Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 April 1889 — A TRAGIC ELEPHANT HUNT. [ARTICLE]

A TRAGIC ELEPHANT HUNT.

Seven Men Killed by Five Animals in an A Mean Forest. ; In Oapt. Wusman’s new book describing his trip across Africa is a very stirring picture representing two elephants chasing black and white, through the tall grass. The only hope of the hunters 2 togain the bank of a river near at strike odt for the other shore. The enraged brutes, with trunks and tails aiblt,afe tearing through the grass at the top, ovtheir speed, and they are about the iigliesticdstomers one could meet The story of a vary tragical elephant hunt hes just been, told by Captain Brosseland, of the Frenoh army, who served a while ago on the Commission which determined the boundary between French Senegambia and Portugese New Guinea. ’ Arriving on the banks of the Rio Grande, Captain Brosseland requested the nat i ves to take him on an elephant hunt They promised to do so as soon as elephants were reported in the neighborhood. A few days later some natives came rushing into the village and said that they had seen the track of a young elephant, and, as they saw no other tracks, they thought the rest of the herd must be on the other side of the little Koliba River. Their experience told them that the young elephant would not remain lorijg away from the rest of the herd. Captain Brosseland was away from the village, and the hunte rs could not await his return. So eight of them set out after their prey, and the fact that Brosseland was left behind was the luckiest incident of his life. The eight hunteis had plenty of powder and ball and big English muskets which they could load to the muzzle. Through the tangle of vines and thickets they traveled until they struck the trail. Suddenly they came upon a clearing Where they saw the animal, almost a baby elephant, before them. They were astonished that its companions had left it alone. The young brute, scenting danger, began to make tracks for the forest. Several shots wore fired at it, and the sorely wounded animal’s loud eries echoed far through the forest. The hunters started toward the elephant, keeping, hows vermin the edge of the timber, where they would be less exposed to an offensive sally from their victim. All of a sudden they heard cries responding to those of the young elephant. The hunters at once comprehended that they were in danger. The other elephant were not far off, and were running iiranswer to the cries of their comrade. The blacks immediately abandoned their victim, which had fallen to the ground. They could hear behind them the undergrowth as the ponderous animals hastened to the scene. I Unfortunately for the hunters, they ran into a thicket pF thorny shrubs, through they could not force their way.-.Alfter a desperate effort’to get through, they were compelled, with bleeding limbs, to turn hack and seek some better route. They had gone but a few steps when they saw five elephants rushing toward them. Farther flight was impossible, and so with their eight guns they blazed away at the enemy. The bullets hit the mark, but an elephant is hard to kill by a.front sho\and the animals with redoubled fury rushed hpon the helpless men. Seven of the men were lifted high in the air on the trunks of the animals, and then dashed to the ground, broken against the trees, and crushed under foot. One man made his escape, and hurried back to the villaeo, whose people were horror stricken at his recital. A strong party was sent out to the scene of the tragedy. The seven victims were found so terribly mutilated that their own relatives could hardly recognize them. of the five elephants was on the grqjind so seriously wounded that he could not move. The young elephant whose cries had brought the comrades that had so terribly avenged it, was dying, and the others had disappeared. 4 J Maud S. the Queen ot all Trotters. A paragraph is going the rounds of the press, and is quoted in the catalogues of some of the stock farms, attributing to Mr. Robert Bonner the remark: ‘‘Being the owner of Maud S. I am free to speak, and say that Lucy Uuyler is the fastest trotter in the world.” Mr. Bonner’s attention was called to this statement and he replied: “I never said that Lucy Cuyler was the fastest trotter in the world. I have Said that she has been timed half a mile to top wagon in 1:05. and a full mile to skeleton wagon in 2:15}. and that she had as much speed for a brush as any trotter in the world; but neither she nor any other trotter that I have ever seen could trot a quarter, a half, or a full mile as fast as Maud 8.” - - Oddities of the? Language. WsahlngtonPort. Our French friend who comes in and sits on the corner of our desk and reads our exchanges says hp cannot get the hang of the English language. “Look at ris,” he says. ‘‘Here is one story about a boy. It says: ‘His mother kissed him and he kissed her back?’ What for he 8 kiss her back. And here is one sentence wors and worse: ‘He went fishing and his mother whipped him on his return.’ My, My! Zat is such a funny language!” V-' ' . ’ --