The Globe-republican., 1890-09-17

A|>I "
->Gzw@/~ -
THE WHOLE HERD WAS HOPELEssLY MRED.
it was kinder to kill them at once. The
wounded bull slew with my own hand,
and can not say felt much compunc-
ton in doing so. He knew me again,
and made a desperate effort to getatme.
but am glad to say the peat held him
fast.
The pan presented curious sight
when the sun rose next morning. Owing
to the support given by the soil none
of the dead elephants had fallen; there
they all stood as though they were
asleep.
Isent back for the wagons, and when
they arrived on the morrow formed
camp, about mile away from the pan.
Then began the work of cutting out the
elephants tusks; it took over a week,
and for obvious reasons was disgusting
task. Indeed, had it not been for the
help of some wandering bushmen, who
took their pay in elephant meat, 1 do
not think we could ever have managed
it.
At last it was done. The ivory was
far too cumbersome for US to carry, SO
we buried it, having first got rid of our
bushmen allies. My boys wanted me to
go back to the Cape with it and sell it,
but was too much bent on my journey
to do this. The tusks lay buried for
five years. Then 1 came and dug them
up; they were but little harmed. Ulti-
mately sold the ivory for something
over twelve hundred pounds-not bad
for one days shooting.
This is how began my career as an
elephant hunter. have shot many hun
dreds of them since, but have never
again attempted to do so on horseback.
CHAPTER ".
After burying the elephant tusks, and
having taken careful notes of the bear
ings and peculiarities of the country so
that I might be able to find the spot
again, we proceeded on our journey. For
a month or more We trekked along the
line which now divides the Orange Free
State from Griqualand West and the
Transvaal from Bechuanaland. The
only difficulties met with were such as
are still common to African travellers
occasional want of water and troubles
about crossing SHUTS and rivers. re-
member that I outspanned on the spot
where Kimberly now stands, and had to
press on again in hurry because there
was no water. little dreamed then
that should live to see Kimberly a
great city producing millions of pounds
worth of diamonds annually, and old
1ndaba-zimbi's magic can not have been
worth SO much after all, or he would
have told me.
l found the country almost entirely
depopulated. Not very long before
Mosilikatzi the Lion, Chaka's General,
had swept across it in his progress
towards what is now Matabeleland His
footsteps were evident enough. Time
upon time trekked up to what had evil
IDENTIFY been the sites of the Kaffir
kraals. Now the kraals were ashes and
piles of tumbled stones, and strewn
about among the rank grass were the
bones of hundreds of men, women and
children, all Of whom had kissed the Zulu
assegai. l remember that in one of
these desolate places found the skull
of child in which ground lark had
built its nest. 1t was the twittering of
the young birds inside that first
called my attention to it. Shortly after
this event we met with our second great
adventure, a much more serious and
tragic one than the first
We were trekking parallel with the
kolOng river when a herd of blesbock
crossed the track. 1 fired at one of
them and hit it behind. It galloped
about q thousand yards with the rest of
the herd. then lay down. As we were
in want of meat, not having met with
any game for few days past, jumped
on to my remaining horse, and, telling
Indaba-zimbi that would overtake the
wagons or meet them on the further
side of . rise about an hours trek
away, I started after the wounded buck.
As soon as I came within . hundred
yards Of it. however, it jumped up and
ran away as fast as though it were un-
touched, only to lie down again At
distance. followed, thinking that
strength would soon fail it This hap
pened three times. On the third oc-
casion it vanished behind . ridge, and
though by now ~as out of both tenn
per and patience, / thought 1 might IS
well ride to the ridge and see if could
get shot at it on the further side.
l reached the ridge, which was strewn
with stones. looked over It, ami Saw