Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 223, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 September 1910 — BIG GAME ABOUT NYANZA [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BIG GAME ABOUT NYANZA

By CAPTAIN JOHN HANNING SPEKE, F.R.G.S.

TARTING on a march with a large mixed caravan, consisting of one corporal and nine privates, Hottentots—one Jemadar apd 25 privates, Balochs—one Arab Cafila Bashi and 75 freed slayes—one kirangozi or leader, and 100 negro porters—l 2 mules untrained, three donkeys, and 22 goats —one could hardly expect to find everybody in his place at the

Proper time for breaking ground; but, «t the same time, it could hardly be expected that ten men, who had actually received their bounty-money, and had sworn fidelity, should give one the slip the. very first day. Such, however, was the case. Ten out of the 36 given by the sultan ran away, because they feared that the white men, whom they believed to be canni-" bals, were only taking them into the Interior to eat them; and one pagazi, more honest than the freed men, de* posited bis pay upon the ground, and ran away too. Go we must, however, for one desertion is sure to lead to more; and go we did.

OFP FOR THE HUNTING GR6UNDB. ■ I*Our procession was in this fashion: The kirangozi, with a load on his shoulder, led the way, flag in hand, followed by the pagazis carrying spears or bows and arrows in their hands, and bearing their share of the baggage in the shape either of bolstershaped loads of cloth and beads covered with matting, each tied into the fork of a three-pronged stick, or else coils of brass or copper wire tied in even weights to each end of sticks which they laid on the shoulder; then helter-skelter came the Wanguana, carrying carbines in their hands, and boxes, bundles, tents, cooking-pots—-all the miscellaneous property' on their heads; next the Hottentots, dragging the refractory mules laden with ammunition-boxes, but very lightly, to save the animals for the future; and, finally, Sheikh Said and the Baloch escort, while the boats, sick women and stragglers brought up the rear. From first to last, some of the sick Hottentots rode the hospital donkeys, allowing the negroes to tug their animals; for the smallest ailment threw them broadcast on their backs. On the seventeenth of November, we reached Inenge, at the foot of the Rubeho pass. The country was so famished that nothing but the continual hunt for elands, antelopes and other wild game kept the caravan from starvation. The forced marches which we were compelled to make at least carried us more rapidly on our way. In three days more we arrived at Ugogi, where there was little more food than in the mountain region; the natives were already . mixing their small stores of grain with the seeds of the monkey bread-tree. Water was so scarce in the wells that we were obliged to purchase it at the usual price of beer; the- cattle, sheep and fowls were both scarce and very expensive.

KILLING MY FIRST RHINOCEROB. Continuing our march, at Kanyenye, two or three stations before entering on the "Fiery Field,” I waß lucky enough to shoot a rhinoceros. Having learned that they frequented a bitter pool in the neighborhood, I set forth with the guide and two of the sheikh's boys, each carrying a single rifle, and ensconced myself in the nullah, to hide until our expected visitors should arrive, and there remained until midnight. When the hitherto noisy villagers turned into bed, the silvery moon shed her light on the desolato scene, and the Mgogo guide, taking fright, bolted. He had not, however, gone long, when, looming above us, coming over the horizon line, was the very animal we wanted. In a fidgety manner, the beast then descended, as if he* expected some danger in store —and he was not wrong; for, attaching a bit of white paper to the fly-sight of my Blissett, I approached him, crawling under cover of the banks until within eighty yards of him, when, finding that the moon shone full on hiß flank, 1 raised myself upright and planted a bullgt behind

his left shoulder. Thus died my first rhinoceros. ' DEBERTED IN A CRISIS. To make the most of the night, as I wanted meat for my men to cook, as well as a stock to carry with them, or barter with the villagers for arafh, 1 now retired tb my old-position, and waited a#ain. After four hours had elapsed, two more rhinoceros approached Hie in the same stealthy, fidgety way as the first one. They camp even closer than the first, but, the moon having passed beyond their meridian, I could not obtain so clear a mark. Still they were big marks, and I determined on doing my best before they had time to. wind us; so, stepping out, with the sheikh’s boys behind me carrying the second rifle to meet all emergencies, I planted ball in the larger one, and brought him round with a roar and wbooh-whooh, exactly to the best position I'could wish for receiving a second shot; but, alas! on turning sharply round for the spare rifle, I had the mortification to see that both the black boys had made oft, and were scrambling like monkeys up a tree. At the same time, the -rhinoceros, fortunately for me, on second consideration, turned to the right-about, and shuflled away, leaving, as is usually the case when conical bullets are used, no traces of blood. DiyiDINCTTHf BPOJLB. . Thug ended tAe night’s work.' We 'now went home Ay dawn tb apprise all the porters that we had flesh In store for them, when the two boys who had so shamelessly deserted me, instead of hiding their heads, described all the night’s scenes with such capital mimicry as set. the whole camp in a roar. We had all how to hurry back to the carcass before the Wagogo could find it; but, though this precaution was quickly taken, still, before the tough skin of the beast could be cut through, the Wagogo began assembling like vultures, and fighting With my men. A more savage, filthy, disgusting, but, at the same time, grotesque scene than that which followed cannot be conceived. All fell to work, armed with swords, spears, knives and hatchets, cutting and slashing, thumping and bawling, fighting and tearing, tumbling and wrestling up td their knees in filth and blood in the ■ middle of the carcass. When a tempting morsel fell to the possession of anyone, a stronger neighbor would seize and bear off the prize in triumph. All right was now a matter of pure might, and lucky it was that it did not end in a fight between our men and the villagers. These might be afterward seen, one by one, covered with blood, scampering home each with his spoil—a piece of tripe, or liver, or lights, or whatever else it might have been bis fortune to get off with.

