Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-02-21
GIRAFFE HUNTING.
AHUNTlNG PARTY MOUNTED ON THE
SWIFTEST DROMEOARIeS.
Riding BarebRck-The Hunter. Frugal
Eare-A Desperate, Frantic Chase
Securing the Game Danger on
Hor,eback-CIoseQ Quartera


Frank Lrslie's Magazine
In quaintncss of exterior no African
beast SurpaSses the girale. which may be
considered a. characteristic of the torrid
soil Of the upper Nile, as the emu or kan.
garoO is of Australia Its gigantic frame
sometimes reaches the height of twenty
feet. its skin is most conspicuous for the
regularity and beauty of its brown OF
reddish triangle or ,uare shaped dottings
its eyes for sOftness Of expression
The giraffe received il is said. its pres
eut Arabian name from the elegance of
its motion. 1t avoids the tropical forests
and their entangling Creepers. and Is not
found either among the sleeper hills. 1t
thrivcs best among the acacias ard bau.
hinias Of the south African plains, in the
grass covered lands of Southern Nubia,
and in the shrubs and bushes of Sennaar,
where the ground resembles q carpet in
terwOI en- with the most beautiful lilies
and other flowers The olfactory and
auditory senses are most sharply devel-
oped, and 1t is by no means easy for any
hunter TO approach them SO near as 10
Kill them, even with a rife ball
The most general and successful method
of hunting this noble animal is the one
praCticed by the sword hunters or Aga
geers. in southern Nubia Several sen
naar tribes, as the Tungi negroes and the
Abu-kOf Redouins. delight in this kind
of sport They are mounted on the
swiftest dromedpies, and as soon as a
flock of girales las been esped in the
steppc the hunters assemble They use
no saddle. and can keep therefore on the
top of the fatty prOtuberance only by q
firm appliance and grasp of their musCu
lar knee oints Their bodies are of q
dark bronze hue and are always shining
with an abundance of grease: no garments
cover their limbs e cept a long strip of
cotton fastened around the hip and the
shoulder. From the left shoulder bangles
the long and broad cross hilted sword.
shealhed in a reddish colored leather
sCabbard
The party is followed at some distance
by an attendant who carries water in a
leather bag and raw sorghum grains pre-
vIOusly soaked in water This food.
called belileh. with a mouthful Of water.
constitutes all the food that the frugal
giraffe hunter stands in need of
The hunt continues all day long amidst
the tough and thorny shrubs. diminutive
pa III trees. some not unlike our almetto
dui1u Ihl u CACTUS llhc tupuOTDlbs, anu
thiCkes filled with llianas and creepers
The images of blue. distant mo ntains
Sometimes emerge TO a munstrous height
above the horizon. owing to the deceitful
reelection of "A Fata mOrgans. which has
proved disastrous to many an exhausted
traveller in the bowling wilderness and
sandy deserts of the African continent
\ careful search has finally revealed
the spot where a little fock of giratfes
hal gathered The hunting company a.
proaches most noiselessly, hiding itself
when possible behind trees and thickets
When near enough the riders emerge
from the thickcts, and by loud clicks ex-
cite the dromedaries 10 speed on with
their utmost power after the game They
then draw their swords. their strange
hunting weapon. the blades glittering
br ghtly in the sunbeams The doomed
victims soon become aware of their perse.
Cutors, and in their rapid flight wave
their long neCks forward and backward
~ branches break and crack under
the step of their quickly. moving hOofs:
stones. pebbles. roots. and earth are
whirled in all directions, and clouds of
dust till the atmosphere
In desperate. frantic chase the hunter
follows the game. which cunnngly tries
to eyade or outstrip its unmerciful pur.
suer by cross steps aud jumps: but the
despOnGent look of the exhausted victim
already presages that its doom is sealed.
and that an escape is utterly impossible
The velocity of the pursued is no longer
equal to that of the pursuer, and. when
Its pace begins to slacken, the livid tongue.
covered with frOth. protrudes out Of the
mouth. and the glaring, desperate eye,
balls starting from their sockets exhibit
.the anxiety by which the animal is con
sumed
hen the hunter has arrived at a suf.
fCicntly short distance. he leans forward
on his seat takes aim. and with his pom
derOus sword hamstrings his victim
Rarely is a second blow needed to fell the
colossal frame of the pursued giraffe
The animal falls painting into the grass,
or CrOuches down upon its hind legs in
commissions. and kicks 10 right and left,
whirling up clouds of dust
BY loud cry. ~Tachu ell l-Hami-lillahi,"
Thanks 10 God Allah. II erim," God il
mercifun our Nubian sportsman an
nounces his victory and calls together his
companions in the chase Those who are
not actually engaged in pursuing or slay
ing another victim from all sides readily
RESPOND 10 the call Ihey diSmOunt
from their dromedaries and dispatch the
victim by few sword cuts into the throat
and the eXtremities Thev fay the ami
nal on the spot and divide the meat
among the party. who cut il lengthwise
into strips When the meat has been
thoroughly dried in the sun it Is used as
provision, and stands in high favor with
hunters and travellers.
Almost every part of the giraffes body
serves TO some useful purpose OF the
negro Its skin is tanned, and furnishes
excellent material for shields and sandals:
The bushy end of the tail becomes fan
or Tap TO keep off flies and mosquitoes;
even the pelvis yields its bony frame to
the tlammeg negro, who turns il into a
ban % and Sings 10 its tune his love songs
and war exploits
oung glrafles are easily caught alive
when the parent animals have been killed
or dispersed for, helpless as they are.
they surrender 10 their pursuers after
very short chase; and when they have
grown TO more advanced age, they are
captured almost in the same way as the
Guaranis on the Plata, in South America,
lasso their wild horses.