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MASHUBASHEN.

(The Story of the Lion Man)

by Angela Hurrell

A hunter of wild animals, who lived in Africa in the early days, shot a lion and lioness, and the wild man, who had befriended the two animals, was devastated at their death, as he considered them to be his children. This is the story of; how he came to be alone; how he managed to survive in the bush; and what became of him in the end.

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MASHUBASHEN, THE LION MAN.

This is a story about a man who lived with lions in the early days in the Transvaal of South Africa. His name was Mashubashen and it is a true story that happened in 1905. There is no one still alive, who can vouch for the authenticity of it, but even now, when hunters gather round a fire at night, they talk of his exploits with respect and awe.

It begins with a man called Jurie Lombard who lived in Leydsdorp, which is near Gravelotte, and not too far from the Kruger National Park. He was a hunter and had the proud distinction, in those days, when animals were more plentiful, of having killed more than 100 lions. He used to advise any would-be hunters: "Never run from lions, or they will chase you. Face them squarely and the majority will stop short, if they are not wounded, and give you time for a decent shot."

Every winter, Jurie hunted in the Groot Letaba River (northern Transvaal). He was one of the old-time hunters, and lived for three months of the short winters, in the bush hunting for lion, and buck, which he needed for food and to make game biltong (dried meat). Lion hunters made a good living from selling lion-fat and the claws to native witchdoctors, who concocted powerful medicines from the fat and sold the claws as charms against evil. Bones, of animals eaten by lions, which had passed thru the lion's digestive system were greatly valued by the natives, as charms against sorcery and witchcraft. The hunter's assistants would always keep a look out for lion droppings, which they would inspect for small bones. Those that they found were sold to the local witch-doctors.

On one of his hunting trips, Jurie shot a huge lion and his mate, a lioness. They were both fat and sleek, and he was very proud of the fact that he had used only one shot apiece to bring them down. After that, he killed a waterbuck which he and his African assistants needed for food.

It was after this foray that he noticed strange things happening. He hung the meat, as was his normal practice, high in the trees, out of reach of carnivorous animals and this was left overnight, before being taken away to his camp to be salted and cut into strips for biltong. Next morning, he found that some of his meat had been stolen during the night, and so he then he hung it still higher. In spite of this it still disappeared. He was puzzled as to what could be taking it.

One day he wounded a roan bull, which although wounded, had taken off, running around in a wide circle, amongst the trees and bush, crossing his own spoor before striking off into the bush. Jurie followed the blood spoor round in the circle, and when he looked backwards, he saw a wild-looking black man silently loping along the first round of the circle. Jurie hid behind a tree, signalling to his African assistants to do likewise and when the native came past he pounced on him. The dirty, dishevelled man fought and spat like a wildcat and had to be tied up to stop him running off, into the forest. He smelled badly so the assistants did their best to bathe him while all the time he struggled with several of them, grunting and snorting like an animal. When he was clean Jurie recognised that he was a mountain Basuto.

The man was treated well, fed with mealie pap (porridge made of mealies, or corn) which he wolfed down, as if starved. He was kept tied- up but well treated and eventually tamed. After a few weeks with the other hunting-boys, he spoke to them in Sesuto, which was his native tongue but for a long time, he would not give Jurie his background. Then one night, while sitting round the campfire, he told his story. Mashubashen, for that was his name, said that he had stolen the meat, from the high trees, because Jurie had killed his children, who had been feeding him. When questioned he gave his children's names, which were Ramashu and Mashubile, and gradually his strange story unfolded.

Years before when Mashubashen had lived with his people, in a kraal under the Berg in Sekorroros country, his young wife had died for no apparent reason and he was accused by the tribal witch-doctor of poisoning her. He knew the consequence of the accusation and before being "tagatied", (branded as bewitched) and killed in cold-blood, he fled the kraal. He wandered about the bush, hungry and frightened, for many days, living on herbs, berries and honey, when he could find a hive. At night he built two fires and slept between them for protection against the many lions that roamed about. Having no matches, he made the fires by friction-rubbing of sticks and dry tinder and then kept the glowing embers alight from day to day.

