About The Future citizen. (Milledgeville, Ga.) 1914-???? | View Entire Issue (July 29, 1916)
\\\ r HE FUTUKli Oil IZEN. CAut * \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
