Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1892-08-19
ANNApoLIs Nd FRIDAY EVENING. AUGUST 19 1892.
ALL HYENAs ARE NOT cowARDs.
illustrative Encounters with Them In
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illustrative Encounters with Them I'm
Somaliland.
Hyenas are noted as great towards,
but ! have come across a few exceptions.
When about sixty miles from Berbera,
on my return journey, camped close to
a Solnali zareba. Soon the head men
came in and asked me to shoot q pack
of six hyenas. as they had killed great
many sheep and goats. That morning
they killed two sheep, and the same
night jumped into the zareba and car
ried off sheep and badly bit young
cow.
Next morning saw two Somali men
running after hyena with spears, but
he only kept about 100 yards in front,
and as soon as they stopped he did the
same and had look at them. and on
their returning he quietly walked ON.
was busy with koodoo head at the
time, so did not go after him, but evi-
IDENTIFY he wanted TO see what was do
ing and so came toward me. When
about 100 yards off put bullet through
his shoulders.
So much for No. /. He knew how
far Somai could throw spear, but
not how far rifle would carry.
Next day at noon we heard great
shouting about mile off. After awhile
made out that lion had killed one of
my camels. Itook the 4.50 express and
started off. On arriving on the scene
found it was not lion, but hyena, and
that the camel was not dead, but badly
bitten on the hind parts.
A woman said the hyena was behind
some low bushes about 100 yards off.
The bushes, three in number, were only
2I5 feet high and on an open plain. As
the Somali men had been making great
noise ! said nothing would stop there.
However, went to have a look, and
when about seventy yards off the bush
up came head and took good look at
me, and then went down slowly, like a
lion crouching. / went twenty yards
closer, when up came the head to have
another look. / took a steady aim, and
next moment an express bullet between
the eyes of a hyena finished him.
He was very large and fat beast,
with good coat of hair, and had good
portion of sheep in his inside.
Now could imagine one going for
a camel if starved, but not when fat,
and at midday, with man and woman
accompanying the camels-a thick bush
within 200 yards ON the left, if he had
wanted to get away. Instead of doing
so he kept to the open country, with
three bushes hardly large enough to
1,sr 1all - Il
until shot dead. | think it showed
great pluck. End of No. 2.
In the night the men heard some of the
others howling, so at daylight went
over to where l shot No. 2, and there,
sure enough, were three more hyenas.
Just then one of the three picked mp
the dead one by the back and carried il
in his mouth, with his head thrown ul
to keep it off the ground, only the feet
trailing. He took it about sixty yards
and put it under bush. lay still for
a few minutes. and then the vultures
came down, but the three hyenas drove
them off. then sat mp and one of them
saw me. AS they were only 125 yards
off, however. had a good shot, and a
hollow bullet behind the shoulder fin
ished No. 3. The other two made off,
so left them.
In the afternoon one of my Somali
men said there was hyena keeping off
the vultures. 1 went out with the glass
and saw he had taken the last dead one
about 200 yards up a stony hill with
some large rocks on the top. He was
just going back to the rocks after hav-
ing made sortie upon the vultures.
then went up toward the rocks, when
out he came and took good look, stand
ing facing me.
1t was a long shot, over 200 yards;
but by good luck put bullet in the
center of his throat, killing him instant
ly This made the fourth. Next morning
went to take look and there was one
with the dead one shot the day before
4 II