NARROW EBCAPE FROM A BULL BUFFALO. On the sixth of December, the party entered the Fiery Field; the next day I shot another rhinoceros, and soon after came upon a herd of buffalo in the Jungle. In a little while I shot two cows, and wounded a large bull, which, however, got away and hid in the bushes. When I approached the place, he sprang out of his ambush and made a sudden and furious charge upon the hunter. It was a most ridiculous scene. Suliman by my side, with the instinct of a monkey, made a violent spring and 'swung himself by a bough immediately over the beast, while FaraJ bolted away and left me single-gunned to polish him off. There was only one course to pursue, for in one instant more he would have been into me; sd, quick as thought, Jt fired the gun, and, as luck would baVe it, mv bullet after passing through the ed#e W one of his horns, stuck in the spine of his neck, and rolled him over at my feet as dead as a rabbit. Now, having cut the beast's throat to make him “bilal," according to Mussulman usage, and thinking we bad done enough if I could only return to the first wounded bull and settle him too, we commenced retracing our steps, and by accident came on Grant. He was passing by from another quarter, and became amused by the glowing descrip-

&;• ' .* tion of my boys, who never omitted to narrate their own cowardice as an excellent-tale. He begged us, to go on in our course, while he would go back and send us some porters to carry home the game. CORPULENT ROYALTY. The sister-in-law of the king of Karagwe was another of those wonders of obesity, unable to stand excepting on all fours. I was desirous to obtain a good view of her, and actually to measure her, and induced her to give me facilities for doing so by offering in return to show her a bit of my naked legs and arms. The halt took as I wished It, and after getting her to sidle and wiggle tato the middle of the hut, I did as I promised, and then took her dimensions, as follows: Round the arm, one foot 11 inches; chest four feet four inches; thigh, two feet inches; calf, one foot eight inches; height, five feet eight Inches. All of these are eiact except the height, and 1 believe I could have ob- • toined this more accurately if I could have had her laid on the floor. Not knowing what difficulties I should have to contend with in such a piece of engineering, I tried to get her height by raising her up. This, after infinite exertions on the part of us both, was accomplished, when she sank down again, fainting, for her blood had rushed into her head. Meanwhile, the daughter, a lass of 16, sat stark naked before us, sucking at a milk-pot on which the father kept her at work by holding a rod in bis hand; for, as fastening is the first duty of fashionable female life, it must be duly enforced by the rod if necessary. I got up a bit of a flirtation with missy, and induced her to rise and shake hands with me. Her features were lovely, but her body was as round as a ball.

THE KING’S EXECUTIONER. For a month or two nothing could be done, except to retain the good-will of the Uganda king, and at the same time defend' myself against both the suspicion and the covetousness of the latter, a task which required all my energy and watchfulness. Being recalled to court, four days after my arrival, I was requested to shoot four cows which were loose in the inclosure. The result is a striking illustration of the native barbarity. Having no bullets for my gun, I borrowed the revolving pistol I had given the king, and shot all four In a second of time; but as the last one, only wounded. turned sharply upon me, I gave him the fifth and settled him. Great applause followed this wonderful feat, and the cows were given to my men. The king now loaded one of the carbines I had given him with his own hands, and giving it full-cock to a page, told him to go out and shoot a man in the outer court, which was no sooner accomplished than the little Urchin returned to announce his success with a look of glee such as one would see in the face of a boy who had tabbed a bird’s nest, caught a trout, or done any other boyish trick. The king said to him: "And did you do it well?” “Oh yes, capitally.” He spoke the truth, no doubt, for be dared not have trifled with the king; but the affair created hardly any interest. I never heard, and there appeared no curiosity to know what individual human being the urchin had deprived of life.

