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48       ABBOTT'S MONTHLY

Now there we were; the fire in the center of us and we in the center of the lions. Sometimes people are tempted to underrate the intelligence of dumb animals; but I have had many experiences with them and know that many possess a good degree of intelligence, enough to baffle men. What maneuver could have been more carefully executed than the circling of those lions? The way in which they obeyed their leader was unique. This was the most perfectly executed animal order I had ever seen carried out.

Turning now to the more serious part of the experience: no man, however brave, has any feeling of composure when in danger of being eaten by wild beats, whether they are lions or any other creature.  To sleep was out of the question even if we had had no dread of being eaten, for at intervals of about five minutes, each lion roared and kept it up all night. They had come to remain the night through; this we soon realized. Therefore, there was nothing for us to do but to remain up and look at them as they were intent on looking on us. I, from my log, watched the lion in front of me. Pastor Boger lying on his cot with his gun at his side watched the one in front of him. President Branson from his corner had two with which to reckon.

THE fire was now burning low but no one dared move from his place to replenish it. When death stares a man in his face, the thing which once engrossed his attention becomes of less importance whether it be food, water or warmth. This was our situation exactly. Night had overtaken us in the kingdom of the king of beasts and since it was impossible for us to give battle, our sanest course was to remain still and see the salvation of the King of the universe.

Our Ford, with its dim lights burning about fifteen yards away, was the plaything of the cubs.  The doors had been left open and through these, they entered and played over the seats, moving from the back to the front and making themselves perfectly at home. We had a dead deer hanging from the back of the car; this they did not touch.

The night slowly passed and as the flames of our fire died into cold embers and the gleaming of the morning ushered in the sunrise, the leader gathered his company about him, and slowly they all made their way in the direction whence they had come. After they disappeared,we arose and started on our journey. Just ahead of us was a settlement of Europeans and a stream of running water.

WE did not attempt to solve the mystery as to why were were not eaten but came to a two-fold conclusion. The first: we believed God had marvelously spared our lives. We were in His service and trusted to His deliverance. The second: we knew for sure that the lions must have been filled for had they been hungry they would surely have attacked us. The cubs themselves must have had enough to eat before coming into our camp, for, as I have said before, they did not touch the deer hanging at the back of the car. The noble thing about a lion is this, when filled he will not attack a man unless he is first assailed.

The idea commonly believed that all wild animals are afraid of fire does not hold true, for these lions deliberately left the wilds and came to a spot where a large blaze was. It is true we were in their path, yet if they were so afraid of fire they would have kept out of the way. 

I had an experience with a lion which convinced me that lions are not afraid of fire. In my father's village,"Monehera," near Blantyre, Nyasaland, is the kraal of the family with a fence eight or nine feet high. For nine nights in succession a large lion had been taking one of our cattle from it despite the fact that lanterns were hung all around the wall.

I had just returned from my missionary tours that evening and needed rest badly. About midnight my father called out, "Children the lion has come. I heard the body of an animal fall outside the kraal!"

ALL the boys were up! With a spear in one hand and a lantern in the other each emerged from the house in the direction of the kraal. Sure enough there was the lion in the act of carrying off a cow he had just killed within the kraal and thrown over the fence. Father yelled at him! He dropped the dead cow from his mouth and made for him. 

The old man turned back toward the house but he was going so fast he dashed past the door, the lion after him. Round the house father went, the lion still pursuing. We saw his predicament and immediately made for the beast, brandishing our spears, weaving our lanterns and yelling as we chased. Finally we attracted his attention, enabling my father to effect his escape into the house. Instead of attack- (Continued on page 81)

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[[caption]] From behind their barricades the true sons of the African jungle wage incessant warfare with their poisoned arrows against the King of Beasts. The arrow is as effective as bullets; once striking a lion it paralyzes him [[/caption]]


UNKNOWN ARTISTS and Their ART
By Arthur Diggs

What Has the Black Man Done With Pen and Brush?

Arthur Diggs, Author of This Article, Answers This Question for You

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[[caption]] AIDA by William M. Farrow which was exhibited at the Art Institute, Chicago, Illinois. [[/caption]]

THAT all men are born free to exercise their creative power in the fine arts of the world has ample proof in the museum collections inherited from an ancient past. Relics of the more primitive African race have been found by travelers in the Congo River basin in Africa, including examples of sculpture of ivory carvings, pottery, metal work and weaving. The Caucasian race has had its inheritance longer than the Christian era.

Perhaps the largest collection of primitive African art is that of Blondiau, which comprises art from the Belgian Congo, which was exhibited in several of our larger cities in 1927. Some of our present day artists are now showing the influence of African art. It is now admitted that the black man's art has for a quarter of a century exercised strong influence on the modern painting and sculpture of Germany, England and France. Such painters as Dervain, Matisse Picasso and Vlaminck have become almost classic.

THE history of Negro art in America dates back to Henry O. Tanner, born in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1859. He is, without doubt the best known of our artists in the world. The history of American art would, indeed, be incomplete without a reference to his work. We may go further back, in

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