f
Lion
Shooting
in
Somaliland
By Lord Delamere
Foremost among the great hunt
ing authorities of the English sneak
ing world is Lord Delamere., lie is
credited with being the- heaviest kill
er in the party which bagged the.
record number of African lions some
few years ago. In East Central Af
rica his prowess is familiar to every
native. Not long ago a locality beset
with lions sent a delegation four
'hundred miles to call on Lord Dela
mere to ash 'him to come and wipe
out the destroyers of their cattle. In
this article he vividly contrasts the
theory and practice of lion hunting
in the region which Ex.-P resident
Jlooscvclt will invade.
11 K boat pioco of
linn trnnltlntr I nvor
T suw lasted llvo full
I hours anil Is ho
I memorable In sev
eral respects that 1
purposo to ubo It ns
an introduction to
that general method
or lion hunting.
Two of my men got badly mauled by
n lion, bo our camp had to stop whero
it was till they could bo moved. After
a tlmo ono of them was nblo to walk
about with his arm In a Bllng, and tlio
other wns getting on woll, bo ono night
I decided to lcavo the big camp next
day and go with two or threo camclti
'to some villages only n day'B mnrch
away. Early tlio next morning Ma
homed Noor, tho headman, started
with tho camols. I stopped behind to
Cot Bonio breakfast. Just as wo wcro
going to follow, a camelmnn, who had
gono up tho river-bed closo by to get
nomo water, enmo running back to Bay
that a lion had been down to drink
at ono of tho shallow sand wells In tho
night. I started at onco with Abdul
lah and two other trackers, telling my
pony-boy to follow on as soon aa ho
could got the pony saddled. When
tracking, I havo always found it tho
boat plan to havo tho pony led some
dlstunco behind. Tho boy ought to
Ihnvo no difficulty In following tho
tracks of two or, threo men and a
lllon, and it tho pony is kept closo
!up, It Is sure to Htatnp or blow its
nose nt tho critical moment.
1 Whon wo got to tho well there was
tho spoor plain enough in tho sand,
but rather blurred by somo rain which
had fallen at daybreak. This madu
ho tracking a llttlo "dllllcult nftcr we
loft tho river-bud, but when we had
followed it slowly for nemo dlstanco,
wo camo to a place whero tho Hon had
lain down under a thick bush, evi
dently to shelter from the rain, as tno
jcpoor after this was quiet distinct on
the top ot tho damp ground. This
mado us think wo wero In for a short
track, for It must have been light
when the Hon went on again from
hero, nnd lions gonerally Ho up short
lly after tho huh rises; but thin day
iprovod an exception, bouuno It was
cloudy and cool through tho foronoon.
Trailing the King of Beasts.
Tho spoor now led us along a sandy
(path, where wo could follow it as fast
'as wo could walk. Whon it turned off
into the bush wo quite expected to seo
(the lion at any moment; but not a bit
of it ho wandered about through
.endless clumps ot mimosa ad "irgln"
'bushes, ao If ho did not mean to He
up at all.
The track at last led us down a
little sandy watercourse, which it fol
lowed for somo dlstanco. Up to this
time we had had no real difficulty
la making it out, but now camo our
first serious check. Tho nullah turned
off along tho sldo ot a stony ridge,
and, instead of going along it, tho
Hon had turned up tho hill. Wo had
igot the general direction th? tho Hon
had boon going In, but this was no
good to ua, as. on casting forward In
tho same lino to tho bottom of tho
other Bldo of tho rldgo whero thoro
was some sandy ground, wo could find
no sign ot his having passed In that
direction. We spent Bomo tlmo hunt
ing about, growing less hopoful as
tlmo wont on. A man following n
trail by sight certainly has an enor
mous advantage over a hound hunting
It by noao, because time Is of no
particular objoct to him, and every
direction can bo trlod in turn. Aftor
malting out cast forward wo wont
back to tho llttlo watercourse, nnd
followed that down for somo distance,
hoping that tho Hon had turned down
hill again; but horo, too, wo wcro dis
appointed, and gravltnted back to
where wo had first lost tho spoor. Wo
know that tho lion hnd not gono
straight on, nor had ho turned back;
he must havo gono nlong tho top of
tho ridge and then crossed into othor
stony hills whoro is was hopoless to
try to track him.
