Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-10-03
PEgELS OF THE ELEPH,g.y.y,
HUNT

The private papers of Charles John An
derson, the English hunter who lost his
life in the wilds of Africa, have recently
been published, and arc full of thrilling
interest. His experience in elephant. hunt
ing was very extensive, and his observa-
tions convinced him that this animal, sa-
gaclous as he is, is very far from being the
harmless creature which most people sup
pose him to be even when hunted in a wild
stale. In one of his papers Anderson says:
THAT in countries where he is left alto
gether undisturbed, he is peacefully in
clined, not only towards the brute creation,
but TO mankind, can readily believe; but
in those where he is subject to molestation,
he can hardly be said to retain his inno-
cuousness, as instances innumerable are on
record, both in Africa and elsewhere, of
his attacking travellers and others who
have not offended him in any way. But
whether or not the elephant is the harmless
creature he is represented by many, GER
tain it is that TO the sportsman he is the
most formidable of all the beasts, the lion
not excepted, that roam the African wilds.
The life of the proiessed elephant hunter is
one of great peril and privation, and there
are few who engage in it that do not, sooner
or later, go TO the wall.'"I was surprised to
hear D. say So" writes Mr.. Rose, ''that
it was his wish to leave his present life
and TO settle down quietly on his farm.
Indeed 1 said, Il should have thought
that this wild pursuit. and your former
dangerous trade Chat of Il smuggler) would
render quiet life somewhat sleepy. 4
have wife now, and shall have children
he replied, and have been driven to this
by debt and necessity. l have nearly got
over my difficulties, for, in twenty months,
l and my Hottentots have killed eight hum
dred elephants; four hundred of them
have fallen by this good gun, and when l
am free I quit it's Scores of times have the
elephants charged round me, even within
a yard of the bush under which l had crept;
and feel that it was chance that 1 was
not crushed. Once l had fired at large
troop in deep ravne, one side of which
was formed by steep cliff, which echoed
back the sound of the firing, and a hun
dred elephants with upraised ears, and
loud screams, and tossing trunks, rushed
echo, being the opposite side TO that where
we stood when we fired, and the one to
which we had now moved; myself and
Hottentots lying in the bush whilst they
rushed past us. The boldest hunter is kill
ed at last. When pursued by rhinoceros
l have sprung down high bank, not
knowing its depth, or whether might not
fall on rock or stump. No, sir; it is a
life of no common hardship and danger.
l have been obliged to eat the veldtschoon
(untanned leather shoes from my feet.
"The daring of some of these elephant
hunters almost exceeds credence. One Of
the most remarkable instances on record
is that given by Thompson, on the author
ity offs relative of the hero of the story, a
man named Marie, famous Nmrod, who,
in his day, had slain upwards of forty of
these animals. AT convivial meeting of
friends and neighbors to celebrate New
Years Day, when the company were heat
ed with liquor, and each one had boasting-
ly related deeds of hardhood he himself
had performed, Marie laid wager that he
would go into the Forest and pluck three
hairs from out of the tail of living ele-
phant! This extraordinary feat he actual
ly performed, and returned safely with the
trophy to his comrades. But not satisfied
with this specimen of his audacity, he laid
another bet that he would return and shoot
the same animal on the instant. IIe went
accordingly with his mighty 'Roer, but
never came back again. He had approach
ed too incautiously, and his first shot not
proving effective, the enraged creature
rushed upon him before he could reload or
make his escape, and having thrust its tre-
mendous tusk through the poor fellows
body, trampled him to a cake"