Show A im bem ING gai 41 A t J 11 0 aw 35 A soldiers alp game gam huntin ir IV g by gen powell F R G 5 through drough alt all the horld the name cf of baden vowell powell soldier ami and list is is celebrated and but few people inow blow that vint he has the ability to shine cy of his ht s pen and brush as we the hero of mafe kag and a dozen joien other campaigns filled in the gaps bel iteen military villi tary engagements butth A hunting huntin ff wd and chit sport w in vi war ar some dramatic ad dentures ten tures sprinkled bits of rare humor and caustic comment A it most tin usual feature is the reckless idail in chich he hunted with military oms arnis instead of the customary heap MS ons for bey game ry HAT kind of sport did you aw have out there Is the question with which men have as a rule greeted one on return from the campaign in rhode sla la and one could truthfully say we had excellent sport I 1 am about when the nine arose and unit yawned and stretched their massive jaws jaw and limbs the patrol remembering the old maxim concerning the relations between discretion ana anti valor changed the course ot of their advance and took another aijo ther line one time when I 1 was patrolling the bank 0 of the nl river with three men the massive form 0 of a lion was seen slowly moving over the boulders ot of the riverbed the cor and I 1 jumped oc of our horses in a moment and fired a volley olley a deux beux at about yards one shut shot thudded I 1 into nto him the other stalling ing the ground just under his belly he lie sprang with a light bound over a iok and disappeared from our view posting one man on a big hegt point on the bank to watch the riverbed an i leavina III the 10 ther in charse charge of our horses thi th i corporal cot col and I 1 made our way don to where we had last seen the lion we were armed with lee carbines and we turned on aur our magazines in order to have a good running fire available should our quarry demand it meantime Slean time our main body coming along the opposite bank of the river ha hat I 1 seen been our maneuver and an ofil and one man had come down into the riverbed from their side to help us gradually and cautiously we sur rounded the spot where we guessed the lion to be cautiously at least as ti tar far as three of us were concerned the fourth the man who had come from the main body budy waa was moving in a j far freer and more confident manner than any of ns us could boast he be clam bared over the rocks and sprang with agility into the most likely corners comers for finding a wounded lion lying am bushed and his sole weapon waa was his revolver for he was a farrier such la Is tommy atkins whether it la is the outcome of sheer pluck or ot of agnor ance or ot of both combined the act fact remains that he will sail gayly in where danger lies and as often na not sail gayly out again however to continue at last we 7 THE LION TOSSED UP HIS SHAGGY HEAD to tell of facing hone lions with a email small caliber military rifle an adventure to brill thrill army sportsman in the first place scouting played a wy ery prominent part in the iries ries to major operations this scouting to be ne one a going with the ver very y slenderest len derest escort frequently wl with th man only to look after the horses id d for or long distances away from our aa ai body into the districts occupied ir T the enemy and by big game thus no n was thrown entirely on anoa own with the stimulating knowl dee dge that if I 1 ho he di d I 1 not maintain a suf out lent dent alertness of observation and atlon he be stood a vory good chance added not only of 0 falling failing to gain in orai atlon which you were desired to eek k but also of getting himself wiped stand ut and left in stress on the veldt Po oring or tracking was our ain source of guidance and In forma ton an ani I 1 night the cover under which 9 13 were able to make our way about he enemy s country with impunity the pleasures of the pursuit of aral me were all the more enhanced b by y ae he kno knowledge that the meat was eally hy necessary to us and especially 1 the fact that we often carried out r port at the rik risk of being our nes es the of quarry some sneaking ind d ot of rebel warriors angers of camping in the lion country adoreo llor coyer to all our tun fun a seasoning 11 a W I 1 in the shape of lions eunce or propinquity was very fre bently impressed sed upon us at nights y deep toned grunts or ghostly ap aton within the halo balo of our watch ree es in de defiance flance of tho the rubs rules of war hf h forbid ald the use of firm by t ai guiding an night at pa tha hal I 1 a ranc of bright ires fires ilog round our bivouac to scare AT th lons lions ol 01 ay day we e saw them too one pa indeed caine upon a grout of nc ile lying ling dozing in the bush and were on the spot but no lion wa was 5 there therean an occasional plash splash of 0 blood and here