Chased by a lion

Title

Chased by a lion

Language

English

Year

1941

Subject

Lions.

Animals -- East Africa.

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

True experiences related by a young traveller.

Eleventh part of ‘Among the wild animals of East Africa.’

Fulltext

NOVEMBER, 1941 THE YOUNG CITIZEN 391 AMONG ' THE WILD ANIMALS OF EAST AFRICA True Stories Related by " Young Traveler XI. CHASED BY A LION MY YOUNG FRIEND was spending 'a vacation on the farm of his father. The school in Nairobi which he attended had closed for the summer vacation, and all the boys had gone to their homes. The father of the. young man had gone to Nairobi to get the boy and he was now at home on his father's coffee plantation near Thika. The boy was sixteen years old and qufte accustomed to the life on then would become alive with wild animals. The young man knew th~t his father's warning was quite true; many times he had seen leopards and lions in the early African twilight hours. But on such occa;ions he had always been in his father's car safe from an attack by wild beasts. The boy and his friend had an inter· esting day. They went out on their ponies, A· lion will attack in defense of his mate. the plantation. He had his own pony; his father had given him a rifle and had taught him to use the "weapon in case of an emergency. One morqing the lad went to visit one of his school friends who lived on a neighboring hrm only a few miles away. He rode his pony and had his rifle with him. The father had warned the boy not to be too late i.n returning at night, as the jungle riding about in the 'wild country. The morning had not been without adventure, for in East Africa a thrilling adventure may occur at any moment. As the boys were riding along the trail, suddenly a pack of wild dogs appeared. Such packs often attack cattle; they seize some of the calves and disappear befo~e the herdsman has become aware of their presence. T he two boys saw the pack of wild dogs THE YOUNG CITIZEN NOVEMB!A, 1941 speeding ov•r the plain toward a lonely cow. They spurred their ponies and rode after the dogs, hoping to save the cow from their savage attack. They were able to cut off the dogs, but were careful not to get into the path of the;. ugly and hungry animals. One of the boys shot at one of them and wounded it. The other dogs in the pack attacked their wounded companion at once, and tore the animal to pieces within a few seconds. This short interruption was sufficient to change the course of the herd cit cattle from which the cow _ h~d strayed, so that the lone animal was ab.le to rejoin the herd. The hungr.y dogs ran away without having attacked the cow. The boys were glad •to see the pack go away, for they are dangerous brutes. Sometimes they are driven by hunger to attack a· native village and kill children and helpless old men who are unabk to run with the women to safety. I once saw a pack of these dogs attack a leopard. The leopard was unable to defend himself with his strong and sharp claws against so man.Y foes, and within a few moments the great cat was torn to pieces. Late in the afternoon of the day of my young friend's visit •to his • schoolmate, he prepared to start home. He and his companion saddled their ponies, and the boy's friend rode part of the way " with his classmat,. The ponies galloped smoothly over the sandy ground, and did not seem tired on . accoun't of the long day's outing. Then my friend's companion turned back, and the boy rode on alone toward his home. Of course he had his rifle on his back, and it was loaded and ready for immediate firing. One neve{ knows what enemy may be encounter.ed· in this wild country. Suddenly the boy saw a lioness with three cubs. The large cat was close to the jungle and the young man thought . she would not attack him. Lions seldom attack a man ; usually they run from a person. The boy was not afraid, therefore, when he saw this lioness with her cubs about her. But he knew that male lions often keep within the vicinity of fen;iales, so he kept a sharp lookout. 1 After a few moments tl)e lioness dis- ' appeared in the dense jungle. Probably she had scented the boy and his horse, and so had taken her three cubs to safety. The boy .rode on, and soon forgot about the lioness. Suddenly he heard something behind him. fie turned around. Less than a hundred yards away, the boy saw a large male lion sniffing the air. The wind was · blowing the scent of the boy and pony directly toward the lion. The boy realized his danger. The lion must have been the mate of the lioness which he had seen, and would not hesitate to attack in order to protect the female from danger. Quickly the young man bent over his pony's head and said strange words in the native dialect. The pony understood, and started to run as fast as he could. A glance backward showed that the lion was in pursuit. · If the lion could catch, up with the pony, he would attack. The lion f6llowed faster and faster. He was gaining upon the pony which was now straining himself to !he utmost. The boy bent low over the neck of his pony, and urged him on. Still the lion was gaining. Only a miracle could save the young man and the horse from an attack of this savage enemy. Suddenly the boy saw a .co.;r.al fence. The pony tore along the narrow tail. He knew that death was behind him, and he (PltttSe Jurn to pa9t 406.) THE YOUNG CITIZEN NovBMBBR, 1941 THE PRINCE'S HEIR HENNY-PENNY CHASED BY A LION (Continued from page 390) ( Continued from page 388) (Continued from page 392) seen before. backing out of the hole, she ran with all his might. The It was, indeed, a remark- ran off home as fast as her boy spurred his pony on. able sight, and the people trembling legs would carry Luckily they did not have applauded loudly. her. to cross the grassy land. If Anak was standing near' And that is how it was they had come into the high the throne, and, at the call the king never knew the prairie grass they would of the Prince, he stepped sky was falling.