Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-04-24
IN
T.
So
=

HQHIpY75lNH purpose to use Il as
ESSRt an introduction TO
hbAAl=2lAeI that general method
OF lion hunting.
Two of my men got badly mauled by
a lion, so our camp had to stop where
II was TIL 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 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 headman, started
with the camels. | stopped behind to
get some breakfast Just as we were
going TO follow, a Councilman, who had
gone up the river.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 / 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 &c 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
lion, and If the pony is kept close
up, it is sure 10 stamp or blow its
nose at the critical moment.
When we got to the well there was
fI, ur1rr r,faft, F,p1ror1, In fb..
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 it slowly for scme distance.
we came to a place where the lion he'd
lain down uader a thick bush. VI
IDENTIFY to shelter from the rain. as e
spOor after this was quiet distinct on
the top of the damp ground. This
made us think we were In for a short
track, for il 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. be -aLse it was |
cloudy and cool through the forenoon |
Trailing the King of Beasts.
The spoor now led us along sandy |
path, where we could follow it as fast
as we could walk. When It turned OF
into the bush we quite expected TO see
the lion at any moment but not a bit
OF it-ho wandered about through
endless clumps OF mim0sa a~d "irgin'
bushes as If he did net mean to lie
up at all.
The track at last ed US down a
little sandy watercourse, which IL fol- |
lowed for some distance. Up TO this |
time we had had no real difficulty |
in making It out. but now came our |
first serious check. The nullah turned |
on along the side of a stony ridge, |
and, instead OF going along It. the |
lion had turned up the hlll. We had |
got the general direction tn" the lion I
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 whore there |
was somo sandy ground. We could find |
no sign Of his having passed in that |
We spent some time hunt /
ing about growing less hopeful as 4
time went on. A man following a /
trail by sight certainly has an enor-
nous advantage over hound hunting /
Il by nose, because time is Of no ,
particular object TO him, aud every /
direction can be tried in turn. After .
making out cast forward We went .
back to the little water-course. and /
that down for some distance. /
hoping that the lion had turned doWa !
'ill again; but here, too. we were dis /
and graytated back 10
where we had first lost the spoor We |
knew that tho lion had not gone
~ ,ight on, nor had he turned back:
be must have gone along the top of
The ridge and then crossed into other
stony Hills where Is was hopeless TO
try 10 track him.
Abdullah. who Is never defeated.
said there was a big riyorbed further
ln In the direction in which the lion
VAS going Il seemed a very slender
as he might have turned on
anywhere .) between. but IL was the
lnly one, so OH we went We were
evidently in luck that day. for We had :
lnly gone about a quarter Of a mile
when We struck the spoor The lion
'eemed now 90 have made up his
mind as 10 his direction, for he kept
IN straight down the middle OF the
'lver-bcd. The sun had ccme out from
behind the clouds and In places tho
and was very deep, so that W. were
not sorry when at last the track led
nto little island OF bush In the
treat fat sand. There was no doubt
he lion was at home, FOR ON casting
ound no sign was perceptlble Of
rack coming out The island, raised
little above the river-bed was |
ormed OF "a mass Of thick-tungled !
lush and creepors clustered round a
ew big trees The water coming aown
he rive after heavy rain had washo
/ roughly into the form OF triangle,
-. s------------------------