Vr-
? 5
m
Hunting
the
Dangerous
African
Buffalo
By H. A. Bryden
11. A. lirydni, the co-author with
Percy Scions of "Travel and My
Game," in a man who was horn to
the chase. From his youth it has
been his ruling passion and he has
J one with his rifle all over the world.
n every continent his fame as a
Nimrod is known, and he has a mod
est direct style of presenting his
adventures, linqcd with a little touch
of poetic sentiment here and there,
which is very pleasing indeed. If any
fault at all could he found with him
it would he that he was ovcrmodest
and inclined to boast for others in
stead of telling his own story.
i
I A I
N incident highly In
dicative of thu ex
traordinarily diuwci
mm character of tho
African Iniffalo is re
lated hy Mr. Ainsloy
WilliuuiH, the gentle
man Hcout of thu fa
nioiis Niger water
shed exploring party.
iJ Lad missed lilm from his ac
.customed stations) and on his re
appearance ho was generally ban
daged nu and one leg was in
Bplints. It appears thnt ono late nfter
noon whon tho shadows In tho brush
woro growing to tho point of almost
comploto darkness though tho sun
still illuminated tho tops of tho trees,
ho was returning to enmp alone save
for a Scncgnmblun gun bearer noted
for his bravery. Both were mountod
on native ponies, wiry and keen of
senses. Suddenly Williams' pony be
gan to anufllo and snort and both
stood stock still refusing to advance
Into tho darkness of thu foliage
arched trail. Williams quickly tin
fllung a doublo barrelled ten gaugo
Parker with which ho had been after
(owl. Ho meant to ullp in a buck shot
cartridge, hut before ho moro than
,had his gun across his pommel, with
ft grunting bellow tho huge form of
an old bull buffalo rushed out of tho
.darkness ahead and charged tho two
with nil ferocity.
It wns Impossible to turn out of his
way and nil that Williams could do
waa to lean forward and pull both
.barrels point blank. The mnsslvo
Iborns and frontal bones must have
ahlolded the beast from any injury,
save enough to Infuriate it moro than
ovor. Tho noxt Instant Williams'
pony was disemboweled with a sldo
Bwlpo of tho bull'H horns and tho
rider was pitched into tho brush with
a broken leg. On over tho dying
pony rushod the buffalo and his
chargo drove tho second pony end
over end on top of his Senegamblnn
Tlder. Tho two rifles he carried Mow
into tho brush nnd ono fell near Will
iams. It was tho Winchester forty
jfour. Williams dragged hlusolf ovor
to It and found it uninjured, but a
tragedy wns transpiring meanwhile,
Giving tho p. or gun bearer no cln.nco
for hlB life, tho bull swopt first ono
Up of his mighty horns and then thu
lothor into thu jumble of liorso and
jman and In his blind fury knelt on
jthem and stamped on them, Tit's
happened in tho fraction of a mlnutu
of course, nnd was terminated only
when Williams, mustering all his
strength, roso to his knees and began
pumping Boft-nosed pellets Into tho
bull's llnuk, raking h'.in forward Into
vital parts. Tho murderous crenturo
foil on top of his victims and when
searchers attracted by Williams'
cries, found them, horse, bull and
Bonegamblnn lay dead In ono heap.
Most Dangerous Game in Africa.
It Is agreed upon nil hands by ex
perienced hunters In Africa that tho
buffalo is ono of tho threo most dan
gerous four-footed foes that man can
attack. Most men class this animal
with elephants and lions, as gamo thnt
requires tho highest attributes of skill
courago and caution to bring to bus
As a matter of fact, It may bo laid
down that moro deaths and dangerous
accidents hnppen annually In Africa
in hunting the buffalo tnan in tho
chaso of any othor species of hoavy
gamo. In regions whero largo num
bers of these splendid beasts still wan
der, in troops of threo hundred, four
hundred nnd even more, and whero
they have been little dlsturbod, the
j huutor has no grent difficulty in shoot
ing as many as lie requires, In fairly
open country, where scattered covert
exlstii. and where they can bo readily
approached for they are by no menns
keen-sighted creatures a man may,
hu begins to think, shoot buffaloes as
easily us ho can shoot oxen. Hut,
directly u buffalo Is wounded and IiIr
blood-spoor has to he taken up, nnd
the hunter has to follow him Into tho
dense coverts to which ho retrent3,
thu business Is entirely changed. Then
you niny prepare to lo-k out for your
self, to take up your heaviest and
most reliable weapon, and to follow
the track of your gamo with overy
sense alert, and your rlllo handy for
an Instant and most deadly cnarge.
