Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-10-12

hbltullOu vi lut itlldlt utI 4.
Then native creeps cautiously up from
behind, and, with one cut of a heavy,
broad. bladed knife, sewers the tendons of
her hind feet. She is then disabled, can
not walk, and soon falls to the ground.
We promptly kill her, secure the ivory,
and capture the little one. OF course we
occasionally have native or two killed
in this kind of hunt; but they don't cost
much-only five dollars or six dollars
apiece. The sheikhs are paid in ad-
vance, and don't care whether the poor
fellows come back, and so we don't bother
much about them. Baby elephants we
like to get when they are about one year
old. Younger ones are too tender, and
older ones know too much. They soon
get acquainted with all the camp, and
we have lots of fun with them. They
are kindly, docile, and as full of capers
as the little babies that play with them.
But of all fierce, ungovernable, lusty
brutes," the hunter continued, 1.-the hip.
popotamus with young is the very worst,
and whenever we start off TO get baby
of that kind we calculate to come back
with one or more men missing. In the
water they fight, and in five minutes will
crush to pieces the strongest boat we can
use. They are quick as a flash, too, not
withstanding their clumsy appearance,
and the oarsmen have to be wide awake
to keep out of their way. On shore they
are just as ferocious, and the way they
can hurry their stumpy little legs over
the ground would astonish you They
die hard, too, and take a heap of killing
When such job is over you may be sure
there is great rejoicing among us; but as
one little hippopotamus is worth as much
as half dozen lions, tigers, and such
truck, we are well content to take the
risk. We cannot get these babies toe
young to suit us. One l remember
though l was not in the hunt, was capt
ured the very day it was born, and the
hunters and attendants brought it up or
the bottle 1t is the same animal tha
Barnum advertised so extensively as the
Baby Hippopotamus,' and it is now
travelling with his show. Ostriches VIZ
run down on horseback, and then catcf
them with the lasso. 1t is an exciting
chase, but not particularly dangerous
On these hunts we are entitled to onl,
the young animals we capture. Tht
beautiful skins of the leopards, lions ant
other animals we kill, the tusks of tn,
elephants, the feathers of the ostriches
and all other similar spoils go to tn,
native sheikhs and chiefs; and those ole
rascals are as sharp at a trade as tn
shrewdest old clo' merchant you have il
Chatham street.
" In the encampments the natives as
sist in taking care of the animals and d
general work, but the menial duties ar
performed by Nubian slaves, who ar
very cheap and can be bought in nun
bers to suit. Among the natives tn
women are looked on as inferior. Wome
never eat with their husbands. The hus
band is allowed four wives, and as man
slaves as he can corral"
A sufficient number and variety of an
mails having been secured, caravan
formed to take them across the desert t
Germany or America. This usually cor
sists of about 100 camels, each having il
native driver; thirty or forty horses fO
the white men and the Arab hunters an
their attendants; flock of from $50
200 goats, for their milk and also fC
food, and black slaves to look out for tn
goats. The wild animals are secured
strong boxes and carried on the camel
backs. They are all young, and are fe
principally with goats milk, althoug
occasionally, to keep them in goo
spirits and fine condition, they are give
pieces of Iaw goats meat. Horses al
very cheap there, ranging from $15
$40 each-the natives even cheaper. !
being thought an extravagant price pr
man for the trip. Milking goats al
worth one dollar each, and others abol
fifty cents. The journey usually occl
pies from thirty to forty days, and a
travelling is done between three an
eleven o'clock in the morning and fly
and eleven in the evening. During nit
day the suns rays are so fiercely hot as
make labor or travelling hazardous, an
none is attempted. The route home
much the same as that taken going ou
, and in due time the beasts are lande,
usually with very little loss, on the gre
stock wild animal farm of Charles Reicl
& Brother, in Alfeldt, Hanover. The
, they remain until needed to fill orders
: showmen in either Europe or Americ
while their hardy captors take thr
months of rest and recreation befo
starting on another trip.
The Reiche Brothers have nearly $25C
) 600 invested in this enterprise, which tn,
: have successfully conducted for maj
years. The extravaganza of the pric
paid for some of the beasts is lit
= known. AS high as $4,000 has be-
l paid for single hippopotamus in go
condition. To-day $40, 900 would hard
e buy a specimen, as there is not one
: the country that is known to be for sal
\ A rhinoceros is worth from 5000
d $1,000, according to demand and exc,
lence. Giraffes sell for 81 900 to 500
/. Lions from $500 to So, 500; leopards frc
: 5000 to $400; hyenas about the san
b and ostriches from $500 to $500. E
plants vary in price, for, while sol
v have sold for as low as $1,000, as hi
n as $4,000 has been paid without CRU
bling for fine, big, intelligent one
II y Sun