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r HE FUTUKli Oil IZEN.
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\s ith her claws into hia side, threw ! slowly.
her front paws over his back, and j “The big cat seemed to lack the
buried her teeth in ■ his neck. The courage to his attack, bit , l0 „d
poor creaiuie went to the ground | there, threatening me until T had
as if shot, and tolling over on his [gained several paces on him. Then
side, brawled in the most pitful j he crouched low, his shoulder
manner. l>y this time a second j blades protuding above his back,
lioness had rushed in from behind, | and slunk off to the right, in an
aud 1 turned just as she was about effort to get behind me. L kept
to spring—at me to till appearances ;\ lacing him. however, and finding
but she leaped clear over my head j himself baffled, he stood for a se-
and landed squarely on the back of >cond, then he came for me like a
the bullock already down.
“The fall of the wounded bullock
brought the stone boat to a halt,
and the frantic struggles of its
frightened companion broke the
yoke. Away he went over the veal,
just as t lie third lion came charging
“P-
vShe, too, was coming straight
for me ; but seeing the loose, ox
that had veered off, site changed
her course for him and as she pass
ed me not ten feet away, I brought
the bull-whip over her back with
all my force.
Without altering her course or
slackening her speed in the least,
she turned her head and showed
her contempt by snarling as she
shot past. In tour more bounds she
had overtaking her prey and pulled
It to the ground.
“The two other lionesses had
shot, growling hoarsely, his jaws
wide open.
“At ihe very instant that he was
about to spring, the whiplash all
but cut him in the face, which
again brought him roan erect posit
ion Once more 1 began backing
toward home, and again gained
several yards before be came to his
full senses, lie was getting ac
custotned to the harmless crack of
the bullwhip, and 1 knew that soon
it would have no effect upon him.
“At th.e present rate of progress
it would be but a very few minutes
before he would gel within '■priug-
iwf,' distance, and once he sprang
at me, L should be as helpless as a
mouse in ilie jaws of a cat.
1 was debating as to v/hetl er 1
should make a rush at him, in an
attempt to intimidate him, when
I heard a shot from behind me. The
killed their bullock, and for the lion fell to th.e ground mortallv
first time I bad realized that they j wounded, but raised himself upon
were likely at any moment to
atlact me, so 1 juinbed from the
stone-boat and bolted for home as
last as 1 could run. i had gone
but a few steps when I looked
back and saw the black and shaggy-
on his forefeet and growling sav
agelv, began to bite at his side.
“instantly I turned to run and
saw father, some four hundred
yards awav, spring from a kneel
ing position, snatch from the
ter line pace.
Tilers was no mistake this
he surely was after me, lor
was no cattle in his line of cl* irg.n
“It was useless for me to try to
outrun him, and to continue would
only give him courage. Realizing
this, I turned and faced the brute
as became within a hundred feet
ot me .1 cracked the bull-whip as
loud as 1 could. This had the effect
ol stopping him at fifteen paces
from me. And there we stopped, j Father in
lacing each other like two glad
iators, the lion lashing his tail,
wrinkling his nose and snarling
while I kept cracking the whip in
his very face and backing off
at it
grou nd
besi
de him a
second rifle,
and star
t to
ward me.
We ran for
time,
each at
the
lop oi ou
r speed, and
t bet e
as we me;,
father 1
landed me a
rifle, and L turned back to make
war upon my enemies.
“At the sound of the. shot, the
iwo lionesses turned run, 1 caught
one with my second bullet back ol
her shoulders, but too high to be
fatal. Instantly she wheeled and
came for us, grunting and growl
ing in a most aw 2 inspiring manner.
ilie meantime had got
in two shots at his lions, and had
wounded one, but seeing my lion
charging, he also began shooting at
her. The bullets seemed to have
we could see ilu.t we were hitting
her, she never s! tokened her speed.
On site came until within tbout
sixty yards, when she slowed down,
her head sank to the ground,' find
she fell dead.
“Instantly we turned our rifles
upon father's wounded lioness. Site
was mure than four hundred yards
away by this time, and making
toward a clump of thick thorn bush
es. Before site readied it however,
a bulle t from father’s rifle struck
her in the hind leg. She disappear
ed into the thicket, badly wounded.
“’rite back of the black maned
lion had been broken by the first
shot fired, and during the fight
with the other two he had been
growling and trying hard to reach
us, but we saw that there was no
danger to be feared from him.
“Father suggested that since he
had tried his best to make a meal of
me. it was my right to finish him,
so 1 advanced to close range and
planted a ball in bis heart. Even
then it was several seconds before
he threw up his head, gave several
gasps and fell over dead.
“A wounded lion in a bush is
a dangerous adversary even in
broad daylight, and in the dusk of
the evening indeed ft) attack one, ■
so we decided to let that one , re
main until morning.
“It was then that l learned how
father happened to appear on the
scene at tlie critical moment. My
brother, on leaving me, instead of
going directly home, had stopped
at the edge of the rocks to rest. He
had seen one ol ihe lions come out
of the cliff, and hurried home to
give tlie alarm.
“We skinned rite two lions that
night, and found the third one de t ( l
in the thicket the following morn
ing. Although we watched tit the
bullock carcasses that afternoon
and the next morning, hoping that
the other two lions might return to
it, they never did so. We were
however quite satisfied with three
had no effect whatever, forahhough ou ‘ ^ lve - ^ ur l ;l P er *
; V,‘ U Tin* T*"'® tv* AH Goo" t* C«w to The AW of Tbs Future CitW~* Hint
