Year: 1875

The following interesting account of
a lions dinner is from a work entitled
Large Game in Southeastern Afri-
ca


Perhaps the most beautiful sight that
| ever saw in connection with them
was on morning when went ont to
hunt with one bearer at dawn. / had
not gone far from camp, and, most
carelessly. my gun was still unlOaded
while 1 was examining some buffalo
spOor, when, looking up, lsaw my gun
bearer, who had my cartridges, running
away at full speed. Knowing that he
must have seen something to frighten
him so, did not shOut, but went to
where he had been standing, few
yards ahead, and there, sure enough,
not twenty yards off were pair of
lions; they were both full grown and the
male had an immense name, altogether
as handsome pair as ever j saw. The
LiOness was rolling on her back, play
fully striking out at her lord and mas
ter with her paws like kitten, while
he stood gravely and majestically look
ing on. / stopped a moment to watch
them, though the ground was quite
open, and they must have seen me if
they looked around, and then rushed
off after my kaffir to load. The posi-
ton they were in was good, and
might have killed one to a GER
tainty, if not both; but when had
succeeded in getting him down from a
big tree and went back they had gone.
| suppose theymust have got our wind.
No doubt they had been hunting all
night, and been down to the river to
drink preparatory to gOin to bed.


/ Oncehad the pleasure OF, ,unObserved
myself, watching, lion family feed
ing. l was encamped on the Black Un-
ifOlsi, Zululand. and towards evening,
expecting a friend, went out to meet
him, and instead of taking gun which
l should have done ninety-nine times
out of hundred, l only took up one
of the Kafiir's spears not intending to
go over a couple of hundred yards.
However, not meeting my friend l
went about a half mile from camp. l
saw a herd of zebras gallOping toward
me, and when they were nearly two
hundred yards off, saw yellow body
flash towards the leader, and saw him
fall beneath the lions weight. There
was tall tree about sixty yards from
the place and anxiOustO see what went
on, l stalked up to it, while the lion
was too much occupied to look about
him, and climbed up. He had by this
time quite killed the beautifully striped
animal, but instead of proceeding to
eat il, he got up and roared vigorously
until there was an answer, and in a
few minutes liOness, accompanied by
fOLr whelps came trotting up from the
same direction as the zebra, which no
doubt she had been to drive towards
her husband.


They formed fine picture as they
all stood around the carcass, the whelps
tearing and biting at it but unable to
get through the tough skin. Tnen the
lion lay down, and the loness, driving
her offspring before her. did the same,
four or five yards off. upon which be
got up and commenced to eat. and had
soon finished hind leg, retiring few
yards on one side as soon as he had
done so. The hOness came up next, and
tore the carcass to shreds b0lting huge
mouthfuls. but not objecting to the
whelps eating as much as they could
find. There was a good deal of snarl-
ing among the young lions and occa-
sionally a stand up fight for a minute,
but their mother did not take any