You will find, too, thnt the native
spoorer, who trotted In front of you
readily enough on the blood spoor ot
elephant, and oven lion, will now
greatly prefer to follow In your renr,
ami leave you to take up your own
person tho Unit nnd dnngcrous risk
In thu dark and shadowy thickets Into
which you are advnnclng. Ho knows
none bettor thu dark, evil fury
and the lurking, nolselesH ways of tho
beast of which you are In search.
The buffalo, so soon ns ho Is wounded,
seems, Indeed, to think of llttlo clso
than a bloody revenge. i nllkc- most
other game, which, when wounded,
will almost Invnrlably b-tnko titom
solves In flight ns far from tho pur
suer as possible, hu usunlly rotreuts
somo dlstunco into the densest hush,
and then cither hides up in somo
dark corner, where the shadows aro
deep and dense, or, timing upon his
Hue, tnkes n parallel path back, nnd
so waits for his fou; or ho will oven
follow buck upon his own spoor and
conceal himself. Sometimes ho will
stand lurking amid the dark thickets;
at another time, If badly wounded,
hu will He down; In eltler enso pro
pared and determined to inflict n
bloody revenge for the nurts under
which ho Is smarting. Year nfter
year fatal nccldontB happen In Souta
African buffalo hunting, year after
year men. If not killed outright, aro
terribly mauled; and, until tho buffalo
Is completely exterminated, he will
rest of tho day was spent In skinning
nnd cutting up the gnme. Part of tho
natives were sent hack to tho Doer
camp, laden with ns much moat ns
they could carry tho Iloers requiring
not only fresh meat for Immedlnto
usu but enough to make a supply of
"biltong" (salted sun-dried flesh); tho
remainder of tho flesh was bestowed
upon the native villagers who vero
t 1th tho expedition.
Large numbers of buffaloes woro
still reported u little further abend,
among the lagoons nnd marshes of
this region, nnd tho Dutch hunter,
therefore camped for the night, nto a
hearty supper by thu roaring fire, and
Blopt soundly till early dawn. Before
sun-up tho party woro again stirring.
In less than two hours' time tho na
tives had led the way to u broad,
marshy lagoon, or "vlel," ns tho Doers
call It, surrounded by drier ground,
upon which grow bush, acacia trees,
nnd a few tall palms. Fart of this
lagoon wiib shallow open water, tho
remainder consists of a dense bed ot
toll reeds, which led to further
swamps and lagoons beyond. Tho
Bight thnt met the Dutchman's eyes,
ns he nnd the nntlves crept cnutiously
towards tho edge or tho "vlel," and sur
veyed the sccno from behind a screen
of bush, was a wonderful one. In nnd
nbout tho "viol," stood n troop of not
less than two hundred buffaloes, somo
rolling in tho shallow, somo drinking,
somo standing belly-deep in water,
dark and motionless. Tho buffalo
birds (a species of sturliug-Buphnya
Afrlcnna) those watchful allies of
these animals and rhinoceroses, wero
flying hither nnd thither, many of
them packing -and feeding on tho ticks
and parasites which Infest tho buf
falo. A numbor of small white herons,
too, wero about tho 'viol," some of
which were also to be seen nctually
perching on tho broad backs of tho
great gume. In any caso tho Btalk re
qulcd caution, and, with these watch
ful "buffel-vogel" nbout, extreme care
was, as the Boer saw, essentinl. Con
cealed behind a thick mass of bush,
to which ho and the Hottentot had
crept, the Dutchman waited patiently
and was determined to finish off his
task. As soon as the reeds were
reached, tho blood spoor was easily
to bo followed. Tho heavy bullot had
evidently rnked thu lungs, tho bull
wan bleeding freely, and large patches
of crimson marked Its path. Tho reeds
wore very tall twelve or fourtoon
feet and thick, und tho spooring
seemed so dangerous nn operation
that tho Hottentot, who was carrying
a second gun n Martini Henry fell
behind, leaving his master to take tho
first risk with his heavy eight-bore.