Abdullah, who Is novcr defeated,
said thoro was a big river-bed further
on in the direction in which tho Hon
was going. It "soomod a very slender
chance, as ho might havo turned off
anywhere In between, but It wns tho
only ono, bo oft wo wont. Wo woro
evidently in luck that day, for wo had
only gono about a quarter of a mllo
when wo struck tho spoor. Tho Hon
koanaBBawf
seemed now to havo mndo up his
mind an to his direction, for he kept
on straight down tho middle of tho
rlvor-bed. Tho sun had como out from
behind tho clouds, and in places tho
sand was very deep, no that wo woro
not porry when at last Iho track led
Into n llttlo Island of ImihIi In tho
great flat Hand. Thoro was no doubt
tho Hon wns ut homo, for on easting
round no sign wns perceptible of n
track coming out. Tho Island, raised
a llttlo nbovo tho river-bed, wns
formed of a mni;s of thick-tangled
bush and creepers clustered round u
fnw big trees. The water coming down
tho rlvur nftor heavy rain had washed
It roughly Into tho form of a triangle,
tho apex of which pointed up tho
river. From this point tho sides
wldonod out to tho othor end, wnlch
was about thirty yards broad, tho
wholo length being somowhat under
a hundred yards.
Driving the Lion to Bay.
Tho shapo mndo It : u cany placo to
drive, for a llttlo way out from tno
point ono could easily commnnd tho
wholo of It. Tho lion was almost cer
tain to break nut of ono of tho sides
towards tho hush on tho bnnks of tho
river-bed, In which caso I should got
an easy broadside allot. If wo fol
lowed tho track Into tho place, tho
nolso wo wcro sure to make would bo
vory likely to get tho beast on his
legs, nnd ho would sneak out at ono
sldo as wo went In nt tho other, es
pecially an tho water had left a lot of
dead sticks along tho edges, over
which It would bo Impossible to walk
quietly. Abdullah also said that from
tho way ho had wandered nbout this
lion must be very hungry, and would
sluop lightly. Theso considerations
decided uo to drive. I posted mysolf
with Abdullah a fow yards out from
the point, and tho othor two men, hav
ing collected somo stones, began throw
ing thorn in nt tho far end. Abdullah
was right about this Hon stooping
lightly; for at tho first Btouo thero
was a growl and a crash in tho bushes
and then, for a mtnuto or two, not a
sound. Tho men started to walk down,
ono on each aide, shooting and throw
ing in stones. I was watching thorn, and
wondering what had happened to tho
Hon, whon thero wan a faint crackling
Just In front ot us, and ho appeared at
tho point of tho island. Although wo
woro standing within n fow ynrds ot
him, and absolutely in tho opon, ho
did not soo us.
Ho was facing straight towards ua,
and was so closo that I did not Hko
to tiro at him as, on receiving tho bul
let, ho would bo vory likely to plungo
in tho direction ho was going and bo
into us; nor did I want him to como
any closer; so, as ho steppod down on
to tho sand, I moved my rlllo up
towards my shoulder to nttract his at
tention. Ho snw tho movement nt
onco, stopped dead, nnd turned his
head shnrply towards us. For tho
fraction ot a Bccond I thought ho was
going to bo startled Into charging,
but ho plunged off to tho loft with an
angry Knurl at us over his shoulder.
As ho passed I pulled, and ho skated
along on his stomach nnd foil down a
llttlo ledgo In the sand. This slewed
him round, nnd ho lay facing us,
sproad-eagled on tho sand, evidently
qulto unnblo to move. All tho Hfo In
him seemed concentrated In his oyes,
which glared nt ua furiously, Another
shot put him out of his misery. Tho
first shot, a vey bad ono, had grazed
tho Bplno Just in front of tho wlthora;
nnothor quarter of an Inch higher aud
It would havo missed nlto;;cuer.
This Hon was qulto manoless, ex
cept for a few long hairs on each sldo
of tho neck, and his teeth wero worn
down qulto short, so ho was ovldontly
very old. Ho was In vory good condi
tion, notwithstanding, but h s stomach
was qulto empty, which nccountod for
his going so far beforo lying up. Wo
hnd to stop nt the main camp tor the
night when wo got thoro, and did not
follow up our cnmchi till tho next day.
