Among the wild animals of East Africa, true stories related by a young traveler

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Part of The Young Citizen: The Magazine for Young People

Title
Among the wild animals of East Africa, true stories related by a young traveler
Year
1941
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In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Fulltext
AucusT, 1941 THE YOUNG CITIZEN AMONG THE ·WILD ANIMALS OF EAST AFRICA True Stories Related by a Young Traveler VIII. THE LION HUNTERS OF TANGANYIKA Simba, the King of the Jungle "SIMBA! SIMBA !n the Tanganyika natives called to each other" and threw more brushwood onto the fires. ''Stmba!. Simba!" (Lion! Lion!)· The flames leaped high il'!-to the air and lightened up the environs of the camp very clearly. Enormous old trees with low-hanging branches, overgrown with vines and moss, formed a wall behind the natives who were grouped around the fires. The roaring of simba, the lion, "king of the jungle/' broke the quietness of the African night. His roar sent a shiver through the animals of the plains, and herds of striped zebras and great wilde­ beests galloped over the plains in wild . fright. The lion .had left his hiding­ place in the jungle and had made ready to hunt his prey. For several nights a lion had attacked the cattle herds of the Masai natives, and now the warriors had come out .to hunt and kill him. They had been unsuccess­ ful in finding the hiding place of the king of the jungle until this 'afternoon. Then one of the natives had found the place where the lion kept himself. during the hot daytime. But it was late in the afternoon, and it would have been dangerous to attack the beast at that time because ther� �as not light enough for spearing. There­ fore the chief had ordered them to camp and wait for the morning. They would ke-ep fires burning all night, for the flames held the wild animals of the jungle at a safe distance from the camp. The men were grouped abc�mt the fires. Skins of leopards and lions were slung around their shoulders, and each one held ·a lorig spear in his right hand. Each man had his shield lying close at hand. Strange signs were painted on the out· side of each shidd; each family had its own sign wh!ch told a story of glory about the family's warriors. The roaring of the lion sounded farther a ' nd farther away, and finally died out completely. The ·simba was hunting dur­ ing the night, and would return tired but satisfied fo. his hiding place early in the mornmg. At dawn the chief called his men. To a strange rhythm they danced their war­ rior dance which gave the� courage and strength. They shouted the word simba again and again i'n their different songs, as they swung their spears oyer ·their heads and yelled wi-ld threats at the lion. Finally t�ey marched toward the place of the lion's lair the day before. The wide plain stretched before them; but at the edge of the jungle was a large thorn thicket where the lion had made his lair under the shadow of the redTHE YOUNG CITIZEN AUGUST, 1941 thorn trees. Car.efully the warriors en­ circled the thicket. They moved through the high, dry grass, ready to pursue the lion if he should try to escape . . Lions do not attack human beings at once. They always give two warnings first and try to escape the hunters. But if the hunter persists in his attack, the lion becomes dangerous and tries to kill his. enemy. When the Masai warriors had closed the c i r c 1 e around the thicket, they started again to sing tneir threatening songs with high-pitched, screaming voices. They struck their shields with their spears in the rhythm of their song, and called for Jimba. lion, others ran to cut off his retreat, and others threw their spears at him. The animal became furious and gave his second warning. Then he made ·a break through the line in another. direc­ tion. Again he tried to escape th� war­ riors, but unsuccessfully. Again the men pursued and encircled him. They meant to kill the great animal. . When the lion could :find no way out, he stood his ground ready to fight his enemies. He was ready to defend· his life with all his strength; he was ready to fight until he or his enemy should be killed. Suddenly the lipn, a large male with a great mane about his head, ap­ peared at the edge of the thicket. He took a look at the approaching men and then quickly disap­ peared. A f t e r a f e w moments, he appeared on the ·other side of the thicket, but found there also the encircling line of shouting men. East African Warrior At first ·the lion crouch­ ed. Then he leaped in a roaring fury of wrath and attacked a young warrior. The man threw his spear, but it merely grazed the lion. Now this warrior was without a weapon and the _furious lion was upon him. The warrior knew his danger and threw himself on the ground. By the time the lion reached the man, the warrior was holding his shield tightly over his When he s.aw himself thus trapped, the lion gave a loud an� angry roar. With all the fury of a great wild beast he broke th,rough the lines of the Masai warriors. With a powerful leap he came out of the thicket straight toward several of the. warriors. The men threw their ·spears at the lion, but missed. But the natives did not let him escape. · They pursued him and again closed a circle around the animal. Some followed the body, and was completely· covered. The savage beast clawed and tore at the shield, but the man held on the handle from the inside. At once the other warriors attacked the lion with their long spears. Blood streamed from the animal, which was still clawing at the shield. Presently he gave up trying to get to the warrior beneath the shield and attacked another man. But the animal was weakening from the loss (Please turn to page 301.) AuGusT, 1941 THE. YOUNG CITIZEN 301 DVORAK ARCHIMEDES THE WOODEN HORSE (Continued from page 285) (Continued from page 280) (Continued from page 279) Out on the plains of the in addition their greatest two sons, crushed them to . midwestern part of the inventor. He was first to death. United States Dvoralt went realize the enormous power "Surely this is a punish­ to visit a colony of Bohe- that can be exerted by m·ept for the· priest's sac­ mian immigrants. Som e means of a lever. He also rifege against the sacred ·people gay that the lone- invented t h e compound gift," cried the Trojans. liness of these country-men, pulley, and a spiral screw Since the gates were not living in a foreign land, in- for raising water and other wide enough, a breach was spired the composer to substances which is still made in the wall, and the write the haunting melody called "A r c h i m e d e s' Horse was brought into the of this Largo in his The screw." city. Then there was reNew W or!{/ Symphony. By Now for the famous story JOicmg. All m-en went to all means hear it played by about Archimedes: When sleep, secure in the belief an orchestra or on a phono- Syracuse in Sicily, the that the go<i:s were kind. graph (there are excellent native city of Archimedes, But while they slept, the phonograph records of this was besieged by the Ro- Greek who had been cap· symphony) whenev.er you mans, the Romans took the tur.ed-for so it had been have an opportunity. city, after a siege of three planned-drew the bolts Dvorak should have been years. It is sai.d that what from the door of this "gift happy in America, where particularly angered the to Athena," an.d out came he was appreciated, but Roman soldiers was that the hidden Greeks. Then homesickness drove him when they burst into his a fire was lighted as a signal back to Prague to spend the house, Archimedes was ab- to the ships, which had last years of his life com- sorbed . in the study of turned back to sight of posing and directing the geometrical figures which land. Soon thousands of co n s e r v a t o r y of music he had drawn on the Greek warriors swarmed in there. He died in 1904. sand. To the soldier who the streets of Troy. Dvorak wrote a beauti- interrupted him, he merely All night the slaughter f 1 d Sa.1·d, "Don't disturb my cir- continued, and by morning u s a c r e compos1t10n called Stabat Mater which cles." Archimedes was slain only a mass of smouldering . folruins marked the place. where once had stood· the you should hear when pos- in the massacre which sible. You should also hear lowed. his short co m p o s i t i o n proud city. The Trojan king's headless body lay on H umoreske. He wrote in these things; ( 1) the prop- the seashore. So perished all five symphonies, some er spellin"g and pronuncia- the Trojans except the few symphonic poems, chamber tion of the name Dvorak who escaped. music, and lovely songs, (dvor-zlzall); (2) that he which are popular in the is considered the greatest A REVIEW best sense, for they are be- Bohemian composer; ( 3) I. What do you know of loved by the people.· that he wrote the famous ancient Greec:e? (See the You should remember New World Symphony. encyclopedia.)