Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1875-08-27

now ihft fli4L ~ hhANhNEihtAHp WIZ
WILD BEASTS.
There was gentleman in this city
not many days ago, whose life-yarn is
more romantic than that of Sinbad, the
sailor. But unlike the great hero of the
nursery, the history OF his life and his
experience in desert lands is not mytho-
logical. We have reference to George
Schmutzer, the celebrated animal hunter
and trader of Central Africa, to whom
we alluded last Monday. This remark
able man has been in the perilous busi-
ness for seventeen years, much of which
time has been passed by him in the will
derness regions of the Upper Nile and
its tributaries. During the year just
passed. Mr.. Schmutzer has been employ
ed by the great Snowman, Uncle John
Robinson. He started from New York
on the 14th of last October, and went
directly to Southampton, England, where
he took passage on vessel bound to Su-
ez via the Suez canal At the latter
place he shipped in an Egyptian govern
ment vessel bound down the Gulf of
Suez and the Red Sea. His landing
place was Suakin, on the coast Of Nubia,
not far from the northern boundary Of
Abyssinia Suakin' is the place whence
he strikes into the interior on each trip.
At this point he leaves civilization be-
| hind him and turns his face towards the
jungles of Kassela and Hamoran. Yet
so much of this animal traders life has
bvvu spUut throughout this region that
it can hardly be said that he is strang-
er in a strange land. Indeed, he says,
he is more at home among the untutored
sons of Africa than with civilized Gin
cinnatians.
At Suakin he hires six or seven cam
els and as many servants, and, having
laid in a supply of provisions sufficient
to last month or more, begins his jour
ney across the country in southwestern
direction. We shall now use the pres
ent tense, because description of one is
of all the rest. The first objective point
is the settlement of Kassela, on the river
GAIA, $50 miles from the coast. This
Tourney is by no means sinecure, mas
much as the major part of it lies through
the heart of the Nubian desert. The
servants and camels necessary for the
trip are hired from the Shek Egal, who
is the great chief of Nubia. At Kasse-
la the servants and camels are changed
for another set belonging to the Shek
Morel, the ruling magnate of the coun
try lying beyond Kassela. Itwould not
be permitted the servants or camels OF
one of these chiefs to pass through the
territory of the other. The next stage
of the journey is to Homoran, nearly
200 miles further towards the southwest
Here is the place where the first halt j;
made to hunt animals. The little vii
lage of Doka is the headquarters of Mr.
Schmutzer while in this country. This
is the land of the giraffe, large herds o
which roam through the neighborine
country. Mr.. Schmutzer, to give us al
idea of what it really costs in the lons
run to bring one of these animals t.
America, took for an example the ex
pense of importing the giraffe which h
, just landed safely in Cincinnati. 1t COS
500 to get it to Suakin the freight BY
vessel from there to Suez was 9SS anC
e10 duty was paid before it could b.
, transferred to the English vessel at tina
: point. The freight from Suez to Lon
{ don was e162, after which it cost e3:
!. to transport him to Southampton. Th'
: trip across the Atlantic cost $50, anC
: from New York to Cincinnati per ex
!. press, 500. Foot up these sums and j
will be discovered that the shipmen
e alone of an African giraffe to Americ'
costs over 81 800. This, of course, doe
d not include Mr.. Schmutzer's individual
expenses, nor the recompense for his per
1t ilous services. 1t will, therefore, he per
: ceived that it isn't every man who j
able to keep his team of giraffes.
Y As may be imagined, it is not as eas!
y to catch an elephant as it is to catch 1
:, rabbit. Even baby elephant is a BIZ
= thing" on legs and combines as mucl
strength as bodily bulk. Mr. Sehmut
zer's description of how various animal
are caught was interesting, and will re
nav to recount. The African elephant
s. 90 in droves of from twenty to fifty
while thus herded together they wer