Telegram-herald., 1889-06-13


abOunding IL but now devcld OF elephants,
We reach Zululaad. In that territory be-
tween 1850 aud s75 immeEse numbers OF
the great paehyderIn were hunted and de-
stroyed. Baldwin, Drummond and other
wellknown nimrods, besides numerous
array Of obscure but quite IS deadly Dutch
and colonial professional hunters, have
practically wrought extinction ia the Zulu
country. North or the Zulus, IN Amatonga-
land, the same state OF things exists, with
the difference that some numbers of ele-
plants driven by the incursIye gold dIggers
and prospectors OF Swaziland from their
ancient secluded haunts IA that territory,
have recently trekked south across the
AmatOnga border. Here their extermIna-
ton must soon follow. IL Is probable that
the country most abounGlng in the poor
remnant OF elephants now south OF tho
XamOesl Is the unhealthy region lying east
and northeast OF the Transyaal border
much Of IL known as Umkilaiand. Here the
prevalence or deadly fever in the hot
months and the tse-tse fly have alone
prevented Dutch hunters from completing
their work Of destruction; but even here
the supply Of elephant life is now sparse
and limited and can not long hold out. The
Orange Free State. from the treeless, open
nature OF its terrain, although formerly
crowded with other game, was never a
haunt Of elephants. But not so with the
TransvaaL Here in 1897 Captain Corn
wallis Harris, one Of the first TO explore the
beautiful but unknown wids then held by
the fierce Moselikatze aud his Matabeles,
found elephants in astounding plenty. In
one valley alone he saw wandering in peace
ful seclusion hundreds of the gray beasts.
pfa4 4.s1n . 30. I~.t g frff
the Boer VoertreKkers, who, having at
tackled and driven out Mosehkatze, turned
their attention TO the extraordinary
wealth of ivory within their new
found borders. Their labors have been but
too successful, and there now remains to
the vast territories OF the South African
republic pro badly not one solitary wild ele-
phant. All have vanished. North of the
iransvaal lie Natabele and Mashonalands,
the country now ruled by Lodengula, son
OF the dreaded MoSelkatze So recently as
between 1871 and 1875 these lands were ten
anted by vast numbers of elephants. But,
as Mr.. Il. G.. Selous, the well known hunter,
tells US, II is now difficult In years hunt
ing 10 como across a single elephant In
these countries. Mr.. Selous himself, the
mlghtiest elephant hunter of these or any
other times. who has devoted the greatest
part OF the last seventeen years 10 the fierce
toll and countless dangers of IVORY hunting,
and the numerous Dutch and other hunt
ers who have ravaged the country, have
much to answer for ln this matter. But,
after all, they have been but the instru-
ments OF supply 10 a pitiless and never
ceasing demand.
Turning westward to Bechuanaland the
same story has 10 be told. In Gordon Cum
ming's time-lS46 to 1850 Baman gwato,
now ruled by Khama, was veldt virgin TO
the hunter. Gordon Cumming himself was
one OF the first TO exploit IL, and by him, Os-
well and NardOn, and afterward by Bald
win and others, great execution was
wrought among the elephants, even as far
to the west as Lake N'Gami Professional
hunters have, since Gordon Cummings
day, completed absolutely the work OF ex-
tirpation in these lands. In one year alone,
after the discovery OF Lake N'Gami Gs49)
Livingstone tells US that nine hundred ele-
plants were slam in the region of the Great
Lake. What wealth OF animal lfe, al
though backed by countless years of undis-
turbed freedom and repose, could with
stand the barbarous ravages of so short
sighted policy. North Bechuanaland, in
Guiding its Zambesi borders, and the Ma
babe veldt-ouce great hunting ground
and the Lake NGami regions. are
now all but completely denudcd
OF ivory Passing yet further TO
the westward, across the kaiahsrI,
which now shares the dearth OF Bechd-
analand, we reach the countries OF tho
Namaguas and Damaras. Hero the same
miserable history has to be recorded. Since
the time of the explorer Charles Anderson,
| between 1850 and 1880, when elephants we're
| found IA abundance in Southwest Africa,
succeeding wears have seen the profcs-
s.0nal hunters pursuing without mercy or
cessation their work Of slaughter, and Gle
plants may now be found no further south
( than Ovamp0.and, where the native hatred
I Of the white man has alone projected them.
The ivory trade OF South Africa has, with
/ tie dec me Of elephant life. decaycd in Ike
ratio In IS15 tic value O ivory exported
/ through Cape Colony was 70, 42, in lSs'j 10
( was 81 10 Ia 1s73. Gl7.f99 worth OF ivory
/ was czportcd from Natal IA 1855 but G4.lO0
worth Bev0ud these AustraL African re-
( gi0ns. where ivory a now as scarce as It
was bat few years since superintendent,
/ the progress of extirpation goes on apace.
+ Portuguese aBd Arab hunters have for
I years been hard a. WORK. and each season
+ sees the precious supply wax sma ler- In
/ the Eiliuaajaro regions in Fast Africa, snd
T about Bengewco.a ard the other great
/ central axes. elephants are 10 ccubt stl
4 very abundant. but each month rlles and
I Hunters Tcnetrste more deeply INTO the
+ DARK Continent Probably re : ger ter
ritores and the iftie-snovn Interior x
western Africa r-rl. no'd oat Esst q ali
( Batwh it - remem oere1 that 100. 90
! pounds az i7rv are early imported INTO
Z f Il rslla