San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-10-26
Paul Luhn, ono of Reiche Brothers


hunt. He says; "The lion is fierce
creature, and the lioness, when protect
ing her young, very much worse; but
from long practice We know just how to
60 after them. A good rifle, firm hands
and steady eyes, and we can soon topple
the old fellow over. The old lady may
take IL little longer, but in the end We
are sure to kill her, and then it is no
trouble to pick up and secure the cub.
We try to get these little fellows when
they IRE about three or four weeks old.
They are then like young puppies, easily
managed, and soon learn to know their
keepers. Leopards, tigers and all that
kind of animals we get in the same way
and ut about the same age. Baby ele-
plants are hard to get, and the hunt is
very dangerous. The old ones seem to
know instinctively when we are after
their young, and their rage is something
terrible. The trumpeting Of the parents
can be heard for long distance, and
quickly alarms the whole herd. The
rifle is comparatively useless, and trying
to approach them particularly hazardous
yet it has been done. First, we try
to distract the attention of the female
from her offspring. Then a native
creeps cautiously up from behind, and,
with one cut of heavy, broad-bladed
knife, sewers the tendons of her hind
feet. She is then disabled, cannot 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 So or So apiece. The
sheikhs are paid in advance, and don't
care whether the poor devils come back,
and so we don't bother much about them.
Baby elephants we liketo 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, docilc, and
as full of capers as the little niger ba-
bies that play with them"
"But of all fierce, ungovcrnable and
lusty brutes," the hunter continued
"the hippopotamus with young is the
very worst, and whenever we start of to
get baby Of that kind we calculate to
come back with one or more men miss
ing. In the water they fight like devils,
and in five minutes will crush in pieces
the strongest boat we can use. Ihey
are quick as flash, too, notwithstand-
ing their clumsy appearance, and the
oarsmen have to be wide awake to keep
out of their way. On shore they are just
us ferocious, and the way they can
hurry their stumpy little legs over the
ground would astonish you. They die
hard. too, and take heap of killing.
When such job is over, you may he
sure there is great rejoicing among u.s.;
but, as one little hippepotamus 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 too young to suit us. One, 1
remember, though I was not in the
hunt, was captured the very day it was
born. and the hunters and attendants
brought it up on the bottle. 1t is the
same animal that Barnum advertised so
extensively as the Baby Hippopotamus,
and it is now travelling with his show.
Ostriches we run down on horseback,
and then catch them with the lasso. 1t
is an exciting chase, but not particularly
dangerous. On thes e hunts we are en-
titled to only the young animals we cap
ture. The beautiful skins of the
leopards, lions, and other animals we
kill. the tusks of the elephants, the
feathers of the ostriches, and all other
similar spoils go to the native sheikhs
and chiefs: and these old rascals are as
sharp at trade as the shrewdest old
clo' merchant you have in Chatham
street.
an the encampments the natives as
sist in taking care of the animals and do
general work, but the mental duties are
performed by Nubian slaves, who are
very cheap and can be bought in num-
To- % chi, Amonp the natives the