Lion Shooting in South Africa.

Evening Star, Issue 7412, 6 January 1888, Page 3

Lion Shooting in South Africa.

[By "G.N.," in the 'Field.'] Some years ago the undulating plains of the Orango Free State were a game paradise, covered with troops of the fantastic capering gnu; blesboks in long heavy columns, sweeping by at a long racing gallop when disturbed by a passing traveller's waggon, and wheeling with all the regularity of welltrained cavalry ; with the beautiful springbucks, more capricious in their movements and undecided in their course; with brilliantly marked zebras, in squadrons more or less numerous; and ever and anon with a bison-like brindled gnu, lumberiDg along with less animated action, but at a pace and with staying powers with which few horses could compete. Then, of course, there were vast numbers of lions, hyenas, and jackals ever on the watch, and living an epicurean existence, the lions generally killing their meat, and the hyenaß and jackals gorging themselves on the leavings of the royal beasts, or occasionally pulling down a sick i or wounded animal on their own account. It was in the midst of a scene of this sort that I sat on the box of my waggon, interested in the ever ■ shifting multitudes within view, when the welcome sight of a large flock of guinea fowl caught my eye as they were feeding and chattering on a stony ridge hard by. My contemplative reverie was in a moment exchanged for a strong wish to get some of these birds, after having lived for some time on flavorless and dry antelope meat, which abounded ad nauseam in my camp ; and taking a light double shot-gun in hand, but luckily not forgetting to put a few bullets in my pocket, off I went in hot pursuit of these hardrunning speckled birds, and was nearing them on the top of the ridge when fch ugly growl at my feet brought me up short, and I then saw that I had nearly trod on two lion cubs about the size of Clumber spaniels, crouched among the tufts of grass. I had scarcely time to realise the situation, however, before I heard the ominous grunt of their dam, and saw her coining bounding along towards me with

o o o - A very truculent expression on her countenance, which made me feel exceedingly pacific with only No. 5 shot in the gun. As there Was no shelter, of a chance of beating a successful retreat, I stood still and decided not to fire till the lioness was within a few feet of the muzzles bf the gun; but, to my great relief, she halted about ten yards from me, and; being shortly joined by her family, turned slowly round, and jnade for a large boulder some thirty yards off, and ensconced herself behind it. Nothing was visible of her but the sable thft at the end of her tail, which was in motion, quickly sweeping the ground ; and I then sa,w she had made a false move, as the rock was climbable on my side, and apparently sheer upright over the spot she was reclining in. Slipping two balls into the gun over the shot, I was just advancing to see what could be done, when 1 saw one of my servants coming rapidly up to assist, and had just time to prevent him from blundering on to the lioness, and to get him to join me, v/hen we advanced cautiously towards the huge boulder, and Were soon on its summit, some eight feet above the enemy. Looking over the edge I saw the lioness knew nothing of our move, so, taking a steady aim, I sent a ball down between her shoulders, which was instantly fatal, and descending, we then captured the cubs at the expense of a few bites and scratches. The cubs I kept till I reached Algoa Bay, where they were sold for L 52. This occurred near Kaffir River, in the Orange Free State, where now one might aa soon expect to find a lion as to discover the unicorn.

The next occasion on which I came into close contact with one of these animals was some eighteen years ago, when on my way in a little cart, with two steady old oxen from my shanty near the Dwaarsberg, to procure meal at a frontier farm on the Marico River, a distance of about forty miles. Half an hour after starting the oxen suddenly stopped, and I then perceived three male lions lying in the grassy road just ahead. Having only one Kaffir with me, and fearing that the oxen might become unmanageable, I waited to see if these old fellows would gfit up out of the way; but, as they refused to move, I decided on taking a pot shot at the nearest. He got tho ball just behind the shoulder, bounded away a few yards growling and snapping at the wounded place, and then suddenly rolled over dead. Before reaching the farm I was bound for we saw four more lions, but as they cleared out quietly they were left iu peace. Unfortunately, while at' the farm, I got a severe attack of acute ophthalmia, which was not only very painful but nearly blinded me for the time; and on the following evening on the return route I was just preparing to unyoke the oxen and encamp for the night, when the low moaning of a lion near at hand hastened our movements, and the oxen were fastened to a tree very expeditiously. Just as this was completed, a large lioness made her appearance pretty close to us, and began marching up and down, sentry-go fashion, muttering unpleasantly. As the sun was near setting, this was disagreeable enough, and all the more so as I found that I could not focus the sights of my double smooth-bore, a trusty weapon by Osborne and Son, of Birmingham. I decided therefore to avoid firing till the last moment, in the hope that her majesty might take herself off, and so, sitting down on the pole of the cart, I watched the lioness, who sometimes went a little way further off, but kept on returning to her beat. This

