| Show tae liopo by percy selous i hereter guns are made and sold and game is hunted for the sake of the sport of it the name of selow is familiar the stories of his cecle the globe and tens of 11 sands of lesser hunters eel 1 oi ored to haie hunted aith jm on or aaion or to have crossel us or followed his trail A confirmed nomad a soldier of the chase by predilection he 7 as 1 is life hi ti appino and sometimes in the ca nadian woods sometimes in the for ests of the andes sometimes in the passes of ta e central asian moun bains sometimes times in the northern ico es in the african jungle and the stor of his hunting elpe bences is of fact an I 1 ad denture 1 of this fabious of inthis is accompanying theodore roosebelt Roos eielt into the jungles of fast E HAD had very little sleep all night owing to the prowling around and roar ing of lions attracted by the of a giraffe which I 1 had shot the pre 8 afternoon and had had dragged bod ly up to the wagon the night was homeier so dark that I 1 could not get a view and although I 1 once thought I 1 could make out the form of a lioness in the gloom I 1 concluded it was not best to fire as in the event of my only wounding her she would have had much in her favor should she have attacked us in such darkness all we had left of the giraffe was represented by a few splinters of bone which the hyenas had polished after the lion had gorged himself for some distance along the river bank the country was pretty well wooded whilst away to the north stretched the kalahari dotted here and there with scant timber clumps but otherwise vast sea of sand I 1 did not take my horse as he was a bit stiff from the tumble of the day before he had also somewhat renewed his lameness which was scarcely to be wondered at conald ering the country I 1 had ben ga loping him over on the track of a lioness the brush was so thick that it was next to impossible to get through it and therefore as it was clear around and there as no fear of making a con fla gration I 1 set fire to it as the best apparent means of ousting our game telling bob my driver to keep close behind me I 1 went a little fur ther round the cover and was lust in time to see a lioness break away but so far off that I 1 did not fire preferring to let her go in hopes of getting a more favorable chance tor a shot by this time the blaze had got so powerful that we too were glad to get away from it the lioness made straight for an other bit of brush whither we went after her and though the thorns were quite thick enough I 1 decided to follow her in my boy did not relish accod lanying me nor could I 1 exactly blame him tor though a fair hunter and a brave enough lad in ordinary he did not like lions his father having been killed and his brother badly mauled by one it was rather difficult keeping her but after some trouble and considerable wear and tear I 1 espied her lying on a bare spot watching me intently her head was resting be tween her paws and as quickly as pos sible I 1 fired between her eyes and could have sworn I 1 planted the bullet there for she was not above thirty paces from me turning to take my spare carbine from bob I 1 found that he had vanished but the lioness never stirred and I 1 was hurriedly reloading when she suddenly jumped up and dashed further into the thicket language relieves the feelings if nothing more so after having anathematized poor bob I 1 once more plunged after the lioness won dering how our next meeting would come off there was plenty of blood just where her head had lain and also enough to guide me easily on the racks she had taken indeed before was aware of it I 1 was almost on top of her stepping steadily backshie back she lay from me I 1 drew another bead between her ears at the base of her sk ill and let fly this time there I 1 could be no doubt as to its being et for as I 1 tood I 1 could see where the bullet bored right into her brain the lioness never so much as moved so I 1 stepped up and examined her my first bullet had struck her too low beneath the eyes to reach her brain it had torn through the cartil age of the nose and down her throat momentarily stunning and so ing her that her last ansh was a ran dom one but she was dead to all in tents and purposes and doubtless was not in need of my second ball her skin was simply of no value and could only have been an eyesore so I 1 did not bother to take it off only keeping her skull and returned to the dagou to rate my heedless driver sound awakened by the roar of a lion my theory was that a lioness would probably pio bably not be altogether solitary as is sometimes the case with animals 0 the male sex acting on this cypoth esis I 1 determined to cast around and see it I 1 could not make out further olans of lions I 1 did not need meat there was plenty tor some time and the additional excitement attached to hunting such game as I 1 was after had a great fascination it was no use my talking to bob and the other boy bould probably have fled at the first of a previous encounter in which I 1 had been knocked senseless by a lion in a death charge flitted through my brain it I 1 bad only had a dog I 1 should not have thought anything ot it but my doubts were speedily dismissed and I 1 stepped briskly foward A lion dies a lot easier than a grizzly bear or a jaguar as I 1 had proved and even a deer with a bullet through its heart will go farther before it succumbs of the tiger I 1 cannot speak but the leopard the jaguar as also the p ima or mountain lion partake more 0 the cat tenacity 0 life than does the lion of south africa tracking on high ground the spoor led away some higher ground intertwined with a tan aled growth of creepers and which looked just like the kind of harbor my game would be likely to take refuge in I 1 even thought I 1 could discern some moving objects there anyway I 1 followed the spoor right to where I 1 had calculated I 1 should find recent tracers of the lions it they had not left the vicinity and suddenly in the sun at full length among the rocky boul ders I 1 came across one As I 1 ap preached pro ached he lazily raised his head and looked at me at the same time utter ing a low growl as it annoyed at my intrusion As he did not seem in dined to move further and must have descended and climbed tl e side of the veil have missed seeing them there was quite a distance 0 bare veldt all around the cover I 1 was hunt ing through I 1 was just persuading myself that they must have sneaked away when a cub about the size 0 a newfound 1 land dog jumped out 0 a thick patch and stood gazing steadily at me I 1 did not dare to empty my barrel at it tor I 1 felt that its mother was near by in a minute or so another cub followed the first an I 1 al took a good look at my doubtless