Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1913-04-24

treating before the OF
white men in the shape of
sportsmen, these are too few at
present to threaten the lions
of the Portuguese Territory in East
Africa with any serious diminution
in their numbers-at least, where
these live far from the railway. But
they are gradually ~retreating further
into the great plains or tundras or
into the Urema Flats, writes W. l..
Pulley in Field.
But by far the best place for them
now is in the thick bush upon the
slopes of the Gorongoza range, where
they are practically unmolested by the
guns OF the few English who go to the
territory, for these, as a rule, avoid
the heights and keep to the plains.
where the game is far more abundant,
though perhaps not go varied in char
acter as upon the high weld. There
fore. except when one OF the few Por-
tuguese officials goes upon a hunting
expedition there, which is not often,
the lions have 1t all their W way,
and they have become SO numerous
upon the mountains that they have
gradually thinned the game, and are
now in consequence obliged to go
farther afield for their food, and are
a terror to the natives, who dare not
go along the dreaded road to Sena ex-
cept in large numbers, and If they
have to pass a night upon the dreaded
road. or rather track. which skirts the
mountains, they keep a sharp lookout
and make sounds which compare I'M
favorably with the roars of the lions.
Even so, II any native wanders from
his companions. or fingers behind, 1t
is pretty certain that before long he
will fall a victim to the savage beasts.
and only his remains will ever be
seen.
The Portuguese commandante Of the
province has several times been oblig-
ed in the course Of his official bust
ness to travel along the road to Sena.
which seems to be a synonym for lion
hunting, and when / was staying with
him a few months ago, he related some
of his experiences while travelling. It
e that, having to spend n
night on the way to his destination, he
arrived at a small native village and
made his camp q It.
Lions In the Camp.
"All at once" he said, 1.-THE boys
came into my tent and told me that
two. or perhaps three, lions were in
the camp, and, thinking they were too
near to be pleasant. I resolved to pass
the rest OF the night in the village.
Therefore, leaving all u provisions
and stores as they we're, ! spent the
night in one of the huts. while the
boys arranged themselves in the 9TH
ers. Next morning at dawn we went
back to the camp and found that after
we left, one Of the lions had sprung
upon my tent in search of human food,
and, finding his prey had escaped. he
and the others had turned upon the
stores and literally wrecked them.
Flour and other necessaries lay scat
tered all over the ground, and our
cases Of provisions had been torn
open, and all that could prove to be
food for the hungry lions had been
devoured, the rest being rendered use
less. It would seem that the beasts
had acted in revenge. for whatever
was Of no use to them had been
mauled past repair. and we had moth
ing whatever left either to eat OF to
use. Lions seem to act in this way
when baked OF their prey
Once | was travelling to the rail.
way at Bamboo creek, when a lion,
which had evidently been watching
our movements from the long grass
which grows on either side of the
track, quietly crossed the path close
behind my machilla. These animals
do not like the look OF a machilla,
which they do not understand. and,
therefore, when a white man is travel
ing, they allow this to pass; but in
this case--and II has happened to
other whites as well-the animal calm.
ly trotted across the track between
the machilla and the next boy. who
was a short distance behind. never
molesting the latter. but going on aft
er his prey.
"Mr. Barth, who owns q plantation
an the PunKwe. told me that n lion |