sort of thing went on till the sun was nearly on the horizon, and then there was nothing for it but to try a shot. The state of my eyes was such that at about twenty five yards I made but a poor shot, hitting the beast about the middle of the body, and she at once charged. My reserved barrel missed clean as she came on, and in a moment she halted within a yard of me, with her mouth half open. Instinctively—for there was no time for thought I made a rush at her, and thrust the muzzle of the gun into her mouth, and as she could not then close her jaws, another violent thrust sent the barrels down her throat nearly up to the hind sight, which caused her to back. Feeling she would slip off probably, I kept on advancing and working the gun about, till, with a violent effort, the animal got loose, and fortunately beat a slow retreat, with the blood pouring out of her mouth. As it was getting darkish, and no dogs to the fore, I did not attempt to follow her, especially as the gun was wet with blood, and, if reloaded before cleaning, would most likely have missed fire, being a muzzleloader. Next morning she was found dead in a thorny bush not far off, and her throat and lungs full of coagulated blood. A few minutes after the row was over a party of Kaffirs returning to their kraal from a reap-

-_ - - - - 0 ~ r ing expedition in Marico turned up, and, while seeking wood for their fire, found the carcass of a brindled gnu close by in the long grass, which the lioness had evidently killed just before we came up with thecart. This at once explained her behaviour, as she no doubt thought we were competitors for the meat, and did not like the idea of losing her supper. On the last occasion, in August, 1885,1 was returning from a hunt on the borders of Umzela's country, and was resting for a day on the banks of the Letabie River. Having a lot of little jobs to do, I decided not to hunt, and lent my guns to my followers, who had a longing for quagga_ meat. My companion and namesake, Being full of youthful ardor, with the cacoethes vemndia strongly developed, had mounted early.and was off with the two young Boers in the direction where lions had been roaring all night; and he had not gone far when one of these animals was espied on the sloping bank of a brook about three hundred yards off. In vain my friend begged his companions to try and get as near as possible; they insisted on firing at once, with the result that the lion wa« hit, and bolted, followed by another male out of the reeds which fringed the brook. Seeing the sort of company he

was In, my friend galloped back to fetch me, and, borrowing a seedy-looking Martini and some cartridges at the neighboring waggon, I at once mounted his borne, and he went with me on foot. On reaching the brook we found the remains of a hartebeeste which the lions had killed, and, following the "spoor" for a short dlstanoe, we detected one lion making off at a trot about four hundred yards. Again the Boers diemounted and fired ineffectually, and the lion got into a nullah full of dense bush, creepers, and grass, where we lost him, and I decided to oast back for the wounded lion. The Boers fancied the animal must be dead, and taking the lead, rode on the back spoor, followed by my friend and myself. We had only gone a little way when the lion jumped up on our right hand with a growl, and bounded in between the Boers and ourselves, and halted within twelve yards of us, waving his tail and making the usual aggressive sounds., Our companions Majuba heroes, by-the-by—at once put in spurs and galloped off till they reached a large tree some two hundred and fifty yards away, and there they sat on their horses, looking towards the place of the impending event. Being so very near, I put up my rifle without dismounting, and was about to fire, when the horse suddenly plunged round and threw me, the breech of the rifle opening with

the concussion. My comrade was cool and collected, and, as I was picking myself up, called my attention to the bullets the Boers were sending from a distance into very close proximity. As the lion was now couchant, we decided on retiring a few paces to a better position for getting a fair shot, on reaching whioh I gave my friend the first chance, the more willingly as I felt that I had not fallen without a good shaking. This was my companion's first shot at a lion, and a better one could not have been made, as his 2oz bullet entered an inch above the nostrils, emptied the brain-pan, and lodged near the hips. This was a fine young lion with a yellow mane, and he measured lift from nose to the tip of his tail. On examination we found that the shot the Boer had given him in the morning had merely grazed his thigh for about three inches, and that the subsequent eight shots these heroes fired from the cover of the aforesaid big tree had all missed.

