The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-06-06
TRICKS OF sAVAGEs.

An experienced savage warrior, in al
emergency, can conceal his dusky limbs
in tiny bush that hardly seems large
enough to hide rabbit, and if no busl
should be at hand, a few stones will
serve the same purpose. In such war.
fare, rife which will kill at a range Of
1000 yards is useless against foe who
who may be near enough 10 be touched
but persistently keeps out of sight
MOreover,at the distance of few yards
the assagaI is the most deadly OF
weapons. Even while lying on the
ground Kafir, with a sort of under
hand Jerk, can propel his weapon with
certain aim and with deadly force
There is no report, and no smoke betrayt
the position OF the thrower, who, rs sooI
as he has struck his foe, glides off like q
snake and seeks new ambush. In the
late Ashantee war the chief difficulty
lay in the fact that it was scarcely ever
possible to obtain more than passing
glImpses of the black Skinned enemy
who was firing from the dark shadows
of the bush. The Ashantee warriors
knew better than to venture into open
ground. They hung on the TANKS OF
the advancing army land kept up close
and calling fire from distance of only
few feet, their dark bodies being quite
invisible in the bush.
Even when surprised In the open
country, the dark savage is at no lus-
for modes of concealment. For exam
pie, the Australian "blackfel'ow" will
suddenly squat on the ground, cover his
crouching body with his mat, and hold
one of his long spears upright. In this
posi- ion he looks so exactly like the
''blackboy" bush that The enemy when
in pursuit might pass within few yards
without detecting the imposture. In
Africa and India there are certain tribes
which employ a still more ingenious
mode of concealment, or, rather OF de.
ception, their dark color being an indis-
pensabIe adjunct to the stratagem
When they 60 on their marauding expe-
ditions they dispense entirely with cloth
ing and carry nothing but their simple
weapons.
Mansfield Parkyns, who lived for a
long time in Abyssinia, was on one occa
sion completely deceived by some ma.
rauding Bsrea, tribe which is very
thorn in the side of the more civilized
Abyssinlans. He was travelling over a
plain which had shortly before been dey-
asted by bush fire, when his guide sud
denly warned him OF the presence of
the Blrea. "All saw was a charred
stump of tree, few blsckened stones
lying at its foot. The hunter declared
that Deither the tree nor the stones were
here the last time that he passed, and
that they were simply naked Barea who
had placed themselves in that position
to observe us, having no doubt seen us
for some time and prepared them
selves" Not believing the guide
Mr.. ParkyDs ordered his party to move
on slowly while he dropped into the long
grass with his rifle, and crept toward
them. When he was within long range
he fired shot at the disputed object,
and was considerably startled at the re-
suit. The tree came 10 pieces and ran
away, while the logs and stones jumped
up, took to themselves legs. and made
after their comrades. Il was never
more surprised III my life, for so com
plete was the deception that even up 20
the time that the objects before me were
vegetable or mineral-anything but ami
NAL. The fact was the cunning rascal.
who represented stones were lying flai,
with their little round shields placed be.
fore them as scrcens.'
A still more ludicrous instance of de
ception took place in India An officer
was surveying the country, and finding
his helmet uncomfoTtably heavy, he
hung it on a branch Of a tree-stump close
to where he was standing. To his utter.
able surprise, the tree suddenly turned
somersault, and shrieking with laughter
went of with the helmet. The fact was
that the seeming branch was the leg OF
savage marauder. The man was stand.
ing on his head, and had disposed his
legs in such a manner that, aided bv his
spears, which did duty for the smaller
boughs. he had completely metamor-
Phosed his dusky body and limbs into
he samblance n a dead rec trunk
From the ChdutdugulH,