Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1892-11-02
ALL HYENAS ARE NOT EDWARDS.
Illustrative Encounters with Them In
Somaliland.


Hyenas are noted as great towards,
but | have come across a few excep-
tons, says a writer in the Field. When
about sixty miles from Berbera, on
my return journey, camped close to
a Somali zareba. Soon the head men
came in and asked me to shoot 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 carried 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
evidently he wanted to see what was
doing, and so came toward me. When
about 100 yards off | put bullet
through his shoulders.
So much for No. /. He knew how
far Somal could throw spear, but
not how far rifle would carry.
Next day at noon we heard great
shouting about a mile off. After a
while made out that a lion had killed
one of my camels. | took the 1850 ex-
press 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 $50 yards off.
| The bushes, three in number, were
only 2 l-2 feet high and on an open
| plain. AS the Somali men had been
making great noise l said nothing
would stop there. However, | went
| to have look, and when about 70
yards off the bush, up came head
and took good look at me, and then
went down slowly like lion crouch
| ing. | went 20 yards closer, when up
came the head to have another look.
| took steady aim, and next moment
an express bullet between the eyes of
hyena finished him.
He was very large and fat beast,
with good coat of hair, and good
| portion of a sheep in his inside.
Now | could imagine one going for
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 in the open coun-
try, with three bushes hardly large
enough to conceal him, and then held
his ground until shot dead. | think it
showed great pluck. End-of No. 2.
In the night the men heard some Of
the others bowling, so at daylight |
went over to where | shot No. 2, and
there, sure enough were three more
hyenas.
just then one of the three picked up
the dead one by the back and carried
it in his mouth, with his head thrown
up to keep it off the ground, only the
feet trailing. He took it about sixty
yards and put it under bush. lay
still for few minutes, and then the
vnltures came down, but the three
hyenas drove them Off then sat up
and one of them saw me. AS they
were only 1875 yards off, however, !
had a good shot, and hollow bullet
behind the shoulder finished 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. | went out with the
glass, and saw he had taken the last
dead one about 20 yards up stony
hill, with some large rocks on the top.
He was just going back to the rocks,
after hayinp made n sOrtie uDOn the
vultures. | then went up toward the
rocks, when out he came, and took a
good look, standing facing me.
1t was a long shot, over 30 yards;
but by good luck put bullet in the
center of his throat, killing him. This
made the fourth. Next morning
went to take look, and there was one
with the dead one shot the day before.