Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1891-01-15
STANLEY ON ELEPHANTS
It's Elephants on Stanley II You Try To
Wild One With u Small Gun.

It's Elephants on Stanley II You Try to
Wild One With u Small Gun.
From the Cincinnati Times-Star.
"Mr Stanley, did you ever kill an
elephant?"
"Oh, yes, I have killed good many
Of them" replied the great explorer,
evidently somewhat amused at the
question, for it was pumped at him as
soon as he had reseated himself after
giving the Times-Star reporter very
cordial greeting at the Burnet House.
He evidently had expected to be inter
viewed about Barttelot and the rear
guard, or the mystery Of Emin Pasha,
and-was pleasantly disappointed, as
proved to be the case subsequently.
GLOW have you killed them and how
would you go about it were you going to
kill one noW"
"Weil, would shoot him, and as to
how I would go about it would depend
upon the kind of elephant he was"
Gould you kill him with one bull
let?"
II have done it,"
M"It took tWenty-three bullets to kill
our Zoo elephant, Chief recently"
~ read something of that. What
kind of an elephant was your Chief "
If ne had the concave forehead, that is,
scooped out, he was an Indian elephant.
IT he had convex forehead he was an
African. He was an Indian elephant.
Then [ would have shot him in the
forehead, for there is only Il short reach
to the brain while with an African ele-
phant an enormous amount OF muscle
and tissue is piled upon the forehead,
and you might shoot into it all day and
never kill him. But a well directed
shot in the center OF the forehead of
Chief, if you was sure he was an
Indian elephant, should have settled
him. And if not, the heart can always
reached. Yes, behind the ear, too;
they are readily killed that way. Why,
there is no particular difficulty about
killing an elephant if one knows how to
go aboutit.
''Do YOU imagine that Chief suffered
much pain with all of these bullets IN
him."
'Undoubtedly he did. And you men
ton the fact of his reaching out his
trunk in an atl'ectionate or appealing
way to Hatnee, his mate, who stood
near-that shows, more than i'll any
other way, that lie was suffering, and it
shows, too, an affection AIM sympathy
between the two that one would scarce
Nv imagine elephants to possess. That
reaching cut of his trunk and her re-
Spouse, as though in 1arefell, is certain
" very touching thing.
''You ask me if / haven't hunted the
elephant in Africa. Well, you know |
did not 90 there for that purpose, of
course. | had too much else to do and
no time to waste; but, as | say, | have
killed elephants and didn't think very
much Of il, either. One can't help but
run on them, whether he will or not.
Whv, the natives there will kill them
with a spear, or even with a sword
Yes, sir. they will run at them and slash
them across the legs and hamstrlng
them, and then pierce them behind the
ear with their swords. A man will get
Off in front of an elephant and brandish
a shining sword, it flashes in the ele-
phant's eyes and instantly makes him
mad and he will charge.
Gas he charges, other natives will
rush out of the copse, In flank move
ments. and dash at him, and even the
man ahead with the sword will spring
aside far enough to get out OF the reach
of his trunk, and as the big fellow goes
CHARGING by he will give him a
sweeping slash across the front of the
leos and the elephant is rendered help
less and falls. These natives get Won
dertuly skillful. something after the
matador, who let's the bull rush at HIM
full tilt, and then lightly springs aside
and thrusts his sharp sword into him.
When an elephant charges, he is so
bulky, YOU know, that his momentum
carries him directly ahead, and a nimble
and practced man can spring out OF his
way. But an elephant will overtake a
horse. and | have seen them jerk the
rider from horses back, all going full
tilt.
ooh, yes, an elephant is very swift.
! have vet to see the horse that can get
away from him on a dead, straight run.
And they can swim, too. Why, an ele
nhant will cross Il river with only his
trunk out of the water three or four
inches. All he has TO have is air. you
know. and lie gets it through his trunk.
And he will not swim until he has to.
But | have seen the trunk, several of
them. Just sticking out OF the water OF a
river they were fording.
''Then, a2ain. we have floated down
the Congo in our boats, quietly and with
out moving muscle, and we could get
within twenty feet of them without at
tracing their attention or alarm, and
then have shot them, killed them with
one shot-that is. one bullet. Some
times in going through jungle / have
come upon them. ! remember coming
upon one suddenly one day and only
Lad small Winchester rifle with me,