Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 August 1892 — CAST UP BY THE SEA. [ARTICLE]

CAST UP BY THE SEA.

BY SIR SAMUEL W. BAKER.

CHAPTFR XVl— Continued. Upon arrival at the mouth cf the gorge, which formed an alley or narrow street through the hill side, Ned climbed up the steep ascent and took his position beneath a small tree ; that grew among the clefts of the rocks exactly on the edge of the ravine; thus he commanded the pass, he could drop a pebble upon, any Imirnal that passed below. This curious pathway was of great length*, as it was by no means precipitous, but descended at a gradual inclination with.,many windings from the table land on the summit of the hills. The wind blew toward the lake, thus it was favorable for the watchers. - The moon was nearly full, and not a cloud dimmed the face of the heavens; thus it would be almost as easy to shoot correctly as in daylight, especially as Ned had taken the precaution to fasten a pieqg of white paper, cut into a sharp ’point, as a Sight at the muzzle of the guns. At lengthens daylight entirely faded, the moon seemed doubly bright, and the night set in with that brilliancy that can only be seen within the tropics. There was not a sound to be heard except the occasional splashing and loud sonor6us sum t of the hippopotami among the reeds by the margin of the lake, and the hum of mosquitoes that torinented Ned without ceasing. About an hour passed in fruitless watching; the moon was now high enough to throw her light directly into the ravine, and suddenly, although no sound had been heard, Ned perceived a dull gray mass, that looked like a portion of the rock, moving slowly forward from an angle in the gorge. The mass suddenly hatted, when, in the distance, a sound'rang through the still night air like tl.-t shrill note of a trumpet. ;A ‘low and deep %rowl, like the rumbling of distant thunder, seemed to shake the rbck upon which Ned lay concealed. Suddenly a tremendous trumpet sounded from the gorge where the dull gray mass had halted, and, growliug deeply, the bull elephant advanced, unconscious of impending danger, along the bottom of the "ravine. Another and another elephant followed until the leader passed directly beneath the spot where Ned and Tim were concealed; the entire alley - was crowded with the heard of enormous animals as they followed their leader in single file toward the lake. *’ Ned’s heart beat -loudly with excitement as one by one the elephants .passed below him; but hie reserved nis fire until eight or ten had made their exit from the gorges as he rightly conjunctured that, in the alarm of the first shot, those who had already passed out wouXl endeavor to return whence they came; this would create great confusion in the narrow pass, during whiph he would have an opportunity of selecting the finest-animals. As the elephants slowly filed below, Ned whispered to Tim torihand

him the spare gun as‘quickly as possible when he should require it, and Riming behind the ear of a large bull fthat was not more than five paces he fired?"' animal fell dead to the shot. For some minutes the herd of elephants remained stationary as though suddenly turned to stone; the flash of -the gun and the unknown report had completely astonished them, and they waited in uncertainty of the positipn and nature of the dainger. During this time Ned reloaded his gun, and aiming at the templesaf a large elephant that stood .gxactljrbefore him, he again fired, To his delight the animal fell likewise; but now an indescribable scene of contusion arose. At the last flash of the gun those elephants that had already’ missed from the gorge turned quickly round, and elffxrged desperately jn their retreat up the narrow pass, which was blocked, not only by the bodies of the two dead elephants, but by the dense mass of animals which, seized by the panic, now wedged closely together ill their frantic endeavors to escape. ; There was no necessity for concealment, and Ned quickly stood upon the edge of the rocks, just out of reach of the elephant’s trunks, and steadily selected his shots, aiming generally behind the ear as the most fatal spot. Six elephants fell dead to his gun before they could extricate themselves from their helpless position; then, having regained their formation in single file, tlfty disappeared at an extraordinary pace in gloom of the ravine. This was a good beginning. Tim had handed the gun quickly, and had reloaded as fast as Ned" had fired, and their six prizes now blocked the passage of the narrow gorge. But more remained to be done, as the night was young and then moon bright; therefore Ned proposed that .they should follow the edge of the Tavine for ,a considerable distance where it had been Undisturbed; there Acy might pass another hour in watching before» they returned to t :cir party. | They picked their way among | loose rocks until they arrived at the summit of the high ground, they then discovered what they had supposed t& be a hill from the level of the lake was merely a cliff, or precipitous slope descending from a beautiful expanse of table-land, that [was a combination of forests and pla.ns. From this elevated land the I torrents descehded to the lake by Ideep gorges that had been worn ■through the hillside, and Ned once Poore took up his position behind a Barge tamarind tree that overhung *

