Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 208, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 September 1910 — Big Game Hunting on the Nile [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Big Game Hunting on the Nile

By JOHN C. SYMONDS

A Perilous, Yet Successful Journey Among the Kari Tribes and the Escaped Slaves

mT was late in the summer of 186- that Sir John Langtry, who was one of the greatest English explorers and Shunters of big game, invited pie to accompany his party on an expedition up eastern Africa’s great way, the Nile. 'While Sir John had made various expeditions to the most remote .parts of the earth, he had an inherent, dislike of pub-

jlicity; consequently the public knew (very Ifttle of his travels and adventures. He had been solicited many, many times to give the public the story of his travels but he was dumb to all appeals, resigning that work to fathers who courted the attendant publicity and honor. A very reticent man was Sir John; quiet and reserved In manner, unostentatious and uncommunicative to an almost unpleasant degree. But I learned to know the man during the nerve-racking days and nights of our perilous journey and to admire his wonderful courage in the face of danger and his kindly consideration of those about him. ■ At the time Sir John came down from his London house to the little seaside hamlet which was my home, tie had made practically all preliminary arrangements for the journey. The Idea of inviting me seemed to have entered his mind at the last moment, and it was the first and only time I have ever observed a desire on his part for companionship. He was Quite insistent in his request when I advanced reasons for declining to go, and finally departed with my promise to join him on board the vessel within a fortnight • LThe next ten days, 1 can assure you ere spent in hasty preparation for jny long journey. Sir John had adIvised me that provision had been knade for all necessary articles of equipment, and had also warned me V>f the oft repeated error of loading one’s self down with useless articles. My good wife packed three large trunks, however, with things she knew I needed; but when these trunks [were placed on board the vessel Sir tiohn laughed heartily at my error. I might add that these three trunks and almost every article they contained Iwere left at Alexandria, a small village at the mouth of the Nile, where an English resident agent kept them tor me until we emerged from the Jrilderness. I We sailed from England almost immediately upon my arrival at the vessel. Sir John even ordered anchor Iholsted at midnight in order that no publicity attend our departure. Our voyage down the European coast and through the beautiful Mediterranean was pleasant but uneventful. WE REACH EGYPTIAN SHORES. i’' Just as day was breaking over the distant Libyan hills and on a beautiful May morning we dropped anchor at Alexandria, a quaint little village built on one of the numerous miniature islands In the mouth of the Nile. iThe population of Alexandria is made |up of a conglomerate mixture of a dozen nationalities and tribesmen, perhaps a score of English agents for firms and transportation reside here —a few with their families. Pitiable outcasts from Civilization, giving it would appear, their lives for the benefit of trade — for the dollar. I It was at this point that I employed one of the most faithful and altogether valuable native servants I have ever had. Tyanxa was his rather musical name. He had been compelled to accompany a former employer from his Jungle home to this point on the fringe of civilization, where he was deserted. He swam out to our vessel as soon as we cast anchor and pleaded piteously to accompany us to the interior. I finally employed him for approximately six cents a day. Tyanza ■oon proved to be a valuable servant and on at least two occasions he saved my life. I had the satisfaction, many weeks later of seeing him join his tribesmen on the far interior of the dark continent. _ ' THE JOSKONSPHARA FOREST ‘— FIENQS. By easy stages we sailed up the Nile toward Gondokoro, a journey which with steady sailing would occupy over two months. We did considerable hunting along the route, stopping occasionally for a two or three days’ tour of the surrounding hills. On one of these expeditions we had an experience which almost cost our leader. Sir John, his life. It was almost a month after we had left Alexandria and while we were passing through the Joskonsphara forest, which extends for miles into the interior on either shore of the Nile. The natives Insist that the Joskonsphara forest is peopled by gnomes, giants and indescribable human horrors as well as the most ferocious of wild bea#ts. Sir John informed me, however, that the probable cause of the native fear of' the forest was the presence of hundreds' of slaves who had escaped from their captors on the journey to Cairo. These escaped natives, made desperate by their brutal treatment, and fearful, of recapture had for years made £he forest a scene of Indescribable brutality and butchery. They became veritable

fiends, attacking and slaying every human being who entered their haunts. It was therefore extremely difficult to persuade our native servants (a half hundred of whom we had employed thus far on our trip up the river) to accompany us on a journey of even a few miles inland. The abundant evidences of big game along the batiks made us determined, however, to explore the interior and bag some of the animals. The most persistent effort on our part resulted in the forming of a party of only 12, Sir John and myself included, for the perilous trip. THE NIGHT’S FATAL EXPERIENCES. The first night we camped among the hills some twenty miles from the river and within a half mile of a beautiful lake. Ou the way we had several times caught a glimpse of wild hogs, monkeys and many species of deer as well as other smaller game. In the late evening I had brought down a harte-beste, which made a delicious morsel for our supper. Our native servants, gun bearers and attendants were extremely nervous during the entire day and as night fell they performed weird and ghastly ceremonies in order (as they explained to us) to sca?e the demons away. I had swung my hammock for the night a little way to the east of our campfire—which th€ natives kept burning brightly during the entire night—while my boy Tyanza was perched in the fork of a large tree near by, where he slept soundly. About midnight I was aroused by a hand on

my shoulder, and arose to find Sir John standing by my side, his trusty 35-caliber auto-loader in hand. He had been to the lake he told me, and found that big game was in the vicinity. Awakening our gun bearers —Tyanza accompanying me in that capacity—we set out making a wide detour of the lake to avoid approaching with the wind, and secreted ourselves in the .shore undergrowth to await the comfng of the animals to water. To our left a well beaten path extended to the water’s edge, and in the moonlight we could distinguish numerous tracks and also evidences of the wallowing of larger animals. THE LEOPARD’S STEALTH AND TREACHERY. We had just settled ourselves comfortably when four small antelope came down the path cautiously and in single file,, stopping frequently and listening intently for an enemy. They presented a beautiful picture as they stood at the very water’s edge with nostrils distended, their heads high in the air, set forward to catch the first warning of danger; graceful as a Venus, they were alert and watchful. Twice their leader, 1 a splendid buck with wide antlers, turned as if conscious of impending danger, but continuing finally toward the water. While I admired the beauty of the group, the thirst of the hunter was upon me, and I thoughtlessly raised my, rifle to shoot. A single word from Sir John sufficed to warn me, however, and I was in the act of lowering the rifle when a’huge black form shot from the underb rush and landed squarely on the back of the magnificent buck, which sank to the ground with a piteous cry of terror and warning. His mates scurried rapidly up the path and disappeared, not however before the crack of Sir John’s rifle rang out in the stillness of the night. THE BLACK BEAST’S VENGEANCE. With a roar of pain the monster black leopard (for such it proved to be) rolled over and over on the ground, and tore -viciously at its side

where the bullet had entered. In its agony the leopard rolled nearer our place of concealment until it caught the scent and located us. Perhaps it also caught sight of a glistening rifle barrel or of our clothing. At any rate, with a sudden bound it landed in our midst, snarling, biting and slashing with its mighty paws. Sir John's gun bearer, a trusty native who stood directly at his left, was struck down in an instant and completely disemboweled. Another native received an awful slash on the shoulder as. he turned to run. The attack was so sudden and unexpected that everyone stood paralyzed in his tracks. It was impossible to shoot without fear of injuring one another, and the tangled underbrush was so dense we could escape only by the path by which we entered. As the second native fell, the leopard struck out its mammoth paw toward me, barely falling short of my face. As it recovered to strike again, I felt that death was inevitable. No escape seemed possible. I had crowded back against the vines as closely as I could, but the next stroke must certainly reach me. TYANZA SAVES MY LIFE. The monster leopard had reared again to strike when I saw a black arm reach around its body and with the skill and cunning of centuries back of his thrust, Tyanza plunged his 10-inch knife to the hilt in the beast’s side. With a stifled moan the great animal gave up the fight, sinking dead at our feet. One of his mighty claws struck.the knee of my