At overy step they wero wading
knee deep In wnter the hunters
stopped to listen. They had not pen
etrated fifty yardB through the uveuuo
of broken reeds, afforded by tho pass
age of tho bull, when in an instant,
and without warning, the benst was
upon them. Tho Boer was knocked
flat upon his back by tho charge; tho
bull had miscalculated his distance,
had no doubt, charged for the sound,
and hnd Htruck bis -nomy with his
nose, which wns held high, ns is tho
habit of these brutes when charging.
Galloping over the prostrate Boer, tho
Buffalo went Btrnlght for tho Hotten
tot u few paces behind. This unfor
tunate tho brute struck with his horn
nnd tossed on ono side some yards
Into tho reedB. Then, continuing Its
career, thu hull passed on out of tho
"vlel" nnd took shelter In some thin
bush, where It wnB afterward found
dead. The Boer, all the wind knocked
out of him, nnd severely bruised,
picked himself up, retrieved his rifle,
which was flung ynrds uway, and then
sought the Hottentot. The unfortunnto
servant lay among tho reeds and
wntcr, a terrible wound gaping just
below his chest, to tho loft breathing
his last. He lived only n short tlmo,
and died a pathetic and unwilling ob
ject lesson in tho risks nnd dangers
of following a wounded buffalo Into
thick covert.
Some Perils of Buffalo-Hunting.
Occasionally hunters have been at
tacked by a solitary buffalo which has
charged them before a shot has been
fired, and without upparent provoca-
mm w wwBm
MJPsISStHHI
I ' '''' SAT
ONE WILD LUNGE LIFTED HORSE AND RIDER FROM THE GROUND.
bo found us savage and as dangerous
as tho lion himself, and, withal, far
moro revengeful.
Stalking 'a Buffalo Herd.
I cannot better Illustrate tho char
acter of these determined and plucky
uulmnls than by an adventure nar
rated to mo not long since in tho hunt
ing veldt by a Boer hunter from the
Transvaal. Ho had boon tracking
with somo other compatriots far to
the northwest of Lake Ngaml. Flesh
was badly wanted In cviinp, and ns
tsetse Hy was prevalent In tho
marshy country, north of tho Okannn-
go river, on which they wore out
spanned, nnd tho natives reported
largo herds ot buffaloes, ho left iub
horses behind him, terrlo.l ncross tho
river, and spent tho noxt two dnyB In
hunting. Ho had with him his own
Hottentot servant, a good and roliablo
hunter, nnd n fair shot, nnd ho had
ns well Bovoral natives ot tho district
who woro anxious for meat, and ready
to show him tho gamo.
On tho first duy tho Dutchman camo
across somo fifty buffaloes grazing
In fairly open voldt. dotting behind
somo good nnd convenient covert, and
with tho wind In tho right direction,
ho had llttlo difficulty In shooting two
fat cowb and a young, fresh bull. Tho
cowb were pretty easily secured; but
tho young bull, although shot through
the lungs, jumped on his legs from
Bomo long grass and bush, thou
walked up, charged flcrcol at tho
spooring party, uud was only killed
within a few feet of tho hunter. The
till the troop moved nnd a fair shot
offered.
Attacked by an Enraged Buffalo.
At last Beveral fat cows, for which
he hnd been waiting came, together
with a tremendous old bull, within
HO yards. Selecting tho best cow, the
Boer aimed behind tho point of tho
shoulder, and brought her down. Sho
fell Instantly to the shot, struggled a
llttlo furthor, and soon Iny dead. Tho
Boer bad hoped and expected to bring
down another cow. His intentions
wore frustrated, however, by tho bull,
which charged upon tho Instnnt direct
ly towards tho rifle smoke. Wttulii
ten yardB, tho Dutchman, who was
kneeling, llred again, hitting tho grim
boast In front of tho chest, and turn
lug It. Meanwhile, at tho -ound of
tho firing tho wholo imir.enso herd
floundered out of tho "vlel," and went
oft crashing through nn angle of tho
reed beds, and thence far Into tho
bush. As thoy fled tho Boor Bhovod
In another cartridge, took nlm at a
retreating cow olghty yards off, and
by a lucky shot, broko her back. Sho
fell bellowing, and waB quickly dis
patched. Leaving tho nntlvos to Bkln
and cut up tlicso carcasses, tho
Dutchman now took up tho pursuit of
tho wounded bull, which ho had
marked In IiIb flight through a donso
patch ot roods to tho -ight of tho la
goon. Tho boast had turnon off mono,
and tho groatost enro had to bo taken
In following It through such covert.
