turned up the hill We had
sgot the general direction tho the lion
had been going in, but this was no
good to us, as on casting forward in
the same line to the bottom of the
other side of the ridge where 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
atme went on. A man following q
iGTalI Uy SlSuL CcIIdtu Las ILL SuOl-
NOUS advantage over hound hunting
1t by nose, because time Is 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 intercourse, and
followed that down for some distance,
hoping that the lion had turned down
,hill again; but here, too, we were dis
appointed, and gravitated 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.
Abdullah, who is never defeated
said there was big river-bed further
on in the direction in which the lion
was going. 1t seemed a very slender
chance, as he might have turned off
anywhere in between, but it was the
only one, so off we went. We We're
evidently in luck that day, for we had
only gone about quarter of mile
when we struck the spoor. The lior