had a quantity of ammunition. We followed the i fresh trail through the swamps toward the lower or eastern forest. As we mounted a small hillock I took my glasses and viewed carefully the surrounding country. Far away in the distance I could distinguish the herd traveling leisurely toward the southeast where lay another lake of considerable size. I could barely see their broad backs above the marsh grass which resembles our sugar cane and forms an almost impenetrable wall. We followed as fast as was possible through the marsh and had almost reached the point where I had seen the herd, when Tyanza approached me with a yell and pointed out a magnificent cow buffalo not 30 yards,distant. She had just ♦isen to her feet and stared at us in amazement as I leveled my express at her and fired. The shock brought her to her knees, when from behind here there appeared a young calf—the apparent cause of her falling behind the herd. With the mother’s instinct of protecting her little one, she bravely rose to her feet and charged us with terrific force. I quickly took my Reilly from Tyanza's hands, took deliberate aim and fired, but missed. I realized I was in Imminent peril of my life, and would doubtless have been gored to death but for Sir John’s timely shot which felled her within three feet of where I stood. Signaling the balance of the natives we set them to work preparing the meat to transfer it to the boat. We were in dire need of fresh meat because of a loss of a large portion of the meat

trousers as he fell and slit the tough cloth as if it were a spider’s web. While the other natives fled precipitously, Tyanza had placed his own life in jeopardy by remaining with me when he saw my escape was cut off. I assure you I felt grateful toward this ignorant black boy for his bravery and thereafter he was constantly at my side. The next morning I gave him a present (blacksheesh he called it) which made him Immensely happy. Considering the darkness and the attendant commotion, Tyanza’s thrust was remarkable, and to it I owed my life. (This leopard’s skin adorns the floor of my reading room to this day. Across the opening where the knife entered I have had woven with colored thongs of deer skin the name “Tyanza.”) WEIRD FUNERAL CEREMONY. Sir John’s gun bearer had died almost instantly, and before we returned to camp the natives were given the privilege of conducting a funeral dance over the body, a custom they consider extremely necessary—not a mark of respect for the departed, but in order that the participants may not meet a similar fate, I was told. For an hour they danced around the body, clapping their hands the while and chanting a wild, weird dirge. Their noisy ceremony precluded the possibility of any further shooting in the vicinity that night, so we returned to camp and to rest. " OUR FIRST BUFFALO. „ The next morning we set out to the southeast, down a wide valley on either side of which-were hills covered with a dense forest. We had traveled but a few miles when we noticed fresh evidences of a buffalo herd and on suggestion of Sir John we made ready to trail the herd. Leaving all of the natives except Tyanza, Gazala, (Sir John’s boy) and a powerful black Karl fellow, Arodotus, we set out on the trail. Sir John and I each carried our auto-express guns, while our boys were at our side each with a No. 1 lejlly, which shoots a No. TO ball with terrific penetrating power. Arodotus also carried a heavy gun and all of us

on board through careless attention in packing. A RUTHLESS SLAUGHTER. Our little party again set out (after a fruitless search for the calf, which scampered away and hid in the high grass) and came up with the herd at the lake where they were drinking and wallowing in the shallow water. Quite a heavy forest and dense underbrush surrounded the lake and it was with considerable difficulty that we found a point on the windward side where we could get within shooting distance of the herd. We finally gained a splendid position within a very short distance of the unsuspecting animals. While I have seen many herds of wild animals and In aU sorts of positions, I think those buffalos presented the finest picture of animal life I have ever seen. They were of the flat horn species, which is much the larger of the two breeds which for centuries have fed along the rivers of northern Africa. There were not less than 500 of them at the water’s edge, refreshing themselves after a long, hard tramp over the lowlands. While the African buffalo does not carry himself with the lordly mien which distinguishes his American brother, still they are among the most notable beasts of earth. We admired the picture for several moments before we began our work of destruction. Four of the fine animals fell during our fusillade of bullets but two of them regained their feet and started off through the underbrush. Tyanza and Aredotus were after them like a flash, however, vrad brought them down by “ham stringing” them. The herd became panic-stricken as they saw their comrades fall and heard the reports of the rifles and stampeded through the underbrush toward the opefi country. Sir John and I had gone down to examine the path made by the departing* herd, when several of the natives whom we had instructed to start work on the carcasses, came running to us frightened beyond description. One of their number they declared had just,been killed by the forest fiends. Sure enough, during the

