The Portland daily press., 1883-06-09
PART OF a NUBIAN CARAVAN.
An Unusual Shipment OF Wild Beasts
Brought from the Jungle to the
United States.

New York City exchange gives the follow
ing description Of the landing Of a lot OF rare
foreign animals, recently imported into this
country for Adam Forepaugh's great mena-
gerie, circus and hippodrome. which is to ex-
hibit here June 25th
although the giraffes were led through the
Streets the people who thronged the thorough
fares had been but few opportunities to judge
Of the true appearance OF the beasts. They
were just from Africa, and we're very wild
On the streets no two were at all alike, except
in regard TO the strap on each ones head and
the man hanging on to it. 1t was impossible
TO say on which side Of the street any one Of
them was on at any moment. An instanta-
Deous photograph would have shown one fixed
like civil engineers tripod with man tug
glng at it, another leaping along tugging at
its man; another striking cut in all directions
like Chinese fire. work, still another pirouet-
ting round and round like lady at ball, and
one or two more apparently on their heads
with their feet at that altitude that their
heads usually attain. They we're following
truck on which were laden full-giown COW
antelope, an eIand, a zebra, huge man-faced
Tnan-drill, . lot Of tropical birds, ana baby
hippopotamus, and behind which, much
against their will, two elephants were being,
at times, tugged along by means Of a rope tied
to the vehicle, and at other times urged on by
negro who whipped them with rawhide
and evoked as much dust from their backs as if
he were beating couple OF long neglected
rugs. Apparently one million children ac-
companied the procession, and clambered over
the walls and fences whenever one OF the ele-
plants or giraffe was more than usually de-
monstrative Behind all these, and forming
separate procession, there followed two
ostriches, three baby lions, leopard, chitah,
Eve apes, nine hamadeyas baboons, five wart
hogs, sixty small monkeys of various sorts.
giant porcnpine and a number Of musk cats,
lynxes, swans, peacocks and inDumerable
small birds. They constitute the largest i'm
portation Of African quadrupeds and bipeds
ever landed here.
Mr.. Forepaugh's European agents left Ger
many last August for their farm in Lower
Nubia, and In October, having equipped
seventy or eighty natives with, horses, weapons
and ammunition, set out into the jungle and
killed great variety OF old animals and birds
whose young were old enough to be weaned.
These were taken to the farm on the banks Of
the Dinda River, in Lower Nnbia, and fed on
goats milk until they were able to attempt
the journey across the Nubian Desert to the
point Of shipment, Suakin. A drove OF 15o
goats accompanied them, and when their milk
gave out their flesh served as food for the
lions, leopards, and negroes. The steamship
at Suakin lay out in the stream, and the
l.. 4.F~. Il
broke loose and frightened the other animals
so that two giraffes, an antelope, and three
ostriches leaped overheard and were lost. The
animals went through Europe by rail, and
were shipped hither on an Eng ish steamer
During the Atlantic voyage some of the apes
caught cold and died. One of these apes
brought here is as large as a man of ordinary
size. The others are large beasts. and each
has mantle of silken black hair of the size
and shape of coaehman's cape. Their teeth
are as large as the little finger Of a man, and
shape OF heart and the size Of a
tomato can. They are the first of
their kind 10 visit this country. The elephants
although the German 'iongshoremen were
familiar with them, protested against quitting
the ship, and ran back into the cage that they
weTo swung down in after they reached the
pier. The ostriches wringled and scrambled,
tumhling about wildly in mid-air, and the
giraftes shed tears from fright Inc thousand
birds, however, in their darkened cages, sung
loudly as the derrick swung over the ships
side. The baby bippopotamns showed no con-
cern at all, but slept through all but the jolting
Of the cart. He is the sixth or seventh hippo
potamrs that has come here. Forepaughs
hunters say that the hippopotamus and rhi-
noceros are the mtst difficult animals to catch.
No beast guards its young as the hippopotamus
does. 1t can see and hear as 10 other animal
can, and is hunted only in the water. The
hunters have to shoot tine parents first, and
then must harpoon the babies If they can
they harpoon the young in the fleshy part OF
the hind quarters. The wounds there heal
quickly. II the harpoon enters anywhere else
the animals bleed to death.
This load formed less thar half of the cara
van of wild beasts that resulted from this
years hunt The rest will follow soon. 1t is
by such vast oatlays of money that Forepaugh
is enabled to own and exhibit the most i'm
mense collec tion of wild beasts on this con-
tiuent. The same steamer landed a lot of
valuable Eng lish race horses, for services in
the hippodrone races on Monday, June 25th.