Wichita eagle., 1888-10-03
HUNTING ELEPHANTS.
EXCITING ADVENTURES WITH THE
BIG BRUTES IN THE JUNGLE.

BIG BRUTES IN THE JUNGLE.
Their Wonderful Power of Vision am
Shrewdness in Time of Danger
Camp Raided at Night by an Enraged
Solitaire"
There was period of three years when
was regularly employed by an English house
at Zanzibar to hunt for ivory, and l wa
lifted out in the most liberal manner anG
permitted to go in any direction inland. The
main object was to secure tusks, and sent
enough of them to Zanzibar to seemingly
supply the markets of the world for fifty
years. Something is written every day OF
the tame elephants-the big, good natured
beasts of the circus and geological gardens
but very little is written of the wild ones.
had opportunity to study them under al
sorts OF circumstances, and have never been
satisfied with the accounts given by hunters
and naturallsts In my opinion the elephant
In his native pastures is the keenest shrewdast
and most Intelligent of all animals lie has
more courage than the lion, more ferocity
than the tiger and more cunning than the
fox. Only man is a match for him, and il
must be pretty intelligent man, too.
L started II the. business of elephant hunt
ing with the idea that | only had to look I'D
drove OF the beasts and begin shooting,
but | soon discovered that was laboring I'M
der mistake. | have never seen any refer
ence made in print TO the powers of vision
possessed by wild elephants Nature endows
ali wild with oyfr ;~l>x
but | believe the elephant can see further
than any other four footed animal had an
instance of this in my first trip out.
Six Of us were scattered through a wood in
search OF signs of the presence of elephants,
when solitary" sneaked out of Jungle
where he had been hidden and rushed upon
my horse. was two miles away, but one of
the natives saw the performance. He said
the elephant broke cover as stealthily as a
man, carefully approached the horse, and
was only few yards away when discovered:
then he trumpeted and made rush. His
sudden appearance seemed to strike the
horse with terror, and he made no
move to escape. The great trunk, held aloft
as the beast charged, struck the horse ''side
wipe and knocked him fiat, and he
was no sooner down than the elephant knelt
upon him and kneaded him into bloody bulp.
When his vengeance satisfied he rose I'D
and retreated to the same thicket. sneaking
along as if he was seeking to hide his trail.
Il was an hour later when | reached the SPOT.
ard l was so angry over the death of my
steed that nothing the men could say would
stop me from entering the thicket in search
of the destroyer. Joe followed me. bearing
gun, and both Of us were ready for any
trick the beast might be up to; but we were
too late. We found the spot where he had
stood for hours, and from which he had sal
he'd out TO attack the horse, but he had
quietly sneaked off. The elephant, when p,lr-
suing an ordinary course through the forest.
leaves q broad trail behind him He breaks
down branches, uproots small trees and the
prints of his big feet could be followed on
horseback at a gallop. This fellow had gone
of so softly that we were half an hour in
picking up his trail. There was not broken
branch and he had set his feet down with the
utmost care and selected the hardest soil.
After getting a quarter of a mile away he
had selected rocky ridge to travel On, and
we soon lost him entirely
Our camp was about three miles from the
spot where the horse was killed We always
had one guard and q couple of fires, and as
there was only the wild beasts to look out
for, we had slept in perfect content. On this
night, soon after midnight, the guard awoke
me and stated that some danger menaced the
camp. he had heard what he believed was
a body of men lurking about, and the bull
locks seemed greatly excited. The camp was
aroused as quietly as possible, the fires we're
allowed TO burn low, and in short time the
statements of the sentinel were verified.
Somebodyor something was lurking about
We were IN the lion country. but the move
ments were too heavy for the king Of beasts
The noise passed clear around the camp and
back, and then all was quiet. We were under
arms for half hour, aud then, all being
still, We lay down, and all but the sentinel
were soon asleep. An hour later, IS
suddenly as If shot from the gun,
the old solitary of the day charged into
our camp, trumpeting Ike the blasts
from locomotive, and evidently in great
rage. 1t was be who had been lurking about
for two or three hours. he had approached
the camp as carefully as man could walk,
and had passed around it 10 locate every
thing and decide on a point 70 charge from
When We got the alarm, he placed himself in
the shadow OF some bushes, and the natives,
who examined the spot, said he stood there
for an hour and a half without moving a
foot
Bloody and destructive work followed the
charge Of the elephant. He stepped on AMI
crushed a sleeping native, picked a second
Up and dashed him to the earth corpse, and
broke the back Of third who was trying 10
get out Of his way. he was soon among the
bullocks, knocking them night and left with
his terrible blows, and just then got my
gun ready. His charge had been 80 sudden
and fierce that We were eli deEnoralizei for
two or three minutes Fortunately for Us
al, some one had the sense 10 throw light
brush on one O. the dying fires and started
a big blaze This scented TO diseoncert the
and he showed si-E.s ot retreatiag
Ii this be was encouraged By two % our hal-
locks, who dashed at him for fight. and
raked hizl severely with their stou. horns
WIS dancing about, waiting 70 get shot.
and II tell you what saw Tbs; eisY hsnt do.
He picl1ed up 6 bullock weighing g. hzst go
pounds, and "a. with his trunk alone, ard
swuzs MN alofl IS easily as yoa en- lift al
AKA over your head lie held him In the air
q ElinUse, and then flung him clean over cur