1 huvo described this track rather at
length because it is a good example of
tunny similar days.
Perils of the Man Eater.
My first experlonco Hi tracking lions
was early In 189:.', and the night be
fore was rather an exciting one. Aftor
hunting elephnnta unsuccessfully for
nbout a month, wo wero on our way
south, when wq arrived ono day at
Homo villages whero tho natives had
been very much bothered by flvo lions
which wcro said to bo still in tho
neighborhood. A girl hnd been killed
two days beforo, and an enormous
nmount of damago had been dono
among tho sheep and cnttlo. Tho first
day wo camped thero two of our party
had shooting zercbas made nt tho vll
Uftge to which tho lions gcnorally
came, nnd just before sunset thoy
went off thero.
I tied up our two donkeys Just out
sldo tho camp, on the chnnco that tho
lions might como nnd look us up. Just
nftor dark wo were having dinner in
tho tent when thoro was a scuffle out
side, nnd It was ovldent that some
thing wn3 attacking our donkeys. It
was pitch dark, and wo flrrd several
shots In tho direction of tho nound
beforo wo discovered that tho attack
ing beasts wero hyenns. Wo did not
mind having a donkey killed Instan
taneously by a Hon, but wo had not
bargained for tho poor bensts getting
mauled by hyenns, so taking a lamp
wo went out to seo what had hap
pened. My donkey had got oft with
a nasty blto in tho hollow of tho hind
leg above tho hock, nnd wo had him
taken into tno camp at onco. Tho
HE PLUNGED OFF
other was completely disembowelled
and must havo been killed instantly.
Wo could not find any dead hyenas,
but wo woro protty sure that oni or
two must have been hit. Seeing tlmt
it tho lions did como to tho dead don
koy thero would not uo much chance
of hitting them on so dark a night,
wo pulled tho carcass right under tho
skerm or fenco round tho camp, and,
to pro vent hyonas dragging it away,
tlod a ropo to ono ot Its legs, nnd
passing it over tho fonco, fastened It
to a heavy water barrol insldo tho
camp. Wo sat up for a bit and got
a fow shots at hyenas, and then wo
wont to bed, telling the sentry to keep
n sharp lookout and to lot us know it
lions camo to tho carcass.
Somo tlmo aftor I awoko to find
Abdullah bonding ovor mo, with my
rlllo In his hand. Ho was frightfully
excited, and all I could get out of him
was "Llbah, Bahlb, llbahl" ("Lion, sir,
Hon!") Jumping up I rushed out Just
as my companion 11 rod two shots Into
the darkness. Tho llrst thing I saw
whon I got to whoro ho stood was that
a great plcco of tho skerm round tho
camp had disappeared, leaving n
broad gap. I could not for a moment
think what had happened, and then it
struck me that whon tho carcaso had
been dragged away tho water barrel
must havo got hitched against tho
insldo of the Interlaced mimosa
boughs and tho wholo lot had gono to
gothor. It was frightfully dark out
side, and wo Btood peering out for
somo tlmo without being nblo to dis
tinguish anything; but nftor n fow
minutes wo could hear something
tearing at tho 'flesh qulto closo by.
Wo hnd a Bhot or two at tho sound,
and tho beasts, whutovor thoy wero,
went nwny. As at thnt time we know
nothing about lions, wo wcro not
quito auro that they wero not hyenas
after all; but Abdullah stuck to it
they wero lions, so wo got our bods
and lay down ono on each side of the
opening, Just behind tho fenco to
watch, hoping that tho brutos would
como back. Nothing further happened,
howover. At daybreak wo sallied out
to seo If by any chnnco wo had man
ngod to hit a Hon, but wo only found
two or threo dead hyenas. Ono of
theso brutes hnd been partly eaten;
wo thought at tho lime by other hy
enas, as It was still too dark to makn
out tracks. Wo camo to tho conclu
sion wo had niado ldlcta of oursolvcs,
nnd hnd been shooting nil night nt
hyenas, and wo did not feel any tho
better when our friends came back
from their night at tho vlllago and
told us wo had probably frightened
every Hon out of tho country by our
bombardment
Reading the Lion Tracks.