But tho Dutchman hnd hitherto al
ways hod grent luck with buffalo,
tlon, In such instances it has usually
been found cither thnt the animal
had been previously wounded by somo
othor hunter, or had been clawed by
a Hon; In elthor cuso Its nnturally
morose temper having boon rendered
yot more dangerous.
No hunter ought to attempt to tackle
a buffalo with a rlflo of lighter cnllbre
tnan a 577 doublo express.
Onco plentiful all ovor Southern Af
rica wherever wuter wns to bo found,
tho buffalo has now to Lo sought far
In tho Interior. There Is ono singular
exception to this statement. Many
years ago the Capo government
passed an act protecting under so
voro penalties tho buffalo as well as
tho elephant In Cupo colony. In tho
forest nnd densely bushed regions
bordering the coast lino, some strong
troops of buffaloes are still to bo
found between Mossol bay and tho
Kowle river. A fow years ago, dur
ing a great drought, somo of thoso
fluo benstB woro to bo aeon drinking
In tho river within a fow miles of tho
town of Ultonhnge. Thoso animals
can only bo shot In Capo colony by a
Bpeclal pormlt from tho governor, and
on paymont of tho sum of ten pounds
for each speclmon obtained. Boyond
Cape colony tho sportsman has to
travel nowadays several hundred
mllos boforo ho can hopo to find buf
falo, Perhaps tho best country oxlst
lug at tho present tlmo Is tho low and
unhoalthy region lying In Portuguoso
territory between tho Snbl and Zam
besi. Upon tho Bust uud Pungue
rivers and their tributaries, and about
tho tributaries of thu Zambesi, on
its easterly course, largo herds of
buffalo aro still to bo found. This
country, however, Is only nccesslblo
during tho African winter April to
October unless tho risk of deadly
fover bo taken. There nre still buffa
lo to bo found, to, nbout tho Chobo
river, In tho fnr-off swamps and
marBhes of tho Upper Oknvango. In
these regions the tsetso fly Is ceitnln
to ho found In tho buffaloes' haunt,
and the hunter must perforce do all
his work on foot.
Ah tho African buffalo Is ono of tho
toughest und most difficult of nil gamo
animals to bring to bag, so that hand
some creature, Harebell's zebra
(Emms Burchelll), the zebra of tho
plains, Is by far tho most easily de
stroyed, A single 4f0 ExrrcsB or Mar-tlnl-Henry
bullet will at once turn
this fleet nnd handsome animal of tho
troop, an easy victim (If not u eadv
killed outright) to tho hunter's next
Bhot. With a broken log tho zebra
Is Instantly helplcrs; with n broken
limb, nnd a shot through tho body to
boot, one of the lnrgcr Afrlcnn an
tolopes, such ns a hartcbopat or brin
dled gnu, will often run for miles, and
finally escape tho hunter altogether.
As an almost Invariable rulo Hareb
ell's zebras nro hunted on horseback;
they arc fleet nnd enduring, and even
a first-class South Afrlcnn hunting
pony must bo In very good form, and
upon hard oven ground, to carry his
rider within hall of them. Most usu
ally these unlmnls aro" to be met with
feeding on open grassy plains, or In
open bush, whero large glades and
clearings nro to bo found. In n tail-on
end chnso ncross flats, with a fair
start, thoy can usually gallop clean
awny from tho mounted man. If It
woro not for a hublt of curiosity, thoy
would, indeed, bo "kittle cattle" to
como up with on tho grent plains.
But their curiosity Is often their un
doing. I have many times galloped
steadily behind a troop of theso ze
bras, and then halted for n moment.
The zebras would then wheel quickly
round in lino nnd stand for a minuto
to have u good look at tho pursuer.
