76 AFRICAN GAME TRAILS 



the officials in charge was sleeping in a tent with the flap 

 open. There was an askari on duty; yet a lion crept up, 

 entered the tent, and seized and dragged forth the man. 

 He struggled and made outcry; there was a rush of people, 

 and the lion dropped his prey and bounded off. The 

 man's wounds were dressed, and he was put back to bed in 

 his own tent; but an hour or two after the camp again grew 

 still, the lion returned, bent on the victim of whom he had 

 been robbed; he re-entered the tent, seized the unfortu- 

 nate wounded man with his great fangs, and this time 

 made off with him into the surrounding darkness, killed 

 and ate him. Not far from the scene of this tragedy, 

 another had occurred. An English officer named Stewart, 

 while endeavoring to kill his first lion, was himself set on and 

 slain. At yet another place we were shown where two 

 settlers, Messrs. Lucas and Goldfinch, had been one killed 

 and one crippled by a lion they had been hunting. They 

 had been following the chase on horseback, and being men 

 of bold nature, and having killed several lions, had become 

 too daring. They hunted the lion into a small piece of 

 brush and rode too near it. It came out at a run and was 

 on them before their horses could get under way. Gold- 

 finch was knocked over and badly bitten and clawed; Lu- 

 cas went to his assistance, and was in his turn knocked 

 over, and the lion then lay on him and bit him to death. 

 Goldfinch, in spite of his own severe wounds, crawled 

 over and shot the great beast as it lay on his friend. 



Most of the settlers with whom I was hunting had met 

 with various adventures in connection with lions. Sir 

 Alfred had shot many in different parts of Africa; some 

 had charged fiercely, but he always stopped them. Cap- 

 tain Slatter had killed a big male with a mane a few months 

 previously. He was hunting it in company with Mr. Hum- 

 phery, the district commissioner of whom I have already 

 spoken, and it gave them some exciting moments, for when 

 hit it charged savagely. Humphery had a shot-gun loaded 

 with buckshot, Slatter his rifle. When wounded, the lion 



