AN ADVENTURE WITH LIONS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1984, 31 October 1888, Page 3

AN ADVENTURE WITH LIONS

It nasbriifly announced a few days ago (aays the "Gold Fields rimes," a Sou J. African paper), that the Lmddroot of Birhorton and O.mmandant Wmtorbach, on their recent tour of inspection m the direction of Dalagca Bay, met with an encounter with lions, bat very few of our readers ara really awars of tho notions riake whioh tho party ran dating the brief bat exceedingly unpleasant i itervtovr they hid with the "K'ng of Baaa'a." The party, consisting of tho Landdrca*, the Commandant and another, were on (ho northern aide of the Kom-t'e, about forty miles from Moveni. They were riding along, endeavoring to rca?h a piece of eheltor for the night, bat ra tiny had mistaken the diatacoe they wero overtaken by night on tho open veldt. Suddenly they we: 9 brought to a Btandallll en hearing a low growl ahead of them, and i peering into the dask they were just able to dlotloguiah the outlines of a oonplo of lions apparently about fifty feet In front. The only weapon m tho possession of the travollera was a single revolver, and tho commandant who la an experienced hunter, therefore qalokly planned tho coarse to be adopted About 200 yards off was a small patoh of bush veldt, and he told the party to gradually make for It, but to keep their faoea to the Hone. In the meantime and «a rapidly as possible 1 few handfuls of grata were palled and these were set fire to, the party retracing a abort distance, whon this exparlment was repeated. The matches threatened to ran short, bat finally the bash w»b reached after one of the rcoa 1 . exciting five minutes probably that any cf them had ever spent. A large fire waa then mado, and the lions were kopt at a safe distance during the rest of the night, which was tpent by tho travellers more m watohfulneis than m sleep. Had presence of mind forsaken any one m the party this story would have probably had a more tragic ending. 1