unexpected person and whilst my ideas were somewhat contused as to the really best course to pursue a fine old lioness marched grandly out and stationed herself beside her progeny at the same time flying me in anything but a pleasant manner with her penetrating orbs of almost indescribable green getting a lioness with her cubs I 1 dont think she meant charging however one can tell intuitively pret ty correctly when this Is going to hap pen and I 1 believe she would have gone q away and taken her cubs alth her if I 1 ha J not interfered the tenets venti ate 1 by a certain ex clorer of prominence who evidently considers it a heinous crime to kill lions and similar gentle useful crea tures had not then come to my knowl odge not that they would have influx encee me a bit it such hal been the A MOMENT OF DEADLY PERIL DURING A HUNT sight of a lion so I 1 started off myself and tramped about until I 1 was pretty well exhausted without finding any further indications of Isi louan much disgusted I 1 returned to camp pleased that I 1 had not decided to and trek farther without satisfying my self that I 1 had not passed a lion by for I 1 meant moving as soon as ever the moon was old enough to guide us at all that evening I 1 whiled away the time while daylight lasted in cleaning the skull of the lioness and entering up my diary for the last week or so my clothing also sadly needed patch ing up after the wait a bit thorns of the day before then I 1 turned in early and was soon in the realm of dream land to be awakened by the un able i oar of a lion I 1 had been right after all but only I 1 felt half pleased at being disturbed 1 there was nothing for it but to mount guard again and another broken night s rest was the consequence still the animals did not seem to approach any nearer by the sound they were close by the water As soon 14 the morning snack was oter I 1 set the boys to work to get everything in readiness for in spanning and started off once again this time keeping close along the bank of the river as the most likely way of coming across the spoor of the lion I 1 still thought it prudent to rest my horse as when we got far ther out into the veldt I 1 should find it much more difficult to dispense with him than where I 1 then was with pretty well of cover A couple of miles down the liver I 1 found where the lions had been drinking there were several of them three anyway as I 1 could dis from the pug marks two full grown ones and a cub or cubs this discovery caused me to reflect a bit s to the wisdom of proceeding single handed however I 1 must either give up the idea of the h mt altogether or tackle them myself for I 1 had no confidence in the boys at such work and 1 would much rather be without them than with them yet I 1 felt it was a risky undertaking and recollections little aloof which intervened between us before he could reach me though I 1 did not anticipate this I 1 walked on towards him till I 1 got to my side of the ravine about thirty paces from him he now seemed as it he had thought that he bad permitted me to encroach far enough on to his domain and raised himself on his tore quarters the tip of his tail twitching in a man ner which I 1 knew meant mischief should I 1 wound him it he moved away I 1 might not get a better chance though I 1 wished the distance had been less but on such occasions as these it does not do to hesitate long so I 1 took aim at his shoulder which presented a fair mark and as I 1 fired he fell over with a roar which was answered some little way off doubtless by his mate I 1 speedily got another cartridge in and as he lay writhing I 1 ran down the bank and up towards him he re covered a little as I 1 got nearer cover ing him all the while and made a futile attempt to charge me As be did so I 1 gave him another shot in the chest dropping him though he was up again directly ar 1 glaring at me viciously again his roars were an but I 1 could see no signs of any other lions in tact I 1 darel not take my eyes more than an instant off the one I 1 had in hand I 1 kept moving steadily up to him and hav ing got as near as I 1 thought advis able just as he seemed about to make another effort to come at me I 1 got a thirl bullet into him tris time catch ing him right in the ear and finishing him lie was a fully grown young male with a pretty fair mane but noth ng like so fine as others I 1 have met with I 1 measured him by step ping after I 1 hal hed him out and his length from snout end to tip of tall as a little over ten feet I 1 had no time then to see farther to him but set about searching for the other lions which still in the underbrush adjoining but though I 1 beat almost every vard as I 1 thought of cover I 1 could not come across them they lay so close had they the open I 1 could not very case and her rich tawny skin was sufficient temptation tor me so I 1 aimed at her throat which I 1 resents a much easier and safer mark than that of the lion with its matted and tan aled mani sufficient at times to offer considerable impediment to a bullet she must have raised her head as I 1 fired for my ball passed harmlessly by fortunately too tor me missing the youngster immediately behind her or a pretty hullabaloo might have been the result all the same I 1 was in no enviable position with my car bine empty in close proximity to these three cats I 1 followed the ol 01 1 a lago of keeping my eye intently fixed on that of the lioness whether that had anything to do with her refraining from charging I 1 will no creten preten 1 to say but she did remain still whilst I 1 mechanically reloaded and as roe brought up my weapon taking more careful aim this time I 1 potted her right in her white cravat sending her in a somersault over the young ones to their no little astonish ment and what with the roaring 0 the lioness and the row made by the cubs there was quite a bedlam then appearing to realize their danger they suddenly van ishol nto cover again rather to my relief my lioness aled so violently abit it was difficult to finish her off but at last she gave me a chance to put her out of her misery by a b illet through her brain As soon as she lay till I 1 seated my self uron her ani elite 1 for the reap bearance pe arance of the cubs but although I 1 stayed until the sun ha 1 got very low I 1 never saw anything more of either of them I 1 therefore whipped oft her bide an 1 rollar g it up beturne 1 to the lion ani serve 1 him likewise getting through with the job before dusk the henis could now worry at the car casses though I 1 hoped I 1 might find the skulls in the morning making my two skins into a bundle though an unwieldy one I 1 carried it all right back to the wagon by permission of longmans green co new york copyright luj by den II ampton |
