Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-11

with his rifle. No lions. A brief search and
close to the veranda we found the pug marks
of four one set five inches or more across We
flashed the lamp around again. Not trace.
Unless the lions had passed through the camp
they must have gone down into the open
vlei near the vegetable garden. We started
after them ~
At the edge of the vlei we flashed the lamp
again. Eight glowing eyes shone up at once
on the farther side. We pushed forward.
Half way across we flashed the lamp again, for
it Is nerve-trying to walk toward lions in pitch
blaclness. There, not hundred yards ahead
of us, were four lions. A huge male climbed
an anthil In the beam of light and turned to
have a better look at u.s.
We hesitated Lions loom awesome and huge
at night. Should we go closer or take shot
from where we were? Swapping OF the lamp
we went closer. At 30 yards we stopped again.
AS the brilliant beam stabbed the night raised
my rife. Longone my gunbearer, was holding
the lamp high above our heads so that we could
see the sights on our rifles.
fired. A flash of red creased through the
rays Of light. AS snapped open my rife to
reload I saw the lion flop backward of the
anthill. I had hit him. ..
Frank fired at a pair Of eyes. The light
showed nothing but a black weld stfII and
silent. Not growl not a sound came to US
except the ehattering in the camp behind. We
swung the lamp. Far away a pair Of eyes
glowed and then vanished as their owner turned
its head. rustling in the grass. We whirled.
The rays of the lamp searched the open ex-
panSe Of two-foot grass around u.s. Nothing to
be seen. But that rushing sound. A wounded
lion stalking US belly to the ground? Ours was
not favorable position. We backed away
toward the rise near camp Then suddenly
we ran
Longone was last. Frank slipped lay a
moment and then as If life might be worth
something after all leaped to his feet and
sprinted with the rest Of us. We could not
have done anything more foolish. Six or seven
men armed and running in the dark to escape
a wounded lion. But we did It and reached
the higher ground, courage and sense returned.
We faced about The rustling, padding in the
grass was right before Rifles came up.
Longone trained the lamp. The lion If it
emerged would not have a ghost of q chance.
The ruStling near the edge. The grass
swayed and parted and out rushed an Airedale
dog.
never felt more foolish In my life SOberly
we returned and very senSbly confessed. In
the morning a careful search about the anthin
showed several bullet scars, but not O trace of
blood We had all missed. And am DOT
ashamed to say that do not regret it. We
had plenty of thrills and excitement and q
dead animal Is very little satisfaction, even
though it be q big lion. The turning loose of
full-grown lions even in kraal or pen Is an
uncertain sort of business. Particularly SO IL
it happens to be unfamiliar work.
We required a scene which would show a lion
proving about a cattle kraal at night. It did
not seem that it would be difficult scene TO
stage, but as it was of our first attempts
we took many precautions. The entrances to
our cattle kraals were in q corner The main
oxen kraaI was a square, walled with strong
poles set close to each other in the ground
and olAshed together with, raNhide. = The COW
kraat jutted out from one half Of the main enc,
AKA ossa7I4a, ee~ sstsFT s4a7"ys AFR ss5Tts
rgtst ~ sass. as8e pr't t'tCS -