Omaha daily bee., 1889-04-14
SLAIN BY ELepHANTs.
Tragic Death of Seven Men in an
African Desert.

Tragic Death of Seven Men in an
African Desert.
In Captain Wissmans new book de-
scribing his trip across Africa is q very
striking picture representing two ele-
plants chasing hunters, black and
white, through the tall grass. The only
hope OF the hunters is to gain the bank
OF river near at hand and strike out
for the other shore. Theenraged brutes,
with trunks and tails alofts are tearing
through the grass at the top OF their
speed, and they are about. the ugliest
customers one could meet. The story OF
a very tragical elephant hunt has just
been told by Captain Brosseland OF the
French army, who served awhile ago
on the commission which determined
the boundary between French Sene-
gambia 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 MS soon
as elephants were reported in the neigh
borhood. A few days later some natives
came rushing into the village and said
they had seen the tracks Of young ele-
phant, and as they saw no other tracks
they thought the rest Of the herd must
be on the other side Of the little Koliba
the young elephant would not remain
long away from the rest OF the herd.
Captain Brosseland happened to be alb
sent from the village and the hunters
could not await his return. So eight of
them set out after their prey, and the
fact that Brosselaud was left behind was
the luckiest incident of his life..
The eight hunters had plenty OF pow
der and ball and big English muskets
which they could load to the muzzle.
Through the tangle OF vines and
thickets they travelled until they struck
the trail. Suddenly they came upon a
clearing where they saw the animal, al
most a baby elephant, before them.
They were astonished that its compan-
ions had left it alone. The young brute
scenting danger. began to make tracks
for the forest. Several shots were fired
at it, and the sorely wounded animals
loud cries of distress echoed far through
the forest.
The hunters started toward the ele-
phant, keeping, however, in the edge OF
the timber, where they would be less
exposed to an offensive sally from their
victim. All of sudden they heard
cries responding to those of the young
elephant. The hunters at once compre
hended that they were in danger. The
other elephants were not far off, and
were running in answer to the cries of
their comrade. The blacks Immediate
ly abandoned their victim, which had
fallen to the ground. They could hear
behind them the cracking Of the under
growth as the ponderous animals hast
ened to the scene.
Unfortunately for the hunters they
ran into thicket of thorny shrubs,
through which they could not force
their way. after desperate effort to
get through they ware compelled, with
bleeding limbs, to turn back and seek
some better route. They had gone but
few steps when they saw 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 ele-
phant is hard to kill by a front shot,
and the animals with redoubled fury
rushed upon the helpless meh.
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 peo-
pie were horror-strickensath his recital.
A strong party was sent out to the scene
of the tragedy. The seven victims
were found SO terribly mutilated that
their own relatives could hardly recog-
nize 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 others had disappeared.