the ravine which the elephants had recently quitted. The white sand at the bottom! of the gorge was trodden deeply by the feet of the numerous herd that had now retreated to the jungles, in which they could be distinctly heard trumpeting and roaring in the distance. More than an hour passed away without the appearance of any animal, and Neel*, was thinking of his return, when he suddenly heard the clatter of stones as some hard-footed beast was descending the ravine. In a few moments he observed several spectre like forms advancing along the bottom.their heads being sometimes on a level with the rocks that overhung the edge; they were giraffes who were thus descending to drink at the lake. As they passed within a few feet of Ned, lie fired at the head of one that nearly touched •him; this fell to the shot, and. as the herd dashed round and rushed off with amazing speed, Ned fired his remaiqjagbarrel at the shoulder of another animal,but apparently wjthouf success, as is retreated with the rest. This was great luck; Ned had killed six elephants and a giraffe, and he resolved to return to the.spot where his party had bivouacked, as he had done sufficient work for the night. The easiest path was by the ravine through which the elephants had arrived; Ned, therefore, clambered down the rock, followed by Tim until he gained the sandy bottom of the gorge, by which gradual descent they arrived at the dead elephants. In passing these Tim cut off their tails, as he had also done with the giraffe, and with these trophies they continued on their, way. After passing thrqrrglr a strip of forest they observed the light of the fires around which the natives were sitting in anxious expeotatibti of their return, and they had distinctly heard the shots ahd the loud trumpeting of the elephants. Tim. in great triumph, exhibited the tails, qnd recounted the story of the night, to the astonishment of the natives, who had now obtained as large a supply of meet in one night as they were accustomed to collect in a fortnight’s hunting; they determined to visit the spot before daybreak, to prepare the flesh and secure it from putrefaction. .

At about 4 a. m., they sallied forth with knives, axes and sacks, to cut up the game; this they performed with great dexterity by dividing the flesh in long but thin slips, which were at once hung upon the trees in festoons to dry, while fires were lights beneath to preserve it from flies. While they were thus engaged, Ned, with the dogs, strolled up the ravine to the body of the giraffe which had already been ate tacked by hyenas, whose tracks were visible in the sand. Knowing that he had wounded a second giraffe, he now continued along the ravine, and presently he discovered tracks of'blood upon the stones upon the right hand side nf the gully, which proved that the animal was wounded. He now carefully followed upon the marks until he emerged from the ravine among some roughly broken ground near the summit of the table-land; this was in some Slaves covered with thick bush, but eel remarked that in one spot the white sand was reddened with blood, and trampled in all directions by the tracks of lions mingled with the widespreading hoofs of giraffes. It was evident that some great struggle had taken place, as -the sand was marked in one direction by a weight that appeared to have been across it, as though the giraffe had been carried off by the lions. As he followed upon the track along which the heavy body had been dragged Nero bristled up his back, and cautiously approached a dense covert of thorns with a small hollow among the rocks. . The dog baited, and appeared to wind something within the thick jungle, as he advanced a few steps nearer and then barked in great excitement. Ned felt sure that either one or more lions had dragged- the body of the giraffe within the den of thorns; accordingly when within twenty paces,of the spot, he threw several large stones into the middle of thefiuch. With t load roar, a magnificent lion rushed out from his. lair and crouched before the bush, eyeing Ned fiercely, and growling deeply as though prepared to spring. The lion moved his tail rapidly from side to side, striking the ground with the tuft of black hair at the extremity with a force that made the- sand fly like puffs of. smoke. This was a sign of extreme fury, and Ned momentarily expected an attack that would have been difficult to avoid. For several minutes they faced each other determinedly. Ned all the while keeping his eye fixed unflinchingly upon those of the lion. At length, as the dog continued to spring around him, backing without ceasing thejlion rose from the ground and stalked proudly back ward and forward before the covert as though to guard the entrance. | This was a grand opportunity for a [ side shot at the shoulder, and never did Ned aim with greater coolness and accuracy, as he knew that his life depended upon the shot; trusting to break the shoulder-bone, and thus disable him, he fired, i With a terrific roar the lion charged with one bound into the smoke of the gun; at the same time tha£ he descended he struck a random blow with with his right paw that Would have felled a buffalo. Fortunately for Ned,- at the moment of firing he bad .sprung upon one side, and avoided a crushing blow. The lion now rolled

