News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-09-13
ADVENTURES IN THE TRANSyAAL.
A Party of Hunters i'll South Africa
Attacked by Balloons.


[Trom the San Francisco Chroniclel
At am. we were ready to start. The
six mules were "spanned in" to the COW
| cred cart, the provisions placed inside,
and our guns and ammunition over
| hauled to see that nothing had been for
| gotten. Our party consisted of Won
Dikpense, his two sons, myself, FatbOy
and two Kaffirs, who followed with four
saddle horses. At sunrise we reached
| the head of kloof or mountain road,
and before US lay splendid panorama.
The plains seemed to roll away as far as
| he eve could see, while the bright
| glowing tints were mellowed into dis
lance until quite far away the bold out
! lines of the mountains assumed a rich
| blue tint, yet standing out in clear re-
lief against the distant sky, the dry at
| mosphere failing to give the subdued
effect of distance usually observed in
other climates.
| 1t was here we erected to ''outspan"
| for breakfast, and a lovelier spot it
would be difficult to find. | strayed a
little way from the outspan while break
fast was being prepared, and, throwing
| myself down on the velyety grass, gave
myself up to the prospect before me,
| when suddenly became conscious that
/ was not alone, and, turning round,
found that was surrounded by gang
| of the most ferocious looking balloons [
ever met in my life. One huge fellow
in particular came uncomfortable close,
and when [ made thrust at him with
long stick happened to find at hand,
the screaming and chattering We're al
most deafening. The bush seemed
alive with them, and | began to fear for
my life. was alone, and they knew
it.
L dared not use my revolver, as the
fall of the first one would undoubtedly
be the signal for a general attack, which
could have but one result; SO after few
moments reflection decided upon an
other plan. l had a police whistle at
tached to my keys, and knowing that it
would reach further than my voice, [
blew it both loud and strong. This
seemed to make them more furious than
ever, but l kept on, knowing that it was
my only salvation, and in few minutes
l had the satisfaction of seeing my
friends on the brow of the hill; rifle in
hand. The balloons no sooner saw them
than they left me and took to the bush.
We had better left them there, but Won
Dikpense's eldest son could not resist
shot ut them, and succeeded in knocking
over two little ones.
And now the excitement commenced.
The balloons, some hundred in number,
rushed out and attacked us at once, and
for half an hour the battle seemed as
though it were going against us. We
stood back to lack and emptied the bar
rels of firearms as rapidly as possible.
The ground lay thick with dead and
dying balloons, and it was only on the
fall of the huge fellow who first attacked
me that they took to flight. It was in
deed lucky thing, for our ammunition
was almost gone. We caught q half a
dozen little ones, which we carried back
with us to the outspan. They were only
a few weeks old, but their little teeth
were as sharp as needles [ asked Won
Dikpense what he intended doing with
them. He told me that for years he had
supplied a trader from the Cape with
young monkeys at two shillings and
sixpence each, and in answer to my
question as to how he obtained them he
said:
"You must know that monkeys, I'M
like balloons, seldom show fight, or I
would not, for one, care to supply the
trade with youngsters. We catch them
whom the trees are heavily loaded with
fruit, as ct this time they are very
troublesome, coming down from the
mountains at nighttime and often de-
stroying the whole crop. They eat
little, but pull everything off the trees,
leaves and branches included, so that
men have to stay up all night to keep
them off. The extent of the monkeys
arithmetical knowledge extends only to
the number two, and the farmer takes
advantage of this ignorance on their part
in the following manner:
He builds little straw hut about 200
yards from the house, which will COM
fortably hold half dozen men. just
before shutdown, when the monkeys
come near to the farmhouse under cover
of the bushes eight men walk boldly
from the house to the hut. They all 90
in and stay there for about half an hour.
when two walk slowly back to tie house.
The monkeys, seeing two return, i'm
agine there are none in the hut, and q
little later, when all is quiet, down they
come, look at the hut. and go quietly
past to the orchard. Now that their re
treat is cut off, the people in the house
rush out with their lilies and manage
to knock over dozen or two Of the old
ones, while the guns in the hut do fur
Their damage as the monkeys go past.
So great is their fright that the little
ones are all left behind, and as many as
fifty have been caught in single night.
So stupid are the monkeys that in spite
of this slaughter and loss of little ones,
the same thing can be repeated few
days later.