The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-07-08


leathern net. A pole or young sapliDg is
suspended between two camels, one in the
rear and the other one in front, and upon
this pole is swung the leathern cage, ham,
mock fashion. In this manner the line of
march is taken up and the journey to the
sea began. It may at first thought seem
queer that the two csmels carrying the pole
should be placed tandem, and not side by
side. But il must be remembered that
much of the journey lies through the jun
giles, where the only paths to be found are
narrow, and permit Of the passage OF only
one animal at time. The above mode of
transportation is very destructive to the
lives of the hslf-tsmed beasts. 1t not un-
frequently happens that most of them die on
the way across the country. On his visit to
Africa last winter, Mr.. Schmutzer found his
men In possession of two fine rhinoceroses,
but one died before he started back, and the
other died on the seventh day of the journey
east. The journey from Hamoran TO Kas-
sela occupies about six weeks, and from
Kassela to Suakin nearly five weeks. Last
spring Mr.. Schmutzer left Hamoran with a
large collection of animals, and made the
journey to the coast with remarkable good
fortune. He had 81 camels and rs men with
him on this trip. A little over half way be-
tween Hamoran and Kassela the water ran
short, when part of the men and seven OF
the camels were sent ahead for a fresh sup
ply. They were compelled to go all the
and met the main part of the caravan in
time to prevent any suffering from thirst.
In sthis connection we might mention that
Mr.. Schmutzer informed us that some OF his
camels had gone
SEVEN DAYS WITHOUT WATER
on one of these journeys ACROSS the desert.
At Kassela the party was compelled to wait
twelve days for camels to arrive from Sus-
kin. The caravan that brought them TO
Kassela had reached the confines of Schek
Egels territory, and could go no further,
During the twelve days he was waiting,
Mr.. Schmutzer drove his collection of ami
mails back three miles into the country and
built a corral of thorns around them to pro-
tect them from beasts of prey. Notwith-
standing this precaution, lion jumped over
the corral one night and carried off fine
specimen of CATER sheep. The region about
Kassela is infested by great numbers Of
lions, which renders stock-raising
vorY precarious business. Sew
eral DAYS out from Kassela, while encamped
one night on the edge of a jungle, the camp
was attacked by another lion. 1t sprang
upon a camel and lacerated the animal so
badly that it died the next day. The men
fired eight shots into the lion, and still it
lived and chung tensciously to its prey. 1t
was only when the grass in the vicinity was
fired that il skunk away in the darkness.
The following day its dead carcass was found
not hundred yards from the camp. The
coast of Nubia is unapproachable by large
vessels. The ships which land or take on
freight at Suakin anchor, about eight miles
out in the sea, and communicate with the
town by means of boats. Mr.. Schmutzer in
taking his animals to the vessel is
often compelled to use three or four boats fas-
tened together after the style of floating
pontoon. There are no single boats large
enough to carry young elephant or giraffe.
This mode of getting his animals aboard a
ship is dangerous, and often results in the
loss of some of them. Three years ago
valuable portion of his shipment was lost
overheard in the Gulf of Suez, during a
violent storm. He had shipped at Suakin
three elephants, sixteen mayflown goats,
wild Abyssian donkey, six girsffes, thir-
teen antelopes, and about thirty Eight cages
of other beasts and birds. The elephants,
goats and donkey were tied on deck with
strong ropes. A few days out from Suez
and fearful storm came up, during which
all the elephants and goats were
WASHED OVERHEARD,
the donkey alone being left of all the ami
mails on deck. Two years ago be brought to
Europe 26 giraffes, two large elephants, five
large antelopes, two large ostriches, and ~
cages of different birds and animals be-
sides. That trip occupied IL months, while
on the last one he was only absent eight
months and ten days. Mr.. Schmutzer, to
give an idea what it really costs in the
long run to bring one Of these animals to
America, took for an example the expense
of importing the giraffe, which he just
landed safely in Cincinnati. From what we |
have already told of the money
paid out among the natives, it may |
De fairly said that it cost at
least 500 to get him to Suakin; the freight
Al 80 o,,6
duty as paid before it could be transferred
to the English vessel at that point. The |
freight from SueZ to London was el62, after |
which it cost e32 to transport him to
Southampton. The trip across the Atlantic
cost $50, and from New York to Cincinnati,
per express, 500. Foot up those sums and
it will be discovered that the shipment
alone OF an African giraffe TO America costs
over 81 ,6U0 This of course does not include
Mr.. Schmutzer's individual expenses, nor
the recompense for his perilous services. 1t
will therefore be perceived that it isn't every
man who is able to keep his team OF giraffes. |
AS may be imagined, it is not as easy to
catch an elephant as it is to catch rabbit. |
Even baby elephant is "big thing" on |
legs and combines as much strength as
bodily bulk. Mr.. SchmutZer's description |
of how various animals are caught was in |
terestiug and will well pay to recount. The |
African elephants go in droves from twenty |
to fifty. While thus herded together they |
are safe from the attacks of the natives. |
They must be separated from the herd before |
there is chance OF capturing the young.
The elephant calf, like the young OF all ami |
mails, follows its mother wherever she goes.
So the only way to get the calf from the nerd |
is to entice its mother away. The natives do |
this making feints at the herd on horseback |
and by provoking the female to give chase |
Once separated from the herd the greatest |
trouble is overcome. While one man is /
attracting the mothers attention from the |
front another native will ride up in the rear, |
hastily dismount, and by the powerful |
slash of an instrument made tor the purpose,
hamstring the huge, unwieldy beast. There |
is
GREAT DANGER
In doing this. but once the elephant is ham,
strung the remainder of the job is compare |
lively easv The old elephant is killed and |