Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 1, No. 4, September, 1850Various
History
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 1, No. 4, September, 1850
Various
American literature -- Periodicals; Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Periodicals
As the lion lay upon the unfortunate man, he faintly cried, "Help me,
help me! Oh God! men, help me!" After which the fearful beast got a hold
of his neck, and then all was still, except that his comrades heard the
bones of his neck cracking between the teeth of the lion. John Stofolus
had lain with his back to the fire on the opposite side, and on hearing
the lion he sprang up, and, seizing a large flaming brand, had belabored
him on the head with the burning wood; but the brute did not take any
notice of him. The Bushman had a narrow escape; he was not altogether
scatheless, the lion having inflicted two gashes in his seat with his
claws.
The next morning, just as the day began to dawn, we heard the lion
dragging something up the river side, under cover of the bank. We drove
the cattle out of the kraal, and then proceeded to inspect the scene of
the night's awful tragedy. In the hollow, where the lion had lain
consuming his prey, we found one leg of the unfortunate Hendric, bitten
off below the knee, the shoe still on his foot; the grass and bushes
were all stained with his blood, and fragments of his pea-coat lay
around. Poor Hendric! I knew the fragments of that old coat, and had
often marked them hanging in the dense covers where the elephant had
charged after my unfortunate after-rider. Hendric was by far the best
man I had about my wagons, of a most cheerful disposition, a first-rate
wagon-driver, fearless in the field, ever active, willing, and obliging:
his loss to us all was very serious. I felt confounded and utterly sick
in my heart; I could not remain at the wagons, so I resolved to go after
elephants to divert my mind. I had that morning heard them breaking the
trees on the opposite side of the river. I accordingly told the natives
of the village of my intentions, and having ordered my people to devote
the day to fortifying the kraal, started with Piet and Ruyter as my
after-riders. It was a very cool day. We crossed the river, and at once
took up the fresh spoor of a troop of bull elephants. These bulls
unfortunately joined a troop of cows, and when we came on them the dogs
attacked the cows, and the bulls were off in a moment, before we could
even see them. One remarkably fine old cow charged the dogs. I hunted
this cow, and finished her with two shots from the saddle. Being anxious
to return to my people before night, I did not attempt to follow the
troop. My followers were not a little gratified to see me returning, for
terror had taken hold of their minds, and they expected that the lion
would return, and, emboldened by the success of the preceding night,
would prove still more daring in his attack. The lion would most
certainly have returned, but fate had otherwise ordained. My health had
been better in the last three days: my fever was leaving me, but I was,
of course, still very weak. It would still be two hours before the sun
would set, and, feeling refreshed by a little rest, and able for further
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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