and there where sand lay between the rocks the impress of a mighty might v paw showed that ho he had mored moved away after being hit dut but boon soon all traces ceased and though we searched for long we could find no other sign of ot him outwitted by the jungle king we halted on the river bank during the intense heat of the day and before resuming our march in the even ing we sallied out once more to search scorch the river riverbed bed and an islet grown with bushes where we hoped he be and while we nye searched the hussar who had bad been assigned to me to bold hold my horse and who was the man who in the morning had been posted to watch the river riverbed bed asked I 1 how ilow many lions are there suppose supposed d to be here herel I 1 toll him only the one we fired at this morning whereupon he be grimly said oh I 1 saw him go aawar up the river when you went down it tie ile as a dragging bis his hindquarters after hirn him it appeared that the man thought he had been posted to guard ag dinst surprise by an enemy and did not hot realize that vae e being down anong an ong the rocks could not see the lion aich abich his lookout pace place was so visible fron and so we lost that lion but I 1 hat ha I 1 better luck another time it stands thus recorded in my diara october to be marked with a red mark when I 1 can ret a red pen jackson and a native buy lwy acell compin led me scouting this morning we three started off at 3 a in in moving round the hill that overlooks our ou camp we raw saw a match struck truck h high agh of the mountain up near tho the top this one little told us a 9 good 11 deal it showed that the nemy were there that hoy were awa own ie te an I 1 alert they because one ong 1 1 I nay may gle would duld 11 dare to be ui ur t there h er 1 by himself in the dark and they were force bing being at Pos a aware ae e of our aw I 1 las as otherwise they v not be oc cupping this hill however they could not see adv thing ng of us as it was then quite dark and we went farther on among the mountains in the e parly arly morning light we crowed the deep rl river vered led ot of tho the river and in do ing so noticed the fresh spoor of a lion in the sand we tent ent on and had a good look at the enemy a stronghold and on an our way nay back as we ap preached pro ached this river bed agreed to go quietly in case tho the lien lion should be bp moving about in it on looking looting down over the bank my heart jumped into my mouth when I 1 saw a grand old brute just walking in behind a bush jackson did lid not see him but was off his horse as quickly as I 1 was and ready with his gun too ready indeed for the moment that the lion appeared walking majestically out from behind the bush that had hidden him jack eon son fired hurriedly ett aking the ground under his foot and as we afterwards discovered knocking off one of chiq claws the lion tossed up his shaggy head and looked at us in dignified surprise then I 1 fired and hit bit him with a leaden bullet from the lee Alet mattord tord he lie reeled sprang round and staggered I 1 a few paces when jackson who was using a martini henry let his him have one in the shoulder this knocked him over sideways and lie be turned about growling savagely 1 I could scarcely believe that we had got a lion at last but resolved 0 o make sure of it eo so telling jackson not to fire unless it was necessary tor for fear of spoiling the skin with the larger bullet of the Al martini artini I 1 went down closer to the beast and fired a shot at the back of his neck as he turned his head momentarily away from me the bullet bullot went through his spine and came out through the lowe law killing him I 1 A e were pretty delighted at our J but our was mad with happiness for a dead lion provided he Is not a man eater has many in valuable gifts for a kaffir in the shape of lov love charms against dis dig ease or injury and medicines that produce bravery it was quite delightful to shake hands with the mighty paws of tho the dead lion to pull at his magnificent tawny mane and to look into his great deep yellow eyes then we set 0 to o work to skin him to of us skinning while the other kept watch in case of tho the enemy sneaking up to catch us while we were thus occupied we found that he was tat fat and also that he bad been much wounded by porcupines portions of ot whose quills lid loul pierced the skin and lodged in his aleah in several places our cut out the eyes gall gail blad der and various bits ot of the lions anatomy as fetich medicine I 1 oiled filled my carbine bucket with some of the fat as I 1 knew my two boys diamond and at tint would very greatly value it then after hiding the head in a neighboring bush where we could find it again we packed the skin on to one of the ponies ami and returned to camp mightily pleased with our selves by permission of longman green co new york copyright by benj D hampton |