Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-01-18
NEGROES sPEARED A LION.
Wonderful Exhibition Witnessed BY
Roosevelt In Africa.

Roosevelt In Africa.
A long stream of porters, says
Nairobi, West African dispatch of Dec.
II, 1909, came winding across the veldt
towards the station at Nairobi, look
ing for all the world like string OF
ants. The Stars and Stripes was held
aloft by a giant native and the sound
of horns made strange discords with
the chanting of the weird and elusive
Satir song. Shortly Col. Roosevelt ar
rived on the back of his favorite horse
tranquility" 1t was the end Of mis-
last trip in the British East African
protectorate. This safairi, which was
the fourth to be made of Nairobi, gave
Col. Roosevelt and his party an op-
portunity to witness an exciting hunt
at A. E. Hoy's farm at Sirgoi, in the
Guasu Nguiso country. The spearing
of a lion by a Nandi was feature.
Seventy of these spearmen had been
asked to take part in the drive, and
they assented readily, for when war
rior spears a lion he becomes lead
er Of the fighting section Of the tribe
and may wear head dress formed of
the lions name, and walk at the head
Of the file Of Nandi warriors when on
the march. In these hunts they dis
play extraordinary courage.
The band of seventy almost naked
men, with their long sharp spears and
attended by the chosen spectators, the
latter being mounted, proceeded down
a long valley where the grass was thick
and thorn trees lined it's edges. Very
soon a lion was observed not more
than 400 yards in front. Immediate
ly the warriors gave chase and In less
than two miles they had rounded up
the king of the wilderness. The horse
men then approached and 1t was seen
that the lion at bay was a fully grown,
black named one. The spearmen be-
gan their task Of surrounding the
quarry. Every man went to his al
lotted position. and the circle slowly
closed in on the snarling beast.
The warriors drew to within some
90 yards of him and the horsemen
closed up to see the kill, yet remain
ed a sufficient distance not to inter-
fere with the spearmen's movements
Three times the lion made a savage
charge at the now stationary warriors
hut stopped short each time with name
bristling, roaring in impotent rage at
his tormentors. Again the attacking
marty advanced to within 10 yards OF
their victim. One last desperate effort
and he drove directly at the line, only
70 fall with 10 spears quivering in his
body. But in that brief moment he
managed to drag down one of the ma
tives. his claws sinking into the mans
flesh.
The death of the king seemed to
awaken all the fire in the warriors
blood. They began to advance around
the BODY, waving their blood stained
spears, some of which were bent by
the force of the shock, holding their
shields above their heads and shouting
forth blood curdling yellS in the excess
Of their savage '"" over the victory.
In the meantime the injured man
was being given medical attention and
he bore the pain Of his wounds with
out sign of concern. He who had
first iabbed his spear through the lion
ioined in the dance at the start but
soon retired at a distance. seated him
self apparently Indifferent to the an
tics of his fellows. He was now lead
or of men and must therefore not
show sign that he had done anything
out of the ordinary.
The luck of Kermit Roosevelt has
been proverbial. While Col RooSe
welt was hunting with Lord Delamere.
Kermit went off with r. B. Cole and
his WanderObo warriors. The Wan
derobos are adopts at killing bongo
which are very rare and only can be
found in the forests. In short space
of time the younger Roosevelt had So
cured a large and fine specimen of the
female bongo and one Of the young
immature bongo This was a feat that
any old hunter might Justly be proud
Of. for no white man has ever before
stalked and shot a bongo. There are
only two cases on record Of a white
man shooting bongo with the aid of
the natives and their dogs so pleased
was one of the residents here with the
success of the youth that he presented
Kermit with a fine specimen Of the
male bongo, and so the Smithsonian
institution will have a complete fam
lily group, the only one in the world. |