The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-08-04
HUNTING THE HlPPOPOTAMUS
nov THE mo GAME rs PURSUED By
MITE AFRICAN SPORISMEN.
schauusnn's Experiences Among the Naked
Homrsm- -tinpturing mn Old Hippo ana her
Hnby-Thc ance-A Crocodile. Hrenkfsst.

The famous Biological Gardens uf London
were visited in 1919 by los. S95 persons. In 1890
this list was swcllcd to 800. lO2. That nearly
doubled the receipts OF the year before, and. as
the increase Of visitors was mainly or alto
gcthcr attributable to the presence OF the ilrst
that had over been brought to
England the success Of tho enterprise stimu-
lated two similar institutions, one in Paris anu
the other in Amsterdam, to procure hippo
potami for exhibition. In about ten years these
African river horses. as they were termed. be-
came familiar to most persons both In Eng
land and on the continent of Europe. and few
had also been shipped to America. Those last
became the property of Barnum and other
Snowman, were transported through the coun-
try and shown in menagerlcs as other animals
are. and. Of course. lived only about long enough
to repay the showmen for their investments.
Those hippos were brought to this country by
Charles Reiche and his brother. the projectors
and owners Of the New York Aquarium. and OF
the two baby hlppos that are among the latest
additions to that collection Of fishes. reptiles
and semi aquatic animals.
Most newspaper readers have a notion that
few white men besides Stanley and Livingstone
have penetrated into the wds Of Africa. They
have. perhaps. some dim rccollcctions Of the
names OF Mungo Park. Du Chaillu. and Capt
Baker. but the man who went into Africa for the
Neo York Herald. Stanley, IL the champion
African explorer Of their imaginatlons. They
will be surprised. perhaps. to know that
Reiche's men. mostly Germans explore the
country drained by the upper Nile nearly every
year. sometimes varying that exploration by
JOURNEYS into South and Central Africa. The
object of these journeys into Africa is to get
wild animals and birds for the various col
l., - In
Britain. and America. In pursuit Of this object
they penetrate far into the trackless wilds. and
If accompanied by n journalist Of pluck and
metal would doubtless furnish him with any
amount of material for narrative in the way II
FISH and snake stories and hnirbreadth escapes
In hunting lions, leopards. elephants. girailcs,
rhinorceroscs. and hippotamL
One ~ thes African hunters OF Reiche's came
over with the young hippos now in the Aqua
rum. His name is Schaumann He Is native
Of Amsterdam. and he has visited africa ten
times in rs many q ierent years for the R"ichcs.
lie does not speak word OF English. Is a
tawny haired blond. with tawny beard and skin
almost ~ tlwny-tanned and parched in the
deserts under tropical suns. He was with
the expedition which brought the two young
hippos back from Africa. along with seven ele-
phants. fifteen girafies, twrlve lions. six os-
trchcs. twenty antelopes among which were
fifteen Coodoo antelOpes. ono horse and two
cow antelopcsl two lcopards tour war hogs.
eighteen large monkeys. one AM bear. two por-
cupines. ten Egyptian geese. five secretary
birds and two saddc-blllrd -torks.
: haumann's account 81 the manner Of cap
turing hlppos and elephants Is highly dra-
matte. The party with which he went 20 Afri,
ca left Europe the first OF last september. and
has Just returned after an absenc. OF nearly
ten months. They went last year, ~ they do
every year. by thu way II the Su,2 canal. and
ON Il steamer down the Red sea - Suakim.