UNCERTAINTIES AND DANGERS OF TRAVEL. In the rejoining with Sir Samuel White Baker, some exciting Incidents occurred. A part of Baker’s escort had mutinied and a rival band of Arabs under a person called Hooelid were making things unpleasant by inciting the tribes against Baker, but the Englishmen was determined to proceed. After two days’ Journey due east, without particular incident, they reached the boundaries of the Latooka country. On approaching the first village, about a hundred men of the Turkish caravan, who were in league with Baker’s mutinous escort, fired a volley of welcome, evidently tor the purpose of allaying his suspicion. He was not deceived; his two faithful attendants advised him that the decisive moment was at hand. The next mo ra-

tog, when the Turkish drums beat the signal for starting, Baker’s vakeel (bead man) was not to be found; the men lay as they had been sleeping, gnd not a man obeyed the order, except Richarn and a native named Sail. Finally, the man named Bellaal rose, gun In hand, and faced Baker insolently, while he appeared to be making signs to the others. It was evident that the time had arrived. Baker himself must describe the occurrence:

QUELLING THE MUTINY.

“Pretending not to notice Bellaal, who was now As I had expected once more the ringleader, for the third time I ordered the men to rise immediately, and to load the camels. Not a man moved, but the fellow Bellaal marched up to me, and looking me straight in the face dashed the butt-end of his gun in defiance on the ground, and led the mutiny. ‘Not a man shall go with you, go where you like with Ibrahim, but we won’t follow you nor move a step farther. The men shall not load the camels; you may employ the “niggers’* to do it, but not us.’ “I looked at this mutinous rascal for a moment; this was the culmination of the conspiracy; and the threats, and insolence that I had been forced to pass over for the sake of the expedition all rushed before me. ‘Lay down your gun,’ I thundered; ‘and load the camels!’ ... ‘I won’t,’ was his reply. Then stop here,’ I answered; at the same time striking out as quick as lightning with my right hand upon his jaw. “He rolled over in a heap, his gun flying some yards from his hand; and

the late ringleader lay apparently insensible among the luggage, while several of his friends ran to him, and did the good Samaritan. Following up on the moment the advantage I had gained by establishing a panic, I seized my rifle and rushed into the midst of the wavering men, catching first one by the throat, and then another, and dragging them to the camels, which I insisted upon their immediately loading. All except three, who attended to the ruined ringleader, mechanically obeyed. Richarn and Sail both shouted to them to ‘hurry;’ and the vakeel arriving at this moment and seeing how matters stood, himself assisted, and urged the men to obey."

RHINOCEROS HUNTING. A short time before this there occurred a little adventure which nearly resulted in the death of the horse Tetel. Baker had ridden to the top of a hill in order to get a view of the surrounding country, when he perceived two rhinoceroses at the base of the elevation. He at once ordered Tetel to be tied to a tree at the bottom of the hill and sent a messenger to the camp for the other horses. Scarcely was Tetel secured to the tree when the rhinoceros was disturbed by two pigs, and at once began to walk away in a direct line towards Tetel. Suddenly one of them sighted the horse and rushed at him. Baker hurried toward the scene and when about 600 feet off, fired. The shot missed, and just as it seemed as though Tetel must surely die, he reared and breaking his bridle was out of danger in an instant. The messenger returning with the horses Just at this point the party began the hunt which terminated in the death of both rhinoceroses.

Having gained the friendship of Moy, the chief of the Latooka, by a presents r Baker established himpelf in one of the native huts, to await chance of pushing southward. But W' few days after his arrival an event took place which undoubtedly was one cause of the consideration which he received in his later journeys. One afternoon a number of Ibrahim’s men, together with the mutineers who had left Bakes, set out from the village under circumstances of great mystery. A number of them returned at midnight, still silent and mysterious, and another day elapsed before the truth became known. They had started to attache a village

in the mountains, for the purpose of capturing slaves. Succeeding in this, they descended the mountain with their booty, when the news of a large herd of cattle which they had failed to discover induced them to return. Meanwhile the Latookas had rallied, began a fierce attack, and soon succeeded In driving the Turks down the pass. It was in vain that they fought; every bullet aimed at a Latooka struck a rock, behind which the enemy was hidden. Rocks; stones and lances were hurled at them from all sides and from above; they were forced to retreat. The retreat ended In a panic and precipitate flight. Hemmed in on all sides, amidst a shower of Jances and stones thrown from the mountain above, the Turks fled pele-mele down the rocky and precipitous ravines. Mistaking their route, they came to a precipice from which there was no retreat. The screaming and yelling savages closed round them. Fighting was useless; the natives, under cover of the numerous detached rocks, offered no mark for an aim; while the crowd of armed savages thrust them forward with wild yells to the very verge of the great precipice about 500 feet below. Down they fell, hurled to utter destruction by the mass of Latookas pressing onward! A few fought to the last; but one and all were at length forced, by sheer pressure, over the edge of the cliff, and met a Just reward for their atrocities.

MUTE WITNESSES OF THE SLAUGHTER. My men were almost green with fright, when I asked solemnly:

“Where were the men who had deserted me?” Without answering a word, they brought two of my guns and laid them at my feet. They were covered with clotted blood mixed with sand, which bad hardened like cement over the locks and various portions of the barrels. My guns were all marked. As I looked at the numbers upon the stocks, I repeated aloud the names of the owners. “Are they all dead?” I asked. “Non*} of the bodies can be recovered," faltered my vakeel. “The two guns were brought from the spot by some natives who escaped, and who saw the men fall. They are all killed.” “Better for them had they remained with me and done their duty. The hand of God is heavy," I replied. My men slunk away abashed, leaving the gory witnesses of defeat and death on the ground. I called Saat and ordered him to give the two guns to Richarn to clean.

“Not only my own men but the whole of Ibrahim’s party were of opinion that I had some mysterious connection with the disaster that had befallen my mutineers. All remembered the bitterness of my prophecy. ‘The vultures will pick their bones,’ and this terrible mishap having occurred so immediately afterwards took a strong hold upon their superstitious minds. As I passed through the camp, the men would quietly exclaim: ‘Wah Illahi Hawaga!’ (My God Master.) To which I simply replied: ‘Roblne fe!’ (There is a God.) From that moment I observed an extraordinary change in the manner ot both my people and those of Ibrahim, all of whom now paid us the greatest respect.” Some little time before this, Baker participated in a very exciting hippopotamus hunt conducted by the natives. A herd was found enjoying themselves in the water, and the negroes at once proceeded to attack it. TWO of them swimming, qnt to the herd unperceived, as closeiyf-as possible, hurled their harpoons at the animals. One missed, but the other became deeply imbedded In the flesh of a large bull. With some difficulty, on account of the frantic struggles of the beast, the other blacks of the party succeeded in attaching a strong rope to the float, which is always connected with the harpoon jn this kind ,of hunting, and proceeded to drag; him to the shore. It was a tremendous pun, and when thej had brought him to shallow water he suddenly changed his tactics and rushed on shore at the men. A dozen lances cast into his

open jaw. had little sand thrown into hi. eye. compelled him to retreat Six times more this was repeated, when Balter, at the requert at the native., finished the struggle by a shot from hi. favorite rifle. No more deeperate encounter could have befallen me than my narrow escape from death under the paw. of a monster lion. Jt was past the middle of the night, when there wit.no moon, when one of the bearers began screaming and in a moment the whole camp was in a babel, crying: “A lion! A lion!’’ The bearer was badly scratched, as some beast had endeavored to make a meal from his living body. If it was a lion, it was a marvel that the man was not killed. ■ We were camped in the neck of land filling out the loop of a river, and when we had lighted torches, it took but a little while to discover the spoor of an'enormous lion and to find ttot he had approached from the behind us, and when frightened away, had rushed Into this natural cul de sac made by the river loop. He could not have escaped, save by swimming the river, and this was an unlikely procedure. Lighting a chain of fires .cross the neck and extending the men in a line between them to deter him from flanking my advance, I set out with Selima to get a shot at him. There was a very little space of ground tb cover, not, more then two aeres, but it was covered with short, rough growth and hummocks of rocks, and I bad traversed it twice before I perceived his tawny body slinking off behind a large clump. Fully an hour later, I caught another glimpse of; him and Just as dawn was coming I saw him the third time crouched in gome reed, between two rocks, his fight flank toward me and his eyes roving back and forth across the line of’ fires and men that shut him in. Between us was a hummock of rock ahd mfog this to stalk him, I drew nearer and aiming behind the shoulder, I gave him a ball from my expresk rifle, but

my foot flipped at that precise instant, and I struck him high up in tho mighty muscles of his back. With a terrific roar of rage that echoed between the rocks, he came in great bounds, achieving an incredible speed, and I had Just changed guns with tho bearer as be alighted bn the hummock over which I had fired. I shot point blank, rending his mighty chest, and with a choking roar, he came tumbling dowu upon us, knocking us flat One of his paws caught Be!hna a terrific blow, and the claws made a ghastly wound, tearing the flesh from hip to knee on the right side. I had my face plunged into the rocks, and the great beast’s Jaws were snapping beside my head. I lay under him and felt the convulsions of his frame, while the' -blood from his chest wound deluged me. The men came running and dragged us away, but when I had wiped the blood and dirt from my eyes, be was dead. He was the largest lion I have ever seen, was in bis prime, and was a magnificent specimen. (Copyright, HO?, by Beni- B. Hampton^

NATIVES HARPOONING A HIPPOPOTAMUS.

RHINOCEROS ALMOST GORES OUR HORSE TETEL.