Abdullah rtlll Insisted that thero
hnd been lions round the camp, and
n llttlo later wo found tho Bpoor of
one big Hon by tho body of the half
oaten hyena. The ground was very
stony nnd thero wero no othor tracks
to bo seen, but ono Hon could hardly
havo dragged tho donkey and heavy
barrol away so quickly, ho thero wcro
probably more. Tho other hunters
had got hold of a man at tho vlllago
who said ho know whero the lions
nlways lay, so thoy wont with iilm.
Soon after thoy left. Abdullah, who
had been hunting nbout, camo and
told mo that ho had picked up tho
track of ono lion on soft ground n llt
tlo way from camp, and that wo ought
to follow It. At that time nono of us
know much about tracking, and wo
had had such bad luck after tho ele
phants that wo did not think much
of our shikurlcH, nnd I did not think
it was much good, Abdullah persuaded
mo nnd I went. After wo ncl followed
tho trnck for somo dlstnnco I quite
cnught his enthusiasm, nnd when the
single track was Joined by three oth
ers, I was divided between delight nt
tho prospect of having four lions all
to inysolf and the thought that per-
WITH AN ANGRY SNARL.
haps I had more on my hands than I
could manago alone.
After a track of about nn hour wo
camo In sight of two or threo big
thickets of "Irgln" bushes Hurrounded
by open mimosa scrub nna intersected
by narrow paths. My second shikari
at that tlmo was a vory tall follow,
called Jama; with enormous feet. Sev
eral times during the track Abdullah
hud turned round to pitch into him for
making such a nolso, nnd now ho con
fided to mo that "Jama walk all samo
cow," and that wo had bettor leave
him behind here with tho pony and
boy, as tho lions wero suro to bo in
the placo In front ot us. Knowing
nothing about it, I agreed and wont
on with Abdullah. Wo wero walking
quietly along the outside of ono of tho
thickets when Abdullah suddenly
clutched mo by the nrm and pointed
towards a treo standing on tho edge
of tho bush ynrds off. Tho treo was
divided Into two towards tho bottom,
and tho sun was throwing tho shadow
ot a bush on tho ground Insldo tho
hollow.
This waB whero Abdullah was point
ing, getting more excited but I could
make out nothing at all, until n great
yellow beast moved suddenly out of
the shadow nnd slipped away on the
far Bldo. I fired from tho hip, lotting
off both barrels into tho tree. We
rushed round to tho other side of the
thicket Just in tlmo to seo a flno
lioness como out. I could not get a
clear shot at once, nnd when I did,
nftor running somo distance, I was
shaking so that I could not get on her
at all, and mlsBod. Sho kept lobbing
nlong Just ahead, every now and then
stopping to look around and show her
teeth nt us, Each time sho stopped
I shot, but so badly that 1 wasted
soven bullets nt different ranges
without touching her. Tho first six
did not Boem to annoy her at all, but
tho last hit tho ground Just under her
teeth, and either tho bullet bo closo,
frightened her or a stono lilt her, for
sho sprnng off with a snarl nnd a
flourish of bcr tall and, putting on tho
paco, in n mlnuto or two rnn clean
nway from ua, I was torrlbly disap
pointed and annoyed with myself, and
I thought ot courso, that everything
wns over for tho day after nil this
shooting; but Abdullah, who was al
most weeping, hardly gavo mo time
to get my wind a llttlo beforo ho
rushed mo back again. As wo ran
round tho place whero wo had first
seen tho lioness, a fine Hon appenred
walking slowly out of another thicket
towards us. Ah I shot, ho turned
and plunged thorugh nn openlng'ln tho
bushes to our right. Wo rnn round an
outstanding bush to head him if ho
broke out, nnd mot a lion facing us. Just
as I fired I henrd a moan to tho right,
so I was mho It was not the samo lion.
This one staggered away nt tho uhot
and fell stone dead closo by.
Death of the Jungle Lord.
