The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-04-07
A TRAGIC ELEPHANT HUNT.
Seven Men Killed by Five Animals in an
African Forest.

New York Sun.
In Captain Wissmann's new book de-
scribing his trip across Africa, is a very
stirring picture representing two elephants
chasing hunters, black and white, through
hunters is to gain the bank of a river near
at hand and strike out for the other
shore. The enraged brutes, with trunks and
tails alOft. are tearing through the grass at
the top OF their speed, and they are about
story of a very tragical elephant aunt has
Just been told by Captain Brosseland, of
the French army, who served a while ago
on the commission which determined the
boundary between French Senegambia and
Portuguese New Guinea.
Arriving on the banks of the Rio Grande,
Captain BrOsseland requested the natives
TO take him on an elephant hunt. They
promised to do so as soon as elephants
were reported in the neighborhood. A
ing into the village and said they had
seen the track Of a young elephant. and
as they saw no other tracks, they thought
the rest of the herd must be on the other
side OF the little Koliba river. Their ex-
perience told them that the young elephant
would not remain long away from the rest
of the herd. Captain Brosseland hap
pened to be absent from the village, and
the hunters could not wait his return. So
eight OF them set out after their prey. and
IN ldCt tAdt bIOSSClduu WAS leu Dtuluu
was the luckiest incident of his life.
The eight hunters had plenty of powder,
and ball, and big English muskets which
they could load to the muzzle. Through
the tangle of vines and thickets they trav-
eled until they struck the trail. Suddenly
they came upon a clearing where they saw
the animal, almost a baby elephant, before
them. They were astonished that its COM
panions had left it alone. The young
brute. !scenting danger. began to make
froaES for tho fnrncf Snun~o ah0tc
fired at it, and the sorely wounded animals
loud cries of distress echoed far through the
forest.
The hunters started toward the elephant,
keeping, however, in the edge of the tim
an offensive sally from their victim. All of
a sudden they heard cries responding to
those of the young elephant. The hunters
at once co~mprehended that they were in
danger; The other elephants were not far
of their comrade. The blacks Immediately
abandoned their victim. which had fallen
to the ground. They could hear behind
them the cracking of the underground as
the pOnderous animals fastened to the
scene
Unfortunately for the hunters, they ran
into a thicket of thorny shrubs. through
which they could not force their way.
After a desperate effort to get through,
they were compelled, with bleeding limbs,
" VI OdCh II Scck SOLuo DcItcT Oltc
They had gone but a few steps when they
say the five elephants rushing toward
Them. Further flight was impossible, and
so with their eight guns they blazed away
at the enemy. The bullets hit the mark,
but an elephant is hard to kill by a front
shot, and the animals with redoubled fury
rushed upon the helpless men.
Seven of the men were lifted high in the
air on the trunks of the animals, and then
dashed to the ground, broken against the
trees, and crushed under foot. One man
made his escape, and hurried back to the
village, whose people were horror-stricken
at his recital. A strong party was sent out
victims were found SO terribly mutilated
that their own relatives could hardly
recognize them. One of the five elephants
was on the ground so seriously wounded
that he could not move. The young
elephant. whose cries had brought the
comrades that so terribly avenged it, was
dying, and the others had disappeared.