- Reprinted have been lost. The grass forward. But there was no by Permission. would have hindered the retinue of followers behind short legs of the pony. him, and he held nothing The pony made for an in • his hands except what object. Then he placed it open_ing in the corral fence, appeared to. be a little, in- in a ray of sunlight which an~ rn a few moments pony significant piece of glass. fell on to the white steps of and nder were w1thm the There was the sound of a the throne. · enclosure. The tall thorn short laugh here and there, Immediately on the steps bushes and branches, which at which the good Prince there were the most mar- mad·e the fence, kept the frowned, for he ,liked this vellous shades .of blue and wild animals out. The boy dark, long-limbed peasant, green of yellow and violet sprang from his pony and whom he now feared had and r~d and every imagin- thr~w thorn branches into failed. able color. A great cry of the opening. Then with his "Well, Anak, have you amazement went up, for no rifle in hand he awai_ted the found the task impossible?" one in those days had ever appearance of the hon. he said kindly. heard of the spectrum or a But the lion did not ap"O Prince,. I have fpr spectroscope, al)d no one pear, although the boy knew you the key which tells that, knew anything about the the animal was somewhere though the _earth may be wonderful rays of broken near. He kept his rifle ready covered w 1th abundant light. for instant firing should the beauty, and the sea _swarm Then the Prince came beast attempt to penetrate w~th the marvels of hfe, yet down the ste s and held his the fence. Fdrtunately the without the white light of . .P 't 1 sky they cannot exist. The white robe m the wonder- corral was no very arge, light of the sky holds the ful coloq of the rambow. a~d the thorn fence , was marvellous paints to which He took Ai:ak by the hand. high enough to prevent wild they must all come for their " My heir-your future arnmals from iumpmg over. colors. while their beauty Prince," he cried to the The natives had been very passes' away, that of the people. carefu_I in . selecting this light of the sky is everlast- . And the people shouie.d place rn which to _ keep ca.ting always renewing both with delight. From their tie dunng the rnght safe ear;h and sea." own number had been from attacks of wild beasts. At the Prince's puzzled chosen their future ruler, The boy knew that the look Anak h~ld up the piece for had he not proved him- 'lion was lurking outside of of glass in his hand. It was self to be the wisest man in the enclosure but could not a triangular, wedge-shaped the land? (Pl.ase turn to page 411.) N OV HM RER, 1941 THE YOUNG CITIZEN CHASED BY·A LION READING CLUB, (Continued from page 406) ( C ontinued from page 409) - find a way through the much improyed Dy our thorn branches. In another Reading Club. hour darkness would come, Once our club had a picand tpe boy was afraid that nic. We went in a large bus the lion might in some way to a beautiful cool pl,ace. effect an entrance then. • We took our dinner with us, Once the y9ung man saw and ate it in pi~nic style. the yellow hide of the lion We didn't forget_ 'bur .readthrough the thorn branches. ing, even on the picnic, for Immediately he fired two• we took turns in reading to shots through the fence. An each other after dinner the angry roar • answered him stories and article; in the from the outside. Then latest number of THE there was quiet. "I must YOUNG CITIZEN. have scared the animal away · with that shot," ence of the lion. The herdsthought the boy. man called out to the cattle 411 EARNING MONEY ( C ontinued from page 409) ful, because I have to train my "pupils" to be very careful. M)' work is becoming so effective and so well known, that I am thipking oi raising my price to twenty centavos for each half hour. My teacher says that some day I will• be a very good piano teacher. I hope I will Qe able to earn enough money so I can help pay my expenseswhen I go to college. For a long while he list- to quiet them. FRIENDLY, SOCIETY ened in the quiet of the eve- • The young man shouted (Continued from page 409) ning. He peard no sound to the herdsman. "There is we do what we can to set from the lion. He did not a large si111ba ; (lion) out him or\ his feet. We have dare go outside th,e fence; there," he called in ' the parties and picnics to which the animal might be wait- native diakct. But the new students are invited, so in.g, ready to attack him. herdsman had already. seen they soon become acquaintPresent!y 'the bqy heard the lion. Yes, ihere was a ed. We he!.p students from the drawn-\ut call of a na- hon there, but- he was- out of town esp~cially girls tive herdsman. He bega_n dead . . The boy's _.one sh0t to find ·pl~asant and com'. to have hope. Pe_rha_ps this had killed the anurtal. . It fortable places in ~hich to herdsman was b,mgmli his was a chance ~it, and the live. If any student nee.ds cattle to the corral for the young man was greatly sur- d . h h . · night. He listened and prised that it had killed his a v~ce, e or s e IS eoc~u~ hear,d the sound of moving savage foe. ' . · age to come to our c u • cattle. -- He fired two shots Soon he started toward an(! we soon put him _ on the into the air to attract the at- his h ,ome which was not far right ·track." - tention of the herdsman. away. When he arrived There are many things The herd was coming to- home it was quite darkJT he for "The Friendly Society" \Vard the corral. All of a next morning father and son to do. Aod \ve try to do· at .,sudden the cattle stopped, went out to get the skin of least some of them. and the boy heard .their the lion, but the hye~as had Any school can easily fri ghtened sniffing and been there already during have a "Friendly Society" nervous pawing with their the night, and so there was like ours, and it will make hoofs. P erhaps they had not much left of the "king life brighter and happier become aware of the pres- of the forest." for the entire school.

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