One day, while climbing a tree, where he had gone after seeing some bees flying into a hole in the trunk, he saw a small, open caves on the side of a kopje. There he found lion-spoor and some remains of their latest kill. It had been a long time since he had eaten meat and, frantic for some, he decided to remain in the cave and brave the lions. He was sure they would return and, with luck, bring another kill with them. He dragged a pile of dry wood from the surrounding scrub, to the mouth of the cave, where he built a barricade across the entrance. That night he set fire to the barricade and kept the flames roaring with dry sticks and branches and waited for the return of the lions. When they came to the cave, they were dragging part of a buck with them. The lion dropped the meat when he saw the fire and snarling, belly close to the ground, he crept towards the cave. Mashubashen shouted, "Hamba, Tau, go away lion! This is now my cave, Hamba."And threw flaming brands at the lion to drive it away.

The lion retreated, then lay in the outer darkness snarling in anger. With the meat next to him, he watched for an opportunity to enter the cave. Mashubashen smelled the meat and a great craving for it drove him to desperation, so, throwing flaming branches at the pair, he drove them from their kill and, as they retreated, he ran out and dragged the meat into the cave. The lion and the lioness advanced again and growled menacingly. At this Mashubashen broke a forequarter and threw it to them. He shouted to the lions, "Lions, you are brave and I will make you my son and call you Ramashu, after a great warrior of my tribe. Lioness, I will call you Mashubile, a beautiful woman of my people. Here is your share of meat. You will be my children and hunt for me and I will feed you and keep you fat and keep the hyenas from your kills." He then gorged himself with the meat.

Thereafter, Mashubashen became a creature-of-the-wilds and hunted with his children, Ramashu and Mashubile. When they killed, he drove them away from the meat with sticks and firebrands until they learnt, to allow him to take his share of the kill first. For some time, Mashubashen slept behind the fire-barrier in his cave at night, but later, when he slept in the open, his children did not molest him, but guarded the remains of the kill from vultures and hyenas, while he slept.

The unusual trio thrived and grew fat, and the African developed an affection for his lion children yet longed for his own kind. He started to talk to the trees in the forest in half-forgotten Sesuto. He began moving towards the west, nearer the kraals of the lowveld tribe where his lions killed their goats and cattle. They grew fatter as they became more daring but after about a year, he craved more and more for his own people again. One bright and sunny morning Ramashu roared over a waterbuck cow that he had just brought down, while the gentle creature had been peacefully grazing near a water hole. Mashubile heard him and raced to him. There they waited, side-by-side, for Mashubashen to join them.

Two rifle shots resounded through the forest clearing and both lions were hit. They coughed and choked in their death throws, and then fell dead across their last kill. Jurie came out congratulating himself on his prowess and thinking of all the fat on the lions that he could sell. He would use the proceeds to pay his native hunters, for money was not plentiful and they had not been paid in many weeks. Watching from behind a tree was Mashubashen, wild eyed, foul-smelling and pitch black and he stared in speechless horror at the killing of his children. Then the hunter's assistants began to skin the lions, taking the fat and skins and leaving the carcass to the vultures and hyenas.

For days, Mashubashen was miserable and hungry until he learned to follow Jurie and steal the meat of his kills, but then he was captured by the white man and his black hunters. He settled down and became a loyal and valuable hunter, absolutely fearless and full of bush-cunning. He went where no others would go, following wounded animals into the densest bush. His bravery was well-known and a further story of this was told: of him coming across a partly-eaten carcass of a zebra where he saw lion spoor going from the kill. He knew it would be back, so together with Jurie, they built a hideout of thorns and waited a short while for the lion's return. The two men sat back-to-back and waited. After a while a lion returned. Jurie moved and a twig snapped, alerting the lion, who, thinking it was a hyena making for his meat, charged to where Jurie sat. More frightened than he had ever been in his long life of hunting, Jurie froze, then managed to pull himself together and shot at point blank range. He sat shaking for minutes afterwards and on turning to pacify Mashubashen, whom he thought would be even more terrified, he was amazed to see the native still sitting, taking snuff from the palm of his hand. He hadn't even bothered, to turn to face the lion!

Mashubashen remained with Jurie for many years, a faithful and brave servant, sharing the hunter's experiences, until he died of old age.

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