A REMARKABLE SHOOT.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 98, 23 April 1909, Page 2

A REMARKABLE SHOOT.

TEN LIONS IN A DAY

We were visiting British East Africa in quest of big game (writes Walter Cooper in The Wide World), and on our arrival at Mombasa at once proceeded by the railway to Stony Abhi Station, taking with us o Swahli headman named Abdullah, a cook, four gun bearers, three tent boys and over 50 porters. We wereall new at the game except Captain H -, who had done a little shikar in India. He had brought with him his sister, Miss Sibyl H- , a born sportswoman, anxious to try ncr hand at big game. The stationmaster fired our imaginations by telling us that five lions came to drink at a spot close by. Next day we made a march ot about eight miles t© -Lucania, a kopje, round which lions -were said to be numerous. . . The following morning one of the porters came running in to say thai, he had seen seven lions, including three fine maned olies. We starter! at once, accompanied % our gun bearers and two Masai boys to carry second guns. We had'to cross a perfectly open grassy plain, intersected every novv and then by small, dry watercourses. Any one of these might hold a lion, as he is an animal who likes to slhik along unseen. Every donga we came to, therefore, we searched, expecting to find lions. We were not far from the trees when we saw a lion slinking along a depression in the ground towards a clump of dry reeds, which he entered. It was decided that one of the men should go round and set fire to the reeds, whilst we posted ourselves as for a drive. Miss H was in the middle, facing the reeds, whilst Captain H was on her left, and 1 on her right. Soon the reeds were blazing high. . 4n instant later, straight in front of Captain H —-, a large lioness bounded across a gap in the reeds, followed by several other forms not easily distinguishable. ~,,.■ Suddenly, without the slightest AA^arning, out rushed no feAver than seven lions, no doubt the ones the sorter had previously seen. They passed between Miss H and myself, and appeared to be in full flight, Avhen tAvo lionesses, apparently attracted by the movement the young lady made in putting up her gun, turned and made straight for her They were exactly in a line between me and her, so that I AA^as unable to shoot. Miss H-— ■, standing up boldly, put in three shots as they advanced. The first lioness Avent over like a rabbit, AAath a bullet in its left eye which penetrated the brain; the two other shots merely checked the second. I expected to see Miss H hurled to the ground and Avorried tc death by the enraged beast. But at the critical juncture, Her gun-bearer* Hassan, thinking matters Avere getting somewhat too exciting, took to his heels. The lioness sAverved off suddenly and/made; after the fugitive. The man had not more than 20 yards start, and the great brute rapidly overtook him. Miss H fired again, and Aye men both fired as well. The Avretched man turned, at the, last moment and hit at the lioness with his rifle. The bIoAV, fell a bit short, and the. enraged brute, snapping at Avhat came nearest, caught » the AA'eapon in her mouth at the muzzle The pace\at -which: she was, travelling Avas so great that Hassan Avas hurled backAvards, and in falling his fingers caught the triggers, letting off both barrels. By extraordinary luck the rifle Avas pointing straight doAvn the beast's throat at the moment, and doAvn she AA^ent "with her head nearly shot away, right on top of him. When Aye hanled him out he AA rasa deplorable looking object, covered in the blood of the lioness.

We then went further on, and soon my gun-bearer pointed out the top of a "lion's head, which was lying in a hollow. Miss H—— was within 50 yards when she saw the head. She fired, and it disappeared. A moment later it came up again. Another shot, and again it disappeared, only to reappear a third time. Once more she pulled the trigger, and then there was a regular stampede, for a lion and five lionesses broke out of the grass, galloping in huge bounds across the plains. They passed in front of me, and my. second bullet killed a lion and my fourth a lioness. The others went straight towards Captain H . He killed one lioness, and then with a right and left knocked over the other two. s This made seven lions as good as dead, and we expected one more as the result of Miss H 's three shots at the half-hidden head. What was our amazement, on approaching cau-

tiously, /to find, not one, but three fine maned lions lying dead in a heap, a bullet through the bram of They must have been a different lot entirely to the other troop, and ; as each one fell, the next one, excited by curiosity, must have stepped on to a slab, of rock which enabled him to see through the gap in the rocks. Hence. Avhat appeared to be the same lion was in reality a different one each time. Captain H had just left us to look at my two lions, Avhen Aye heard a terrific groAvl, and my apparently dead lion rose up as if unhurt and jumped at Captain II . The Captain had no time to do anything, and Avent doAvn like a log, the impetus of the lion's movement sending him yards aAvay. Miss Hand I rushed for our guns. Before Aye had time to shoot, hoAvever, it was all over. The Masai boy, who AA-as folloAving close beside Captain H _, with the splendid pluck of his race, drew his sime (a sort of SAvord, Avith all .• its Aveight at the business end) and hit the lion across the spine. The beast simply stiffened spasmodically, and before it had time, i>& fall over the plucky Masai had slieathad his Aveapon in the beast's shoulder three or four times. Then AA'e rushed jp to Captain H— —, who was covered Avith blood, aad was unconscious But be had simply been stunned, and only received some nasty-looking gashes. ' Next day he was going on splendily, though still prostrated by the shpek and likely to be detained in hospital for the next feAV Aveeks to pet his arm healed i We hardly expect to bag ten lions in a day again.