^ The Capturing of a Lion 



before I had visited the region, and had done full justice 

 to its wilderness in my description of it. Some stir was 

 caused when a lion killed a European in one of the 

 sleeping-cars at night-time. In company with two 

 others, the unfortunate man was passing the night in a 

 saloon carriage which had been shunted on to a siding. 

 One of the Europeans slept on the floor ; as a pre- 

 caution against mosquitoes he had covered himself with 

 a cloth. Another was lying on a raised bunk. The lion 

 seized the third man, who was sleeping near the two 

 others on a camp-bed, killed him, and carried him away. 

 One of the survivors, Herr Hiibner — whose hunting-box, 

 " Kibwezi," in British East Africa, has given many sports- 

 men an opportunity of becoming acquainted with African 

 game — gave me the following account of the incident : 

 " The situation was a critical one. The door through 

 which the beast had entered the compartment was rolled 

 back. I saw the creature at about an arm's length from 

 me, standing with its fore-paws on the bed of my sleeping 

 friend. Then a sudden snatch, followed by a sharp cry, 

 told me that all was over. The lion's right paw had 

 fallen on my friend's left temple, and its teeth were 

 buried deep in his left breast near the armpit. For the 

 next two minutes a deathly stillness reigned. Then the 

 lion pulled the body from off the bed and laid it on 

 the ground." The lion disappeared with the corpse 

 into the darkness of the night. It was killed shortly 

 after, as might be expected. 



Such scenes were probably more frequent in earlier 

 days, when, in the Orange Free State, a single hunter 



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