LIONS AS PACEMAKERS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 184, 4 August 1900, Page 4 (Supplement)

LIONS AS PACEMAKERS.

RISKY CYCLING TRIPS.

Uganda, in Central Africa, Is not an Ideal j place for cyclists to spend a summer holiday at. .;

Yet there are cyclists in Uganda who apparently enjoy their wheeling, though the!, tranquil pleasures of the pastime may at ■ any tkne be rudely interrupted by the appearance of a hungry Hon. ,^

Mr Albert B. Lloyd, In his exploration of . Uganda, made considerable use of his bl-, cycle. One day he set off on his machine J to visit a mission station some miles away, :

All went well until he found his way;; | blocked by an enormous lion, which .was !.;

lying right in his path, his head in. the, ? direction from which the cyclist was com-;! ing. , , ■;

There was little time to think; only a.■■ few yards separated the wheelman and the i animal. .:

TO STOP AND TURN BACK

was impossible; the very attempt would

probably mean pulling up right under the : ! jaws of the ferocious beast. So Mr Lloyd , rang his bell violently, shouted fiercely, and \

charged the lion,

The lion was apparently petrified at the strange apparition whirling towards him.' Never before in all his leonine career had , such an object presented Itself to his gaze, He pulled himself together with a mighty effort, gave vent to a yell of dismay, and -c ' bounded on one side.

Mr Lloyd just squeezed by and swept past." in a cloud of dust,'to leave the lion sitting on haunches gazing, with a look of blank ' astonishment on his face, at^ the rapidly ; disappearing cycle. ■ * • Another cyclist once had the thrilling ex- ' perlence of being chased 14 miles by a lion. \ i The cyclist had paused in the forest for a ' rest when suddenly a huge male lion sprahfc • out of the bushes and paused In the middle of the path preparatory to making a spring, ' I The cyclist seized his machine, fell into the saddle, and made off, head down, for dear life. The lion, baulked, gave a tre- '/ mendous roar and set off in pursuit. Tlie : state of mind of the wheelman It is safe to sa_y was the reverse of happy when he ,-v heard the beat of the lion's paws on the ' ground behind him. But he kept at his ' work with all his energy, and rode as he ' i had never ridden before. ~, At first the lion rapidly gained, but a long ! downhill stretch gave the cyclist an ad- ' , vantage. It was a stern chase. Sometimes v ; , the lion gained and sometimes the cyclist , and it was not until 14 miles had been coy- [: ered that the King of the Forest threw up the sponge and retired from the contest in disgust. There are better countries for cycling I than Uganda, •