IN Aby-sinian port about hulf way between
the suez canal and the straits Of Ban.l-
mandeb. AZ Suakim they take provisions
Arabs. and camcls and 70 ny linnd 10 kassala
rest their guards and camel-. and then they
proceed from fifteen to twenty days journey
further south. using camels alone for the Jour
ney. Tor II - through 4 desert iand though not
the Grrnt Sahara. The route il through u
country diversified with deserts ~ sand. sa-
Nduhas or prairie 81 nigh grass with stems
a. 1ig as a mans finger, ami along the shores
or in the bods of rivers lined al nlong with tel
haohab trecs tAdansonias oi naturaliss AMI
bumb trers OF ule Arabs. more familiar To ordi-
nary readers tho brent fruit tree OF tho
trnpic-L The difficulties Of the tourney may
Dee imagined. when we are told that these
rivers are Try for ninc or ten months OF the
year. that IN" grass j. So arg" ana strong u j.
diili 'ult for man or a 'amsl tu get through II.
that all the water and most OF IA" provisions.
must bn carried ON the backs of the "tmels thnt
uniuhabltrd regions must De- reached. l"caus'
the n"ienhorhoud ~ men would drive the Wild
animals away. and fhni IN" fruit Of IN" haphab
trur cannot be- eaten 10y Europeans without
Boating il against stones 90 max. n SOFT
enough 10 hitr. Tho Telegraph wires reach H.
TAR H. hnssaa but 80 trcach"rous ara Tho
natives II Is necessary Ia haN" COMPANIES OF
Egyptian soldiers all along tn" r"ut" o. protect
thrm. The operators ar. many ol them, Arabs +,
the most however are Eng lism"n.
About ten or itsen days journey south OF
hassalH live the Humrans, n famous tribe Of
African hunters. They are sword hunters and
elephant killers. but are exports at AL kinds of
hunting, taking tho young ~ antclopes ele-
plants, os,riches. hippos, rhinoceroses, lions
and leopards with equal deNterlty and skill.
When they hunt elephants they ride on horse
back. Two Homrans manage 10 separate ono
elephant from the herd. II II is a female with u
young one, SO much the better One OF tn.
Homrans on horseback attracts the attention Of
the elephant. and, while It pursues him. the
second Homran PUSHES up. Jumps from his
creature from tho back with his sharp and
heavy sword BY the time the disabled Gle
plant turns To pursue him he has reached his
horse and il gaoping OF. and. rs the beast
pursues him. the first Homran PUSHES up and
cuts the tendon Of the other foot. After the eo-
plant 10 thus disabled. the rest Of the party
come up and finish il with big elephant gums
and balls which weigh half n pound; or. II there
are no Europeans with guns, the creature Is
Lunas
TheS Schaumann- Reiche party took twenty
Homrans with them last September. and
pushed on to the region OK the Atbara
the Setith. and tho Salam rivers, tributaries.
OF the Nile; Whenever they met a native they
Inquired about the Asslnts the native name for
the hippopotamus. Whenever they we're told
that males and solitary females were in the pools
near by the party pushed on. They were OF no
use to the hunters except for flesh meat for the
natives. The meat IL similar to beef. and with
out any disagreeable flavor but the party were
looking for females in company with young
ones. They saw many hippos in the rivers.
either swimming near the centre or wading in
the reeds near the shores feeding on the reeds
or on the roots OF the same. digging for them
with their large. prOtruding horn. In tho night
they were seen going into the woods. whore they
feed on the young and tender leaves Of thu trees
or their tracks were found where they had
come up out OF this water on their way to the
folds ~ corn or dhurra. cultivated by the
Nuhians near their hut towns The path made
10y the hippo when coming out Of the water is a
longitudinal groove. with holes AZ the sides one
foot and n half deep and about foot in diameter r.
The holes are the impression of the clumsy feet
Of the beast. the groove Of its sliding belly.
But while the hunters saw the hippos nt n dis %
tanco and tracked them almost every day, IL was
found very difficult TO attack one. They once
watched female hippo three weeks. but so wary
was the creature that. knowing II WIS watched
that II evaded tho hunters in the adrOitest man
ner. leaving no trace when Il came out OF the
water. and keeping quiet with its baby when In
the bushes. At Inst u Homran got within ten
PAGES Of the animal as II showed It's back above
the water of the river. He threw hippo lance
into H. and then the sport was begun. First. "a
understand the situation the hippo lance, or
harpoOn must bo described. II Is a small bar
or harpoOn OF soft steel shaped thus: