IN A DILEMMA WITH A LION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 271, 4 June 1889, Page 3

IN A DILEMMA WITH A LION.

[ A LANCASHIRE STORY. (Pall Mall Budget.) In tHree parts. ; Pabt I. During the annual fair at Deepvale, known as " Rushbearing," a lion escaped from, a travelling menagerie. The fair ground, which ia just behind the hoebuck .inn, is traversed by Lord-street a one entrance end, but generally speaking is surrounded by .old and dilapidated houses. I am_ thus particular in location because of the events that fol- %■ lowed. . . . Perhaps the most enjoyable of the Lancashire fairs is the annual Rushtearing at Deeprale, supposed to b« ft Nm&Mt of t£t rtmot* tlmai wfc«

the young men and maidens went orthtocut rushes to strew- -«&.&$ ohurch; doors, and then, in festival array; held a country oarniv&l of dancing and feasting afterwards. Nowadays it is merely a three days' holiday, a procession of rustt-carta, a collection of penny shows, cnsus«s. swings, the blare of trumpets, gingerbread saloons^ , and sho-ting gaferies; and of course at such a local happening all tiie great cotton mills, weaving factories and warehouses are closed, andthe operatives are out "playing," to'-Use alocal expression, or to give the full significance of the sentence— "playing 'em wi aw their brass ..in .thei^iwlets * Thfrlion

For continuation*)/ reading iriattef w fourth page.

escaped on the second evening of the fair, prob-ibly about ten o'clock at night, half an houv after the menagerie had closed, awl under cover of a pouring wet nig'tit skirted the dilapidated houses, made his way unobserved into the open Lord street, down which it r..n a short distance. At the soot of Hill-street a dead dog, crushed and < mutilated , was found iv the morning. Hi 1-street, which «runs at right angles out of Loid-ißtreet, is a somewhat steep ascent ; more than halfway up this streefy in fact, just opposite the Baptist' chapel, a small butcher's shop haqhbeen broken into, the side of a sh'e«p dragged down and carried away. A black cinder lane leading from Hanging-road Mills, ai .cotton factory, nius into the street at the top. Tho iron mill-gates were open, as two workmen had pas=ed in, and down the cinder pathway, with its absence of lights, its sense of quiei, and its vista of darkness and gloom, the lion turned, no doubt, as to a welcome haven of refuge from the strange i^aslit streets and the noise of belated vehicles. Just how long the animal roamed the yard is not known but presently, attracted by the shelter and Jwannth of the large boiltr-house, it made its way iv there. The two man were inside one of the boilers, and had been engaged in "scaling" its interior; this is done with small hammers that knock and break away the incrustations or " scale caused by tho action of the water after a certain. length of usage. The men were working " overtime," but at the moment of the lion's entrance were desisting or resting from their labours. The top of the boilers were covered with a thick felt "clothing," thereby rendering footfalls inaudible," especially the stealthy cat-like tread of this strange intrud r. . • When Tom Fittoa- put his head through tb.3 man -ho eon the top of the boiler, preparatory to climbing out, he was greeted with a low growl ; thereupon ho disappeard, .^nd his promptness was : commendable —no one is brave in the dark. Having obtained the lantern from his fellow- wori man, Eogers, he again climbed up with the ligl)t in front of him, ?me rapidly running his eye along '.he level of the boilers, descried in the corner, against the whitewashed wall, a great brown moving mass. So little did Fitton realise what the object wns that he exclaimed in a tone of derision, 'Dick, here's some on them gowks playin' the f ule wi' us." " Chuck thy hammer at him," responded Kogers, cheerily. "Nay," said Fitton, " I canna mak it out weel," a- his puzzled gaze still dwelt on the corner ; '*' here,- thee. coom up thvsel," and ilia tjton .again.; again descended. Eogers at one interrogat d the stranger with a choice medley of condemnatory epi- j thets, and then turned white and sick ; the lion had ariseu, and stood with mane erect and blazing eyes', 'the man immediately divined the truth ; he had seeu the beast the day before the show, and sp-edily conjectured it had escaped. Fitton would not believe it and ! somewhat recklessly put his head out i again. The lion had seized a portion, j of the half-devolirerr -carcase and; stood defiantly watching him. It ' was evidently disturbed in a meal that it did not intend to relinquish. Hero was a terrible dilemma — two helpless men imprisoned iv a bjjiler* wifch such a warder standing *over them. , . . J Luckily they had, .a'g^wl supply'-^f I candles, even if the oil "in" the lamp gave < ut ; but the question., was, how, j to escape and give'tlie : alarm,' "uiid ? this consideration the bravo fellows ., at once of. They ,, were comparatively secure, as it was impossible for the lion to get through the man-hole, even if it attempted to , do so, which was unlikely. And the j consideration for others came nearer j home to them, though bolhioreLore i for a while to speak of it ; but presently Fitton said, " Mate, suppose the missus, should come after me?" Kogers said no' bin a. „. . " Or one of the childer,* lie ' added. The speaker looked at his watch, i was a quarter to eleven ; his house was just by the gates. " It's all reet," said Dick'Bogers with a cheery smile, " they're both, asleep at whoam, tired joul wi' tlifl day's fairiug " With '^neir senses ' rendered doubly acute .they could hear the great beast crunching the bones in the corudr, in the farthest corner, for after the man's sudden apearance and exit, it had, with a hoarse growl ai d dragging its j booty along, retreated as far as it cou'd go. The two men knew the watchman was somewhere on the premises, i probably in the countinghouse voom near tho entrance, where, if he wos not already asleep, he would in all likelihood await their return before going his rounds.' ' : r The prisoners lit two of the candles and prepared; to devise means of escape; several methods were proposed between them, but none seemed feasible. Their first idea had been to creato a sudden noise with their hammers on the reverberating boiler,- and frighten the brute away ; this they abandoned/ a,nd determined upon excessive quietness In the midst of the silence 'sounded a girl's sweot voice—" Dick. 1 ' (To be continued.)