Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-10-31
LIONS EVERYWHERE.

LIONS EVERYWHERE.
A Hunting Adventure in British East
| Africa.
| Describing an encounter with IL
ons in British East Africa, the Field
says: I'VE set out in the morning,
my brother following the course Of
the river Tiba, a tributary Of the Tana
river, and l making for the plains,
where the grass had all been burned
off with exception of the river bank)
and looked a very likely spot for IL
ons. Having sighted. some Impalla
antelope and finding on closer in
spection that there was a fair head
among them, l proceeded to stalk
them. At 300 yards I fired at the
finest buck and the bullet told, but
too far back. Separating from the
herd, he went in a direction for the
river On walking to the brow Of the
hill over which he had disappeared,
heard a growl, and looking in the
direction saw a lioness. She was then
about $50 yards from me and was
lying, or rather crouching, at the
edge of a small patch Of grass that
lined the river bank. At $50 yards,
taking my .450. I fired, but the shot
carried too high; on my second shot
she sprang right up in the air. and
then turned into the grass. There,
eh
another lioness which I had not seen.
ION my right was the river and
about twelve yards in front Of me
was a patch Of grass which had been
hattened Gown by a hippopotamus;
the river was not more than eight
Yards from me. The beaters entered
the grass with my brother and kept
their sticks moving well. Suddenly
there was a shout, Look out, she
is coming!" AS she came nearer L
perceived the grass moving but could
not see her. l therefore waited till
she reached the patch of trampled
grass and then fired. The first bull
let took her we'll in the shoulder and
checked her. On receiving the sec
ond she gave a dying spring which
landed her in the river, where she
sank like a stone.
| ut was at our next camp where my
brother killed five lions in three hours
and got his horse and syce mauled,
though he himself got off without
scratch. The following Is his account
of the adventure:
| ION the morning Of October L
set out to try for an Gland. and after
a short march came on fine herd,
but they got our wind and stampeded.
A fine bull eland l was anxious to
get, but he would keep right in the
enter Of the herd, so l sent my sec
ond gun bearer with my light rifle
and cartridge bag containing am
lmunition for both to get round the
o,her side Of the herd. This he did,
and the herd split up. 1 took four
long shots at the big eland with my
.45O, but failed to hit, as they were
400 yards off and going strong. The
bull disappeared over a slight rise
into some thorn scrub, and so had
my second gun bearer. -.
ION topping this rise the Somali
land | saw twelve lions about 100 yards
off, moving at a quick walk through
this thorn scrub. One lioness stop
i ped and looked around; she only
showed her shoulder, at which l fired,
and hit her hard. We then followed
her up quickly and found her under
a bush, when on my second shot sne
rolled over dead.
Icy this time the other lions had
moved off, so 1 blew my whistle for
my second gun bearer, as wished to
lreplenish my cartridges. We heard
a shot quite near and knew that ne
had seen the lions. On following him
lin the direction of the shot we came
on eight of them Immediately across
our front, and about $50 yards or.
Having shortened the range by fifty
yards, 1 fired at the biggest one lead
ling the pack. My first two shots car
ried high, but the third took him
high up in the front shoulder, put
ting him Immediately out Of action.
Feeling in my pocket for more car
ltridges, found that 1 had run out
Of them, and had also exhausted the
small number that my Somali car
ried for my .450. At this moment
two lionesses, seeing their mate roll
ling over and over, ran up to him, and
1.-The Somali started to run, and
called to me to do the. same, but
knowing there was no tree large
enough within 1000 yards, 1 called
out, 1T is no use running" and
STOOD my ground, keeping my eyes
riveted on the big lioness which was
charging straight at me, the smaller
one keeping out on the left They
came ct full speed until within ten
yards, and then crouched. In the
meanwhile my gun bearer had re-
turned to my side and was standing
there with his hunting knife drawn.
said: 'Abubuker | am going to
charge. He said, No! MOI! but
knowing that it was the last resort,
and that they were crouching to
spring, 1 jumped forward. yelling as
loudly as possible, when, to our sur
prise and relief, they both turned and
fled In the meantime my other gun
bearer had been up a tree, and came
up cringing, with the tale that eight
lions had attacked him and pulled his
boots Off '"-London Globe.