The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1889-08-30
A TRAGIC ELEPHANT HUNT.
Seven Men Killed by Five Animals in IN
African Eotcst;

In Captain Wissman's new book
describing his trip across Africa is a
very stirring picture representing two
elephants chasing htnters, black and
white, through the tall grass. The
only hope OF the hunters is to gain the
bank of a river near nthand and strike
out for the other shore. The euraged
brutes, with trunks and tails aloft, are
tearing through the grass at the top OF
their speed, and they are about the
ugliest customers n could meet. The
story of a very traglcal elephant hunt
has just been told by Capt. Brosseland
of the French army, who served awhile
ago on the commission which de-
termined the boundaiE between French
Sencgambia and Portuguese New
Guinen. .. p,
Arriving on the banks of the Rio
Grande Capt. 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 few days later some
natives came rushing 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
tho herd must DO on the other side of
the Little koliba river. Their exper-
fence. told them that the young ele.
plant would notremain long away from
the rest of the herd. Capt. Brosseland
happened to be absent from the village
and the hunters could not await his
return. So eight of them set out after
their prey, and the fact that Brosse-
land was left behind was the luckiest
incident of his life.
The eight hunters had plenty of
powder and ball and big English
muskcts which they could load to the
muzzle. Through the tangle of vines
and thickets they Travelled until they
saw the animal, almost a baby ele-
plant, before them. They were as.
tonished that its companions Ii d left
it alone. The young brute, seeming
danger, began to make tracks for the
forest. Several shots were fired at it,
and the sorely wounded animals loud
cries of distress echoed fur through the
forest.
The hunters started toward the ele-
plant. keeping. however, in the edge
of the timber. where they would be
less exposed to an offensive sally from
their victim. All of a sudden they
beard cries responding to those of the
young elephant. The hunters at once
comprehehded that they were in dan
ger. The other elephants were not
far off, and were running in answer to
the cries of their comrade. Tho blacks
Immediately abandoned their victim,
which had fallen to the ground. they
could hear behind them the cracking
of tho underground as the ponderous
animals liastcned to the scene.
Unfortunately for tho hunters gays
the New York Sun, they ran into a
tl'ickct Of thorny shrubs, through
which they could not force their way.
After a desperate effort to get through
they were compelled, with bleeding
limbs, to turn back and seek some bet
ter route. They had gone but n few
steps when they saw i've elephants
rushing toward them. Further flight
was impossible, and SO with their eight
guns they blazed away ut the enemy.
The bullets hit the mark, but an ele-
plant is hard to kill by a front shot,
and the ANIMALS with reaoubIsd fury
rushed pom the helpless nien.
Seven of the men We're lifted high
in the air OIL the trunks OF the ami
mails and then dashed to the ground,
broken against the trees, and crushed
under foot. One man made his es-
cape and hurried back to the village,
whose people were horror-strieken at
his recital. A strong party was sent
out to the scene of the tragedy. The
seven victims were found SO terribly
mutilatcd that their own relatives
could hardly recognize them. One o!
the five elephants was on the ground.
so seriously wounded that he could not
move. The young elephant, whose
cries had brought tho comrades thatso
terribly avenged it, was dying and the
others had disappeared.