Man-eating lions occur occasionally in South Africa, and this propensity is generally attributable to the loss or breakage of their teeth, or some other infirmity, Which prevents them from dealing effectually with the stronger or more active animals. During my long hunting career 1 have had one Kaffir servant killed by one of these brutes. He had gone down to the River Marno against my orders to wash at a place called Pompoen Kraal. I had been warned that a man-eater frequented the neighborhood, at a small Kaffir kraal hard by my camp, out of which he had taken seven Kaffirs during the month previous, and I should not have stayed there had I not been delayed by the heavy rains. The comrade of the victim reported that they had been washing and loitering by the river under a steep bank for some time, when suddenly his mate, who was a few yards behind, s roamed out, and he then saw that the lion had caught him by the middle of his body, and was carrying him up the bank. On reaching the top the lion threw the struggling wretch on the ground, held him with one paw, and then bit him in the neck, afterwards taking him in his mouth again, and crrrying him off up the river's course at a rapid trot. I was out at

the time, but on my return did my best to find this man-eater unsuccessfully, owing to the want of dogs, the quantity of lion spoor, and the distance the animal had placed behind him, to say nothing of the thick covert he traversed. However, on my return route through the place a few weeks later, I found that the Kaffirs had managed to get rid of this formidable enemy in a rather clever way. It appears that one of their number had seen him late one afternoon lying down and evidently on the watch near the kraal, and, having reported the fact, one of the entrances of the kraal was left open, but with a thorny bush so placed that the lion would have to jump over it to effect an entrance, and behind this two well-ground spears were so fixed that they would probably enter his body on alighting. Sure enough he came just after dark, jumped over the bush and impaled himself on the spears ; but, notwithstanding this rough reception, he snatched up a dog, turned, and beat a retreat by the way he came. Next morning tho man-eater and the dog were both found dead about fifty yards from the kraa l , to the great joy of the inhabitants. I saw this lion's skull, and, as usual with animals with

these proclivities, tho teeth were much broken and very blunt, most likely by accident, as he was young and sleek. Never having the means at hand, I have not been able to weigh a Hon ; but I think full-grown males in good condition would pull off about 5001b, and I have seen three or four which were certainly a good deal heavier. On the other hand I once killed a very old lion so small that my companion and myself lifted him and swung him under a thick bush, to hide him from the vultures till we were ready to take off his hide. The muscular strength of lions is, however, far in excess of their bulk, as one of them can pretty easily drag to a considerable distance the carcass of the largest ox, and I once watched a lion kill a gnu, and carry it up to the top of a steep ridge by the help of the grip of his teeth only. A gnu must, when entire, weight at least 4001b, I fancy, and the feat I mention argues marvellous strength when we consider the position of the animal, thus carried at the extremity of the bearer's body. Lions have been called the kings of the forest, but this is, I think, incorrect. Autocrats of the open plains they certainly are ; but the elephant is the monarch of the forest, and lions obsequiously clear out of his way. Some writers, with adequate means of knowing better, have affected a contempt for lions, and have even gone so far as to deny them the possession of an

imposing voice. Even Dr Livingstone says the ' booming' of a broody 03trich hen may be mistaken for the roariug of a lion. Well, this is not fact, although it is true that the moaning sound made by lions when on the warpath, or going to their home quai ters, is indeed somewhat similar to the booming of the ostrich. But the real roar of a lion is a unique sound, and its intonations unmistakably indicate a fearful amount of latent power and the will to use it. Lions living near disturbed districts seldom actually roar vigorously nowadays, as they did in times past; but now and then, in out of the way places, one's camp is startled by the exercise of their vocal powers, and fires are hastily made up and other precautions taken, even by those totally indifferent to any other sound. Anyhow, a lion hunt is grand sport, aud the'death of the animal is unmixed with the regret which 1 find is inseparable from bringing low the gigantic and stately king of the forest. To an aspirant for this sport, I would say, use the largest double rifle or gun you can conveniently handle, eschew all rifles made for bottle-shaped cartridge cases, as they often " stick," especially in hot, dry climates; use the best and straighest powder you can get; and avoid firing long or hasty shots.