Abdullah called up Jama and the
pony boy, and they soon had the hldo
off and tied on the pony. I thought
nil tho tlmo that Abdullah know all
about tho other one, but as ho seemed
to bo going right homo, I nsked him if
we hnd not hotter go and look for it,
nnd he replied that it was tho samo
Hon all tho time, and that I had
missed It the tlrst shot. I did not feel
quite suro nbout it myself, but the
moan In the bushes could only havo
como from a wounded beast, so I told
him we had better go and look nny
way. Ho evidently thought it was
wasto of time, but when wo got back
to whero tho Hon hnd been hit wo
soon found some blood, and going
quietly down a llttlo path between tho
Irgln" bushes wo cnine round a cor
ner almost on top of tho Hon. Ho was
stone dend. I was vory pleased at
scoring off Abdullah, as ho had shown
such evident disgust at my Bhootlng.
We met ono of our party on our way
back to camp, nnd told him ho might
run ncross tho lioness If ho followed
our track back to tho placo wo had
come from. An hour after wo got
back to camp he camo galloping up,
having Been two lions, curiously
enough both males, and had shot ono
with a better mnne than either of
mine.
I havo nt another tlmo described
two different methods of hunting lions.
Ono of them could hardly be called
a method at all, as it depended on
nowB brought in by natives as to
where a Hon had actually been seen.
Tho second plan consisted of tying
up a donkey for a bait, and sitting up
to watch at night. A much moro In
teresting way of hunting lions than
either of theso and u very success
ful ono ir tho native shikarles em
ployed nro any good, is this procoss
of tracking them. A Hon lies up in
somo cool, shady placo for tho day,
unless the Bky Is overcast and tho
sun cannot get out, when ho will oc
casionally bo found hunting at any
hour. If you can strike his spoor of
tho night beforo thero Is n vory good
chance of following it up to where
tho lion lies, should tho ground bo
nultablo. Thero Is no form of hunt
ing so exciting us this. Whon tho
spoor is found thero is gonerally
nothing to show if you havo struck
It early or lato in tho lion's wander
lugs, so thnt it is quite a chnnco
whether it leads you for hours over all
sorts of country, or whether, after half
a mllo down on a sandy river bed or
path, It turns off into n thick patch
of reeds or bush closo by, where tho
Hon Is lying. It is extraordinary how
tho excitement grows as tlmo goes on,
and ntlll you keep tho track some
times vory slowly, whero only now
and then part of a footprint can bo
seen on a soft place botween tho
stones, nt other times ns fast ns you
can walk ovor soil whoro tho track
Is visible many yards ahead. And
whon tho spoor Is lost nnd minute
nftor mlnuto goes by whllo you cast
about vainly in ovory diroctlon, how
wretched you nro, nnd how quickly
your Bplrlts Hbo ngaln whon a low
whlstlo or snnpplug of tho fingers an
nounces that ono ot tho trackers has
hit It off further onl
At last certain signs show thnt you
aro getting near tho end; tho trackers
tako oft their sandals and tuck up
their loin-cloths under their bolts, lest
a corner flapping In tho wind should
Bcnro tho Hon. For tho first tlmo you
tako your rlllo from the native who
has had chargo of it, nnd, with your
head shikari carrying n second rlflo,
steal forward until tho lion is sighted
or ringed in a small clump of bush.
Then, when all is over, and tho skin
is being tnken off, how plonsant it la
to sit in tho shado, listening to tho
oxclted talk of tho natives, and lot
ting your nerves quiet down again
nfter tho hopes and fenrs of tho morn
ing. You rldo homo to camp with tho
Hon skin behind your saddle, whllo
ono of your mon after another gives
his version of the morning's proceed
ings In a hunting song. On tho other
hand, when you got a shot, and miss
after n long and difficult track, it
seems ns if any number of lions killed
In tho futuro will never mako up for
tho loss of this ono, which Is always
tho biggest Hon, carrying tho finest
mnno you havo ever Been. Tho rldo
homo to camp Is then a silent one, as
no Hon moans no Bheep for tho men,
and they aro correspondingly down
hearted. Tho first thing to bo dono in track
ing Is to llnd fresh Bpoor. Natives
will often bring news of spoor, but
unluckily the average villager's Idea
of a fresh track is rathor hazy. I
havo several times gono n long way
to Hnd at tho end a track soveral days
old. On ono occasion two natives
arrived, saying thoro wcro fresh Hon
tracks In a river-bed, luckily not more
that half a mllo from camp, but whon
wo got thoro tho fresh Hon tracks
turned out to bo tho spoo of two hy
enas, nt least a week old.