This was the time to put In a steady
shot. Sometimes, even whon tho bun
tor Is galloping, they will turn round
nnd stand for n moment, apparently
out of sheer curiosity.
Exterminating the African Zebra.
In semi-bushy country, where their
view is. more circumscribed, theso ze
bras are without much difficulty shot
In Mashonnland large numbers of
those zebras have been shot within
the last few years by the pioneers
and settlers. I have found that by
making a long d 'our an getting be
tween them and the bush to which
they run for shelter, these animals
when feeding in the open can bo
driven nbout nnd shot pretty much at
will. They seem for tho time to be
come flustered, lose their heads, try
to mako short cuts past thn mounted
men, and so fall victims. In former
days these magnificent beasts ran In
immense numbers in all tho open
country from the Ornngo river to tho
Zambesi. They are still to be found
In largo troops In tho Ngnmiland coun
try, In remoter pnrts of Mashonnland,
ami In still 1 .rger numbrs enst nnd
northeast of Mashonnland, toward
tho coast. Beyond tho Zambesi they
aro widely distributed In Africa, be
coming exceedingly- plentiful ngaln
upon tho great plains between tho
east coast and Uganda. South of tho
Orange river they seem seldom, If
over, to have ranged. Burcholl's ze
bra Is not to bo confounded with
tho moro asinine black nnd white
mountain zebra (E Zebra), which is
perfectly striped all over. Tho B rch
ell's zebra is best mown to the Brit
ish public of nil this handsomo group,
good examples being alwny on vlow
in the Zoological society's gardens.
As a general rulo this zebra is not
perfectly banded down tho logs as la
Its mountain cousin but a variety,
sometimes called by sclentists"Chap
man's zebra," Is to bo found In tho
Interior, with tho whlto 1 gs pretty
generally banded ns far down as the
fetlocks. Tho avorago European
sportsman, having shot a few of theso
beautiful creatures as specimens, will
usually stuy his hand nnd spare them,
unless meat for his followers Is abso
lutely needed. The Boer and natlvo
hunter, on tho contrary, shoot them
whenever they got tho chanco, merely
for tho price of tho skin a matter of
a fow shillings up country. And so
the species Lecomes exterminated. It
is a thousand pities! Of nil sights
In tho fair voldt nnd there nro many
to charm tho eye I know of fow no
bler than n good troop of Burcholl's
zebras, creatures which seem to havo
been created for on other purposo
than to ndorn the wilderness.
Whether feeding quietly among tho
herbage; or resting In tho heat of
midday; or fleeting across tho plain,
their Btrlpcd conts, as clean and shin
ing ns a well-groomed race horso,
gloaming In tho sunlight; brisk, beau
tifully proportioned, and full of Hfo
and spirits; theso zebras ropresont
the highest porfoction ot feral life.
True children of tho sun-drenched
plains, long may thoy yot flourish to
decorato tho African voldt!
By permission ot Longmans, Grcon ft
Co., Now York.
(Copyright, 1909, by Don, D. Hampton.)
FEW CARESSES IN HER LIFE
Infinite Pathos in Remark Made by
Little Philadelphia Child of
the Slums.
Dr. Herman L. During, superintend
ent of tho Philadelphia City mission,
has for many years devoted bis Hfo
to tho poor. Dr. During Is tho in
vontor of tho pretzel tost for street
beggnrB. Whon a Btroot beggar pleads
starvation, you buy him n big Gorman
pretzol nt tho nearest stand. If he
ents tho pretzel, ho Is honest; if he
refuses it, he is n fraud.
Dr. During in his work among the
poor has learned many odd, quaint
things that ho relates superbly, for ho
is a born story-teller. In nn nddress
nt Bala, apropos of tho hard, rough
lives of tho children of the poor, hu
related a dialogue between two llttlo
girls In Rum alley.
"Magglo, wuz ye evor kissed?' said
the flrBt tot.
"'On'y wunst in me life wot I kin
remember.' snld tho Becond. 'When I
wuz In do Honnyman hospital wld n
broken arm ono o' do lady misses
kissed me, nn' I blushed like a
child.' "
BRIGHT IDEA.
, ' rT
1 . , - J
Miss Cltykld Oh, Willie, wouldn't It
bo lovoly if we could catch one and
take It home and tame It?
