A LION FIGHT.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 6498, 28 April 1888, Page 4

A LION FIGHT.

[RIDBR HaGGABD, IN ATLANTA.] At last Harry fell fast asleep, and even I could scarcely keep my eyes open. Indeed I was just droping off when Pharaoh gave me a push* " Listen I „ he whispered. I was awake in a second, and listening with all my ears- From the dump of bush to the right of the lightning-shattered stump to which the sick ox was tied came a faint crackling noise. Presensly it was repeated. Something was moving there,faintly and quietly enough' but still moving parceptibly, for in the intense stillness of the night any sound seemed loud. I woke up Harry, who instantly said, " Where is she ? whers is she? and began to point his rifle about in a fashion that was more dagerous to us and the oxen than to any possible lioness. "Bequiet 1" I whispered savagely ; and as I did so, with a low and a hideous growl a flash of yellow light sped out of the clump of bush, past the ox and i nto the corresponding dumb upon the other side. The poor sick brute gave a sort of groan and staggered round and theu began to tremble; I could see it do so clearly in the moonlight, which was now very bright, and I felt a brute for having exposed the unfortunate animal to such agony as he must undoubtedly be undergoing. The lioness, for it was she.passedsoquickly that we could not even distinguish her movements, much less fire. Indeed at night it is absolutelyiiseless to attemdt to shoot unless the object is very close and standing perfectly still, and then the light is so deceptive and it is so difficult to see the foresight that^the best shot will miss often er than he hits"She will be back again presently, "I said; "look out, but for Heaven's sake don't fire unless I tell you to*. " Hardly were the words out of my mouth when back she came, and again passed the ox without striking him. !' What on earth is she doing? " whispered Harry. " Playing with it as a cat does a mouse, I suppose. She will kill it presently." As I spoke, the lioness once more flashed out ofthebush.andthis time sprang right over the doomed and trembling ox. It was a beautiful sight to see her clear him in the bright moonlight, as though it were a trick that she had been taught, " I believe that she has escabed from a circus, " whispered Harry; " it's jolly to see her jump." I said nothing, but I thought to myself if itiiwas, Mater Harry did not quite appreciate the performance and small blame to him. Atanyrate his teeth were chattering a little Then came a lotigish pause, and I began to think she must have gone away, when suddenly she appeared again, and with one mighty bound landed right on to the ox, and struck ita fearful blow with her paw. Down it went,and lay onthe ground kicking feebly. She gut down her wicked-looking head, and with a fierce growl of contentment, buired her long white teeth in the throat of the dying animal. When she lifted her muzzle again it was all stained with blood. She stood facing us obliquely, licking her bloody chopa and making asort of spurring noise, "Nbw's our time, I whispered, "fire when I do." I got on to her as well as I could, but Harry, instead of waiting for me, as I told him, fired before I did, and that of course hurried me. When the smoke cleared,however, I was delighted to see the lioness was rolling abont on the ground behind the body of the ox, which covered her in such a fashion, however, that we conld not shoot again to make an end of her. „ She's done for ! She's dead, the yellow devil !" yelled Pharaoh in exultation; and at that very moment the lioness, with a sort of convulsive rush, half rolled, half sprang into the patch of thick bush to the right. I fired after her as she went, but so far as 1 could see without result, indeed the probability is that I missed her clean. At any rate 'she got to the bush in safety,and at once there ■ began to make such a diabolical noise as I never heard before. She would whine and shriek with pain, and burst out into perfect volleys of roaring that shook the whole place. "Well," I said, " we must just let her roar ; to go into that bush after her at night would be madness." At that moment, to my astonishment and alarm, there came an answering roar from the direction of the river, and then another from behind the swell of bush. Fvidenly there were more lions about. The wounded lioness' redoubleb her efforts, with the object, I suppose of summoning the others to her assisting At any rate they came ; and quickly, too, for within five minutes peeping" through the bushes of our skerm fence, we saw a magnificent lion bounding along towards us, through the tall tambouki grass, that in the moonlight looked for all the world like ripening corn. On he came in great leaps, and a glorious sight it was to see him. When within fifty yards or so, he stood still in an open space and roared, and the lioness roared too, and then there came a third roar, and another great black-inaned lion stalked majestically up, and joined number two, and really I began to realise what the ox must have undergone. "Now, Harry," I whispered, " whatever you do don't fire ; it's too risky. If they let us be, let them be." N Well, the pair of the marched off to the bush where the wounded lioness was now roaring double tides, and tbe whole three of them began to snarl and grumble away together there. Presently, however, the lioness ceased roaring, and the two lions came out again, the black-maned one first— to prospect, I supnose— and walked to where the carcase of the ox lay, and sniffed at it. "jOh, what a shot!" whispered Harry, who was trembling with excitement. "Yes," I said, "but don't fire; they might all of them come for us/ Harry said nothing, but whether Jt was from the natural impetuosity of youth, or because he was thrown eff bis balance by excitement, or KEfe^j f -, - -- '

from sheer recklessness and devilment, I am sure I cannot tell you, never having been able to get a satisfactory explanation from him ; but at any rate the fact remains, he without word of warning, entirely disregarding my exhortation, lifted up his Westley Richards, and fired at the black-maned lion, and, what is more, hit it slightly on the flank.

