LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILL AMONG THE LIONS.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 2715, 30 January 1892, Page 3 (Supplement)

LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILL AMONG THE LIONS.

In his tenth letter to the Daily Graphic , Lord Randolph Churchill describes the adventure with lions which was hinted at in his last communication. After relating how, in dismounting from his steed to get a shot at a koodoo cow, he fell heavily on hia back and cut his hand, Lord Randolph says:— “ We were riding along through a small open glade covered with high grass, Lee a few yards ahead of me, when I suddenly saw him turn round, cry out something todne, and point with hia finger ahead. I looked, and saw lolloping along through and over the grass, about 40 yards off, a yellow animal about as big as a small bullock. It flashed across me that it was a lion—the last thing in the world that I was thinking of. I was going to dismount and take aim, for I was not frightened at the idea of firing at a retreating lion ; but Lee called out in succession five er six times, “ Look, look !” at the same time pointing with his finger in different directions in front. I saw to my astonishment, aud rather to my dismay, that the glade appeared to be alive with Hons. There they were, trooping and trotting along ahead of ns, like a lot of enormous dogs, great yellow objects, offering such a sight as I had never dreamed of. Lee turned to me and said, “What will yon do?” I said, “I suppose we must go after them,” thinking all the time that I was making a very foolish answer. We trotted on after them a short distance to where the grass was more open, the lions trotting along ahead of us in the most composed and leisurely fashion, very different from the galloping off of a surprised and startled antelope. Lee now dismounted and fired at a lion about 50 yards off. I saw the brute fall forward on his head, twist round and round, and stagger into a patch of high grass slightly to the left of where I was riding.” Lord Randolph goes on to tell how he did not venture to dismount, not feeling at all sure that he would be able to remount quickly enough and gallop away after shooting. “ j stuck close to Lee, determined to leave the Shooting to him unless things became critical, as his aim was frne. His nerves were steady, which was more than mine were, though I do not admit that I was at all frightened. I counted seven lions. Lee says there were more. I saw three lions tumble out of a spruit, climb the opposite side, and disappear. I raised my rifle to take aim at the last; but, perhaps fortunately for me, he disappeared, before I could fire, in the high grass on the other side. I saw Lee fire from his horse at one as it was climbing the bank, which he wounded badly, and which retreated into a patch of thick grass the other side of the spruit, uttering sounds something between a growl, a grunt, and a sob.”

The lions had now got some 100 yards or so ahead of them, and had disappeared into thick high grass.

-“ We knew that there was a wounded one behind us on onr left, and another wounded one in front of us, also on our left. Lee now got terribly excited. He was perfectly frightened 6olely on my account. He determined to go and look at the second wounded lion, who was lying away from us some sixty or seventy yards. He said he would go right away back to camp, if I followed him towards this Hon. 1 saw him go up to within about ten yards of the grass where the wounded Hon lay. Fortunately she was badly wounded by the first shot, or she would probably have come at him. He caught a glimpse at her and fired. There was a tremendous commotion in the grass for a second or two. Lee’s horse gave such a bound 'hat I thought he would have been thrown, turned round, and galloped away. I followed as fast as I could. We galloped about 200 yards to the right of the direction the other Hons had taken, and then pulled up and held another hurried and anxious consultation. Lee insisted that we should go straight back to camp and get the dogs, as the situation, he declared, was one of danger. I confess that when I wa9 a quarter of a mile from the spot I felt rather relieved, for I had thought all along that eight or nine lions was ‘ tropde luxe.’ The place seemed alive with game. I dismounted, and fired seven times, and galloped very hard for nearly two miles. We ‘ off-saddled,’ and had a light breakfast, of which whisky-and.water was the principal element. After a hurried repast we got on

our horses and rode to the camp, within a mile of which we fortunately found ourselves, arriving there about midday.” They left camp again with three dogs and another member of the party named Myberg. “ I thought (writes Lord Randolph) we were going to have a nasty business, tor Lee said that the other lions would probably stay near their wounded fellows or would come back to look for them. We traversed the place where we had chased the antelopes, and then made a detour so as to approach tbe lions from the point from which we originally came upon them. Lee’s skill in finding his way in this veldt, where one spot looks exactly like another, was simply marvellous. The place where the first iion which was wounded had gone to we gave a wide berth to, aud went straight to the place where the second wounded lion lay. When we were within a few yards of the spot we heard very clearly that peculiar growling, grunting, sobbing sound to which before I have alluded. Lee 9aid, ‘ That means you are to come no nearer upon which we retreated a Httle and consulted. The grass was so thick that we could not see the lion. I suggested that we should climb into trees and fire shots into the patch to see what state she was in, and possibly to move her out of it. This plan was adopted, and, having tethered the horses away some distance, we approached and ascended two trees which overlooked the particular patch of grass. Here My berg’s strength and stature served to great advantage, for I stood upon his shoulders and ascended some 20ft. high into the tree. Lee and Myberg ascended another close by, from which, fortunately, they were able to discern the whereabouts of the lion. They fired three shots, and the cessation of the growling, which till then had been continuous and distinct, showed that the bullets had done their work. We then descended and walked into the

grass, and found the lion, or, rather, the lioness, dead. She had an awful wound in her left shoulder, which was completely shattered by the Martini-Henry bullet used by Lee, and we now saw that sh 9 never could have charged us. A bullet through the neck from the tree had finished her off.” The dogs were found useless, and the party set off with considerable caution to find the other wounded lioness. “Unfortunately, we failed to find her anywhere. She must have recovered and made off during the two or three hours of our absence. Then there was nothing to be done but to skin the lioness. She was an old lady of great size, with her front teeth much worn away. Her skin was in perfect order. . . . So ended what was to me a very memorable day. I had thought when I came to Africa that I would try and shoot a few nice buck, but I had never bargained to come across such a 1 posse’ of lions. On reviewing the incidents of the day I came to the conclusion that all had ended very fortunately, and that I had had an exciting experience such as is known to few, and had escaped unscathed.”

Some of the antelopes Lee and Lord Randolph had killed were devoured in the night by the lions. Next day the party went quagga hunting, all keeping together, as lions were still about. Lord Randolph tells how they grew weary of the useless slaughter of quaggas, and were going to skin one, when a noise from “ the baboon” (a native in Lee’s service) attracted their attention. He adds : —“Lee exclaimed, ‘He has seen a lion.’ We remounted quickly, and galloped off to 4 the baboon,’ who to(d us he had met a 4 great lion’ coming from our direction, who had stopped and looked at him, and, after a few seconds, had moved away. 4 The baboon’s ’ manner and gestures in describing the appearance of the lion were most quaint and grotesque. He said he was immense in aize, with . an. enormous black mane, and added that when he saw him he was so frightened that his hat was lifted off hia head by his hair standing on end. We galloped in the direction which 4 the Baboon ’ said that the Hon had taken ; but though wa found and followed his spoor soma distance,

we never saw him, greatly to the distress of Captain Williams.” The following day they determined to hunt only sable antelope and giraffe, and of course met-with neither. They had agreed not to hnnt koodoo cows or waterbuek, and these were seen in numbers.

“ Nothing else did we come across, and we returned to camp at 2 o’clock tired and disappointed. It is untrue to say that virtue is its own reward ; it is not; and we bitterly regretted not chasing the koodoO and waterbuck cows.”