over almost at his feet, and, recovering himself immediately, he rushftl upon Ned, receiving at the same instant the contents of the second barrel in his mouth. With great activity Neahad again avoided him in the thick smoke at the. motaellt of firing,, and Nero rusfaingia had seized the liottebetween the hind legs, where he hung on with a furious tenacity that .no Efforts of the animal could relax. Ned had Jem Stevens’ pistols in his belt, one of which he had quickly drawn; but the struggles of the lion with the dog were so great and extremely rapid that he had no chance of taking a correct aim. The blood -was pouring from tlte lion’s mouth, as well'hs from a wound through the shoulder, and presently, amidst his tremendous efforts to turn and attack the dog, he reared to his full height upon his hind legs, and with’a savage roar he fell -upon his back, with the staunch dog beneath hiip. As quick as lightning, to Ned rushed in and firdWifs pistol within a few inchgsvof the lion’s head seatteringrhikbrains upon the faithful dog. '’the lion never moved a Ned. pale with the excitement of the fight, now caressed the dog, who fiercely shook the dead lion’s throat; after which he wiped the perspiration from his forehead, and looking Up to the clezr heavens he devoutly thanked God for protection in the strife. He was surveying the carcass of the lion with a hunter’s pride when Tim suddenly appeared, accompanied by several of the natives, who had heard the shots and hurried to discover the cause. They could hardly believe their eyes when they saw the lion lying dead; and, upon entering the jungle, they found the remains ofthe giraffe, which had been partially devoured. They now took possession of the prize and, having skinned the lion and cut his flesh from the bones,they severed his head from the body, together with the skin, and returned to their party, who were| busily engaged in taking the meat of the elephants. The whole day was occupied by the natives in cutting up the elephants and transporting them to the place of bivouac. In the mean time, Ned, who had no taste for that branch of the expedition, took possession l of one of the canoes with the assistance of Tim, ahd determined, if possible, to procure some fresh fish for dinner. Many drift bamboos were lying- upon the beach, from which he selected one about sixteen feet long and tapered; he then lashed a thong of elephants hide to the point, so as to form a stiff loop in the place of a ring, through which he passed a strong line made of atoe fiber; to this he attached a large hook and piece 6f light wood as a float. With a coil of about a hundred yards of line wound upon two pegs a foot asunder, that he - drove into the but end of his rod in the place of a reel, Ned was ready for a day’s fishing, with the exception of the bait. Tim quickly secured the latter necessary article by forming aline with half a dozen single hairs of the giraffe’s tail, to which he attached a small hook baited with a minute piece of elephant’s fat. The small fish of half a pound weight bit greedily, and, having caught five or six, Tim kept them alive in a large gourd-shell of water, and Ned pushed the cauoe from the shore. The small fish were bright and silvery,,but they had tough”skin like that of an eel instead of scales; Through this just beneath the back fin, Ned" inserted the large hook, and throwing his lively and alluring bait into deep water within a few yards of a bank of tall he patiently waited the result.

About half an hour had passed in perfect silence when Ned was startled by h tremendous ,snort, accompanied by a splash in the water dose to the canoe; in another instant he felt a severe shock as the head of a hippopotamus struck the bottom and lifted the canoe several inches above the surface, As though proud of his performance, the angry old bull now raided his head above the water and snorted loudly. Tim snatched up his gun, and, taking good aim, he fired into the middle of his head in a line from between the eyes. With a splash the animal disappeared. Sew eral other hippopotami cote showed. their heads, but at a more respectful distance, as they were alarmed at the report of the gun. “Dat’s what I call a Ugly feller, ” remarked Tim, “he got a pair of lips same like de nigger, got a flat nose like de nigger; he’s de reg’lar waterniger—dat’s a fact ’xactly.” Having expressed this opinion upon the natural history of the hippopotamus, Tim reloaded Ins gun, and Ned was about to make some remark when his float darted off, and the rod was nearly jerked out of his hand; fortunately he held a loose coil that was not wound round the pegs, and allowing this to fall upon the ground he grasped the line with one hand and struck hard to fasten the fish. It was impossible to check his rush, and for the moment Ned feared, that a crocodile had seized his bait, and that he should loose his tackle, but he was presently undeceived, as an immense fish sprang high out of the water* at about eighty yards distance, firmly hooked. For about twenty minutes the struggle continued between Ned and the fish, which constantly leapt from the water, and shaking his head violently, endeavoring to free himself from the book. At length, as Ned bad kept a severe strain upon the line, the fish showed signs of exhaustion, and Tim paddled the canoo toward a sandbank |or one purpose of landing tbeir prize in fallow water. Jumping out of the cahoe, Ned ran backward upon the bank, and,".keeping a tight line, he presently succeeded in leading the fish into the shallows, where it struggled

helplessly upon its side; Tim got behind it, and falling upon it he grasped the gills with both hands, and dragged it to the shore. The scales were as bright as silver, except upon the- back, where they were a dark slaty blue; it was a species of perch that weighed about eighty pounds, and both Ned and Tim rejoiced in their beautiful prize. To preserve it Ned fastened a piece of strong line around the tail, and then placed it in deep water secured to a peg upon the bank; thus it quickly recovered from its fatigue. In about an hour Ned had another run. and captured a fish of the same species that weighed nearly forty pounds, which he landed upon the sandbank in a similar manner to the first. They had again pushed off in the canoe, when Tim perceived something like the back of a large turtle Above the surface of the water, and, upon quickly paddling toward it, he discovered that rit was the flank of the hippopotomus at which he had fired, which now floated. This animal always sinks to the bottom when first killed, but iu about an hour and a half, when the gas has distended the body, it rises to'the surface. Here was an additional supply of food;ana; returning to the shore, Ned procured a rope, which they made fast to one of the hind legs, and towed the carcass to the bank, where it awaited the arrival of the natives, ' (TO BE CONTINUED-T