MAN-EATING LIONS— A WOMAN CARRIED OFF 



day, or might have scored a big success. As soon as the 

 lions saw us they trotted on a few yards ahead and lay 

 down in a patch of high grass. 



Accompanied by my two men, Nur and Sabha, I 

 walked up to them, and when within a dozen paces or so. the 

 lioness put up her head with a growl. I fired immediately, 

 knocking her over dead, with a bullet through the neck. 



At this shot the cubs bounded away, and though I ran 

 my best after them they managed to reach a strip of thorny 

 jungle and we never saw them again. Had we been 

 mounted we should probably have bagged the whole 

 family. 



Man-eating lions are common in parts of Somaiiland. 

 Like the tiger, he is extremely cunning and rapid in his 

 movements, consequently quite as difficult to locate and 

 destroy as the man-eating monster foimd in the jungles of 

 India. In this connection it is interesting to note that 

 lions generally, when attacking their prey, seize their 

 victim in much the same manner as a tiger, but instead of 

 taking the first mouthful from the buttock like the tiger, 

 he invariably tears the belly open, commencing his meal 

 on the liver, kidneys and other choice parts. 



While I was journeying through the Gadabarsi country, 

 a lioness carried off a woman from a Karia * close to my 

 encampment. The body of the woman was discovered 

 next morning about a hundred yards from the scene of the 

 tragedy. 



The attack had been a very bold one, the brute having 

 deliberately forced his way into the zareba and dragged the 

 woman out, in spite of a shower of spears, hurled at him by 

 the would-be rescuers of his victim. The body, wheo 

 found, exhibited amongst other injuries, several deep fang- 

 wounds in the throat, and the right leg had been bitten off 

 at the hip. 



Taking two of my best trackers with me, we followed 

 up the tracks of the lioness for several miles over most 

 difficult ground covered with dense bush and grass, but 

 were finally obliged to abandon the pursuit, returning to 

 camp, which we reached some hours after darkness had 

 •et in. 



* Small tempocuy kraal. 



17t 



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