An Adventure with a Lioness.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 236, 7 January 1888, Page 2

An Adventure with a Lioness.

While on a shooting expedition on the south-east coast of Africa several years ago (a correspondent of "The Field" says), a native came into my camp one day with the news of a woman having been taken by a lion just outside a village about 16 miles off. As I had up to then never hud the chance of shooting a lion, and being most anxious to do so, I at once started off for the village, taking a small tent and three natives with me. We arrived at the village just before dark, and pitched the tent outside it, After hearing an account of the woman's death, I turned in early, telling the men to keep watch in turn and never to let the circle of fires get low, or go outside them. The neglect of these precautions v/as the direct cause of the catastrophe which I am now about to relate. Shortly before dawn I was aroused by a fearful shriek and ciies of •• Simla ! Simla !" (lion ! lion) from the j men. Seizing my rifle, I rushed from the tent, and found that one of the i men had just been carried off. It appeared that one of the watchers had allowed the Hies to get low, and that this poor fellow, on relieving him, after putting fresh wood on the fires, had gone outside them for some purpose, and had at once been seized and carried off. It wns pitch dark ; but, snatching up blazing boughs from the fires, we rushed out in the hope of scaring her from her prey, and I fired my rifle. However, it was of no use. \\ c found where the lioness — for such it proved to be — had dragged off the man. But she had reached the bushes, and nothing more was to be done till daylight, which was eagerly watched for, further sleep being, oi course, quite out of the question. As soon 1 as it was light enough to see we started on the track, which was plain enough by the spots of blood and fragments of the unfortunate man's clothes. At length we came to the place where she had made her meal, leaving only the shattered skull and some bones. We followed eagerly in the track. Passing a water-hole where the brute had drunk, we came to a patch of long grass and thorns, into which it seemed madness to enter; so I sent back to the village to collect all the curs they had in order to try and beat the lioness out of the covert, which was an isolated patch, though there was a much larger one some qnarter of a mile off. When the dogs arrived, they at first rushed in valiantly, but a deep growl from the lioness sent them all out again in great haste with their tails between their legs, and nothing would persuade them to go in again. Fortunately the weather had baen dry for some time, so I determined to set the grass on fii c and post myself between this patch and the large covert, for which I expected she was sure to make. This was done with success ; the dry grass burnt well, and suddenly, with a roar, out she came, heading straight for me ; but, seeing me, she at once turned off, and with great bounds made across the open plain to another small thorn patch. Either from o*citement or over haste, I am ashamed to say I missed her with both barrels. The valiant curs now gave chase, but stopped outside the covert. However, on our coming up, two or three of the pluckiest of them, under the excitement of the moment, dashed in, when, with a roar, out she bounded, and crouched down on the sand with her head between her paws about twenty - five yards from me, lashing up the sand with her tail, so that the dust iiew up to such an extent that it was difficult to make certain of putting a bullet through her head. It was a critical position, as I expected her to charge at any instant ; however, she remained watching us. My gun-bearer was a plucky fellow, so leaving one rifle with him, and ordering him not to fire unless I called out to him, I took my 350 express and edged gradually round to one side of her. This move met with complete success, for she at once stool up irresolute, and jerked her tail up into the air, turning her head first towards me, then towards the gunbearer. As she turned her head I took aim at the point of hei shoulder, and pulled the trigger, keeping one finger on the other ready to put in the other barrel, but it v/as not needed. With a half roar, half groan, she gave one bound forward, and fell rolling over and over, tearing up the ground with mouth and claws. Soon her struggles ceased, ana she lay motionless. Throwing a few stones to make certain, we approached ; she was stone dead ; the bullet had taken her fair in the heart