Next second there was a most awful roar from the injured lion. He glared around him and roared with pain, for he was sadly stung ; and then, before I could make up my mind what to do, the great black-maned brute, clearly ignorant of the cause of his pain, sprang right at the throat of his companion, to whom he evidenly attributed his misfortune. It was a curious sight to see the evident astonishment of the other lion at this most unprovoked assault. Over he rolled with an angry snarl, and on him sprang the black-maned demon, and commenced to worry him. This finally awoke the yellow-maned lion to a sense of the situation, and I am bound to say that he rose to the occasion in a most effective manner. Somehow or other he got to his feet, and, roaring and snarling frightfully, closed with his mighty foe. And then ensued a most tremendous scene. You know what a j shocking thing it is to see two large dogs fighting with abandonment. Well, a whole hundred of dogs could not have looked half so terrible as those two great brutes ac they rolled and roared and rent in their horrid rage. They gripped each other, they tore at each other's throat, till their manes came out in handfuls,and the red blood streamed down their yellow hides. It was an awful and a wonderful thing to see the great cats tearing at each other with all the fierce energy of their savage strength, and making the night hideous with their heartshaking noise.- And the fight was a grand one, too. For some minutes it was impossible to say which was getting the best of it, but at last I saw that the black-maned lion, though he was slightly the bigger, was failing. lam inclined to think that the wound in his flank had crippled him. Anyway he began to get the worst of it, which served him right, as he was the agressor. Still I could not help feeling sorry for him, ior he had a gallant fight, when his antagonist finally got him by the throat, and, struggle and strike out as he would, began to shake the life out of him. Over and over they rolled together, a hidaous and awe-isnpiring spectacle, but the yellow one would not lose his hold, and at length poor blackmane grew feint, his breath came in great snores and seemed to rattle in his nostrils, then he opened his huge mouth, gave the ghost of a roar, quivered, and was dead.

When he was guile sure that the victory was his own, the yellewmaned lion loosed his grip and sniffed at his fallen foe. Then he licked the dead lion's eye, and next, with his fore-feet resting on the carcase, sent up his own chant of victory, that went rolling and pealing down the daTk paths of the night in all the gathered majesty ot sound. And at this point I interfered. Taking a carefnl sight at the centre of his body, in ord|r to give the largest possible margin for 'error, I fired, and sent a "570 express bullet right through him, and down he dropped dead upon the carcase of his mighty foe.

After thfct, fairly satisfied with our berformances, we slept peaceably till dawn, leaving Pharaoh to keep watch in case any more lions should take it into their heads to come our way.

When the sun was fairly up we arose, and went very cautious'y — at least Pharaoh and I did, for I would not allow Harry to come— to see if we could find any trace of the wounded lioness. She hap ceased roaring immediately on the arrival of the two lions, aud had not made a sound since, from which we concluded that she was probably dead. I was armep with my express, while Pharoh, in whose hands a rifle was indeed a dangerous weapon — to his companions, had an axe. On our way we stopped to look at the two dead lions. They were magnificent animals, both of them, but their pells were entirely spoiled by the terrible amulingtheyhad given to each other which was a sad pity.

In another minute we were following the blood-spoor of the wounded lioness into the bush, where she had taken refuge. This, I need hardly say, we did with the utmost caution ; I for one did not at all like the job, and was only consoled by the reflection that it was necessary and that the bush was not thick. Well, we stood there, keeping as far from the trees as possible, searching and looking about, but no lioness could we see, though we saw plenty of blood.

" She must have gone away somewhere to die, Pharaoh, " I said in Zulu.

" Yes, Inkoos" (chief), he answered " she has certainly gone away."

Hardly were the words out of his mouth, when I heard a most awfuj roar, and starling round saw the lioness emerge from the centre of a bush, just behind Pharaoh, in which she had been curled up. Up she went on to her hind legs, and as she did so I saw that one of lier fote-paws was broken near the shoulder, for it hung limply down. Up she went towering right over Pharaoh's head, as she did so lifting her uninjured paw to strike him down. And then, before I could get my rifle round or do anything to avert the 'Coming catastrophe, the Zulu did a very brave and clever thing. Eealising his own imminent danger, he bounded to one side, and then, swinging the heavy axe round his head, brought it down right on to her back, severing the vertebrae and killing her instantaneously. It was wonderful to see her collapse all in a heap, like an empty sack.

two, will be ordered to proceed to the assistance of H M.S. lozord. No particulars are yet to band as to the cause of the accident. The expulsion of Chinese from the Oroydon goldfleld was unauthorised by the Government. Hobabt, April 27. — A seam of cool has hesn struck near Seymour, on the Easfrwn Coast, showing indications of a good permanent field. Mslbouhne, April 27. — Arrived, 26th, Te Anau, from the Bluff. (Special to United Press Association.) Londov, April 25. — In the Hous.e of Commons Mr Justin McCarthy, M.P. for Londonderry, tabled a motion condemning the increase of sentences recently imposed by the Appeal Court on Irish subjects. Sir W. Harcourt, speaking on the question, «aid that tho machinery of the Appeal Court was simply an engine of brutal and ferocious oppression, and it was useless for the (Government to assume ignorance of what was taking place in connection with the affairs in Ireland. Mr A. J. Balfour, Secretary for Ireland, denied that there had been any interference by the Executive Council with his administration. Mr Gladstono said that the Government were responsible for tho introduction ef tho foul and od'ous inequality and enforcementof law in Ireland, for which there was no precedent; and lie asserfcrd that the Appeal Courts had been cruelly and wantonly used against those in custody. The motion was negatived. BEBWN,May2^-Her Majesty tho Queen hai visited Princess Augusta, and she cxpresßed surprise that the Emporor Frederick was looking so welL i