Standing Fad.
The wandering agent who was sell
ing cigar-bands found Hemus sitting
on tho porch mending his (tailing
lines.
"Do you hnve any fads down hero
in Dlxlo?" asked the agent.
"Whnt am them, mister?" Inquired
Romus, curiously.
"Why, take the collecting fad. Do
you mako any collections of anything
down hero?"
RemuB laughed.
"Oh, yeas, sab," ho chuckled, "do
same collections we've always mado.
Do collection of pickaninnies on dogs,
ah."
A Boomerang.
At a small country boarding-house
sort "down in olo VIrglnio," this post
Biimmor, tho girls decided to give n
danco in tho town hall on tho mutual
benefit plan, so to speak. Half of tho
expenses of tho hall, music and re
freshments, It was planned, Bhould bo
borno by them and tho other half by
the men. The fair chairman of tho re
freshment committee, In exhorting the
prospective dancers to mako no mis
take In tho details agreed upon,
wrote:
"Tho girls will furnish the sugar
and the men will bring the lemons."
Laundry work at homo would bo
much moro satisfactory if the right
Starch wero used. In order to get tho
desired stiffness, it is usually neces
sary to uso so much starch thnt the
beauty nnd fineness of the fabric is
hidden behind a pasto of varying
thickness, which not only destroys Uio
nppenranco, but also affects tho wear
ing quality of tho goods. This trou
ble can be entirely overcome by using
Defiance Starch, as it can be applied
much moro thinly becauso of its great
er strength than other makes.
Work for the Young Man.
There is a place for you, young
man, and there Is a work for you to
do. Rouse yourself up and go after It.
Put your hands cheerfully and proud
ly to honest labor. A Spanish maxim
runs: "He who loseth wealth, loscth
much; ho who loseth a friend, loseth
more; but he who loseth bis energies,
loseth all."
. . . j
The Main Thing.
Poetlcus What ago do you think
most charming in a woman?
Cashlt A rich heritage.
Nebraska Directory
MAMMMAMMAAAAAMAMMMMMVMWS
Sharpies c,8anW ors Best
Insist ou having them. Abk your local ileulcr or
JOHN DEERE, Omohn-Soo Falls
Lightning Rods'
Worldly Wisdom.
As thorp Is a worldly happiness
which God perceives to bo no moro
than disguised misery; ns thero aro
worldly honors which in his estima
tion aro reproach, so thero Is a world
ly wisdom which In his sight Is fool
ishness. Of this worldly wisdom tho
characters aro given In the Scriptures,
nnd placed In contrast with thoso of
the wisdom which Is from above. Tho
ono Is tho wisdom of tho crafty, tho
other that of tho upright; tho ono
terminates In soHlshness, tho othor In
charity; tho ono Is full of strife nnd
bitter cuvylngs, tho other ot mercy
nnd of good fruits. Blair.
Copper Cable
anil lightning ar
resters for tele
phoned. Protects forever. The bcHt.
W. C. SHINN, - - Lincoln, Nebraska
SOUTH DAKOTA
ImproTed nnd unimproved farms In eusteru
South Dakota for mile on
CROP PAYMENTS or 10 YEARS TIME
Will erect buildings ou any farm ou Bumo e;inr
terms. Prltfo 120 to HO per acre. For lUts,
maps, ctcaddrcss ALEX. II. RAIT, Fermen Sc
Merchants' Bldg., ISth nd O Su Lincoln, Neb.
Beatrice Creamery Co.
Pbj-h tho highest price for
CREAM
RUPTURE
Of all va
rieties pet-
miini'iitly
cured In u.
few days without iv surgical oihtaUoii
or detention from IiuhIuchh. No pay
will lj accepted until tho patient U
completely sutlslleil. Wrlto or call ou
FRANTZ H. WRAY, M. D.
Room 300 OeeUlda., Omaha, Neb.
A
.
..
A
n
A
i
TW
f 1$xy&s?mmmtmrmmm tmtmmA mw mm
i&RfttMv'imimiHfrj(r,tret-rT!mlrr-t-
HMMtlfcyt jfwiMia'iPr'rtaj' Mwf(iiuyw...i.--riyi-H.t,AM!rtr.Lv....v.,.
r -o,W;Cb
