Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-06-14
Hunting African Elephants.

'My $50 hunters were fine-looking
fellows. They were armed with their
swords and lances and carried shields
made of elephant-skin. l had to furn-
ish them all with horses, which | was
obliged to import from Abyssinia, about
n days travel by camel. A camel, by
the way, will travel enormous distances
in day. / rode one once from Cas-
sala to my camp in the HOnrahn dis
trict between 6 o'clock one morning
and a. III. the next day. The dis
tance is about three hundred miles.
Having fitted out mymen, divided
them up into hunting parties. varying
in number according to the game which
each party was to 90 after. IN some
of the troops were us many as twenty
or thirty hOrsemen, and number of
hunters on foot. In others only two
or three horsemen were sufficient"
Mr.. LOhse then went on 10 describe
the different modes of capturing the
various kinds of animals. He began
with an elephant-hunt, as being per-
haps the most exciting and important
of any. But rs he described it in his
cool, easy way one might have mag
ined from his manner that he was Civ
ing an account of mornings duck
shooting.
The elephants, he explained, roam
the country in herds of from twenty
to fifty head. AS the only water is in
the Settle river the big animals 90 to
it every two or three nights to drink.
| The rest of the time they live in the in
| terror of the country, where there feed
| in@-0rOunds are. When herd reaches
| the river all the animals plunge into it
and stay there all night long, bathing.
drinking, splashing, squirting the water
onto their backs. and playing with each
| other. At daybreak they 90 into the
neighboring thickets to feed. Then it
is that the hunters surprise and attack
| them.
The attack is made" said Mr..
! Lohse, 'by two or three of the best
mounted and most courageOusmen rid
! ing close to the leaders Of the herd and
teasing them in every possible way.
| The enraged bulls charge after the
| hunters, who lead them Il lively race
| through the underbrush. The others
| in the herd string out after the leaders,
and in this way they become scattered.
| AS the elephants in the rear are am
| bling gently after the others they are
| suddenly set upon by the swordsmen
! of the party, who are on foot. Before
| the bic brutes can turn around the
| hunters are at their heels, and, with a
| quick, deXterous cut. sever the tendons
| of their hind LEGS. This hamstringing
| of course brings the animals to the
| ground, and then the hunters can dis
pose of them at their leisure. As a
| general thing they only kill the males,
| letting the females 90 for breeding pur-
| poses. The young ones are captured
| by the horSemen. The Homrahns are
wonderful riders, and they will gallop
| at horses to his back. 1t takes mar
velous agility to accomplish this feat,
| but the men seldom MAKE f;tiiE;sge.
Once on the back OF the young ele-
| plant, it is an easy matter for hunter
| to secure it. As the frightened animal
runs swiftly along. trumpeting, with
his trunk held high in the air, the
hunter throws a slip-noose over his
head, tangleS the rope deXterously
about its hind feet, and in almost less
time than it takes to tell about it has
the elephant lying helpless on the
ground. and securely tied to q tree.
There they are permitted to remain FOR
several days, or until they become SUI
fciently snbdued. Then they are hob
bled and driven back to the serbia. In
one hunt that l madewith twelve horse
men and about twenty footmen we
! captured four young elephants alive
| anu killed ten old ones. The hunters
sold the ivory obtained on that hunt
| fO1, = boI7r = 100 They o.Ot n II the ivory
and I had 10 pay them 500 each Cor
the young elephants they captured.
The ivory IS bought by Abyssiaian
merchants and most of it IS exported TO
india. The Homrahns use the hides
Of the elephants to make shields but
| they do not use the carcass. Very
rarely they eat some OF the meat
| AeJg IoY5, EcsHiRg Sua.