Tho spoor of tho large Bpottcd
hyena Is not unllko that ot a lioness
on certain ground, but tho difference
can easily bo told, bocauso a hyena
has claws Hko a dog, whereas tho ro
tractlvo claws of a Hon are nl'vays
sheathed nnd leavo no mark. Th bc:t
way to find spoor Is to look for It
yourself with good trackers. Should
thero bo any villages near camp
which lions havo been In tho nablt
of raiding It Is vory necessary to got
there ns early ns posslblo In tho
morning. If onco tho largo flocks ot
sheep nnd goats and herds ot camels
which have been shut up in tho vil
lages all r.lght aro lot out, tho ground
all about Is a mass of indistinguish
able footprints, and ovory rath from
tho village is choked with long strings
of beasts going oft to their feeding
grounds. Hitting off a lion's spoor
under theso circumstances is almost
impossible, nnd tho dust ralsod by tho
herds is very disagreeable.
Besides villages, any woll in the
neighborhood is a good placo to look
for spoor. If a Hon is about thero
ought to bo no difficulty in picking up
his spoor within a day or two.
Baffling Ways of the Jungle Folk.
llnthor curious coincidences aro
sometimes brought to light by spoor.
Not very long aftor tho date of tho
story Just related, ono of our party
wont to a placo whero two lions had
been killing regularly, and sat up two
nights for them with a donkey as bait.
Tho lions must havo left tho district
for a day or two whllo he was there,
as there wero no fresh tracks to bo
found auywhero about. Tho day aftor
ho camo back to camp I happened to
rldo out In that direction. Soon after
wo Btartcd wo camo on tho spoor ot
two lions, which led us alons a path
till wo came to tho shooting zereba.
Tho night after ho had loft, tho lions
hnd walked over tho very spot whero
his donkey had been tied up in tho
middle of tho path.
A llttlo later, again, I happened to
bo at a place whero ho had camped
a fow days before. A Hon roared near
my camp soveral tlme3 in tho night,
nnd next morning I hoard ho had
taken a shocp from a vlllago closo by.
Wo picked up his spoor In a river
bed noar tho camp, nnd after follow
ing it for somo dlstanco camo to somo
wells. Tho Hon had drunk twice, and
botween tho drinks had laid down
under tho fenco of a shooting zereba,
which had been made to watch the
water. After drinking tho Becond
tlmo ho had gono away.
Now and then whon tracking you
como across places whoro lions havo
killed, and if it Is on sand or baro
soil, you can tell everything that baa,
happened almost as woll as If you'
had soon it. Wo wero camped onco
on the edgo of a river-bed and thick
covort ran right down to tho back of)
tho camp. Ono night there was a
tremendous scuffling In these bushes,
so In tho morning I went out to sea
what had been going on, and found
that two lions had been chasing a
wurthog, which had Just saved its
bacon by getting underground. It
must havo been a very near thing,
as the lions hnd ploughed great fur
rows in tho sand at tho mouth of tho
hole, showing thoy had pulled up prot
ty Bharp. Warthogs gonerally go to
ground whon pursued, and as thero Is
no second oponlng to the burrows, and
presumably no chamber at tho end
where thoy can turn, thoy nlways go
In backwards. This has actually beon
Been by Bportsmen who havo been
riding after them with a spear. I
should think this pig can hnrdly have
had tho tlmo to do this. Porhaps he
got jammed In head first, as ho re
fused to bo smoked out when wq trlod
IL
Hy permission of LonKmans, Green Se
Co., Now York.
(Copyright, 1003, by BcnJ. B. Hampton.)
Agitation regarding tho pay ot
French military officers has had somo
effect, for tho mlnistor of war has
asked for an extraordinary credit ol
$400,000 to supplement tho pay of tho
olllcors, which has not boon increased
since 1S70. In thnt tlmo noarly every,
grado of stato official has had his stl
pond raised, but tho sublioutonant has
had to mako both ends meet ns best
ho could with six francs a day and
tho lieutenant with eight.
'