few moments Sir John and I had been absent one of our most faithful native servants had been killed by spears and afterwards actually beheaded. WILD DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FOREST DWELLERS. Some of the natives declared they had seen the “Hutreekas” or forest fiends whom they solemnly averred were at least nine feet tall. They disappeared, however, as soon as the murder was done and a diligent search of the surrounding hills failed to disclose their whereabouts. Of course the natives were either mistaken "6r were deliberately lying about! the height of their assailants, but being so terribly frightened they were excusable: Three days later I had a good view of a band of these roving marauders, and I was certainly surprised at their size as well as their height. The band of perhaps twenty would average six feet six inches in height and weigh not less than 300 pounds each. They were magnificently prqportioned and wonderfully developed, the result of their strenuous life. AN EVENTFUL NIGHT. We camped for the night beside the lake, the natives working until late in cutting the buffalo meat into largo strips "to load on our pack mules for the journey to the river. Several hundred pounds of the choicest cuts were, thus provided for our depleted larder. Sir' John and I took turns during the night watching the watering place at the lower point of the lake two miles below our camp. We took “watches" of 2% hours, one of us sleeping in a hammock back in the woods while the other was on duty. At two o’clock we changed places, I relieving Sir John who had been up since 12:30. DEADLY DUEL IN THE JUNGLE. Hardly had I settled myself (in a large banyan tree which leaned over a small ravine at an angle of about forty-five degrees and made a splendid lookout) when I saw a small herd of beautiful antelope come slowly and cautiously down the path and enter the shallow water. They soon became frightened, however, for they suddenly raised their heads, darted out of the water, along the edge of the bank a short distance and into the underbrush by a different path. Their leader had scented danger and given the alarm, when they were off like a shot. I heard or saw nothing for several minutes when suddenly a long dark sinewy form crept stealthily down the path to the water’s edge and lapped the sparkling water thirstily. In just a little time the leopard (for such it proved to be) apparently heard a slight noise in the brush above and quickly went up the bank in long leaps to a banyan tree where he lay flat on a limb overhanging the path, ready to pounce down on anything that passed below him. LORDS OF THE FOREST CLASH. The noise ■in the underbrush grew louder and in a short time a great bull elephant came ponderously crowd-, ing himself through the thick underbrush which bordered the path. As he came out in the ’’clearing and almost to the tree wherein the leopard lay, in wait, the big fellow stopped and looked about in dignified lordly silence; then started for the water. As he passed directly under the tree the leopard made a plunge and landed squarely on the elephant’s mammoth shoulders. a shriek of anger and pain the elephant started forward and before he could stop himself he was well out in the lake. In the meantime the leopard was biting and slashing at the elephant’s back, cutting great gashes in his shoulders with every stroke of its paw. The elephant was using his trunk with telling effect, however, as he swung It over his back and dealt the leopard terrific blows over the head and shoulders. At one time the elephant threw his adversary into the water with terrific force, and I thought the fight was ended, but the leopard was on his back again the instant it arose to the surface. The elephant had cut a great gash in the leopard’s side with his tusk as h§ threw it into the water, and the blood was pouring from both the animals’ wounds until the water around them became a seething cauldron of crimson. Over and oyer they rolled screaming and roaring in maddened frenzy, first one then the pther x receiving terrible Injuries. It was the most magnificent battle I ever wit- 1 pessed, and the honors were equal, even unto the death. Weakened from loss of blood, the elephant finally fell on his side in the water but in the fall the leopard was caught beneath the mammoth body and both soon ceased the struggle. Sir Johp was aroused'by the noise of the battle and arrived on the bank in time to see the finish. He agreed with me that it was a battle royal. Our natives were aroused later and drew the carcasses from the water. The elephant had a remarkable pair of tusks which weighed 70 pounds The leopard’s skin also proved a valu able one, the animal being of ex traordinary size. Early in the morning our caravan set out for the river, where we boarded our vessel for the journey farther up the mighty Nile. (Copyright, 1909, by BenJ. B. Hampteai

A POOR SHOT ALMOST COSTS ME MY LIFE.