Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-09-02
myenn Hunting in somaiiland.

Ilyenas are noted rs great towards, hut
| have come across few exceptions
When about go miles from Berbcra. on my
return journey, ! campel close to a SOmali
zarcba. Soon the head men came in and
asked me to shoot pack of six hycnaS, as
they had killed a 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 a young COW.
Next morning | saw two Sonali men
running after a hvena 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, AMI on their returning
he quietly walked on. | was busy with
Koodoo head at the time, so did not 20 aft
er him. but evidently he wanted to see
what | was doing and so came toward me.
When about 100 yards off | put a bullet
through his shoulders. $50 much for No.
L. He knew how far a Somali could
throw a spear, but not how far rifle
would carry.
Next day at noon we heard a great shout
ing about mile off. After a while made
out that lion had killed one Of my cam
els. | took the $50 express and started
off. On arriving on the scene, | found it
was not a lion but a hyena, AMI 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 y feet high and on an open
plain. AS the Somali men had been max
ing a great noise | said nothing would
stop there. However, | went to have a
look, and when about 20 yards OIL the
bush, up came a head and took good
look at me, and then went down slowly
like lion crouching. | 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 a good
coat of hair and had a good portion of a
! sheep in his inside. Now | could imagine
one going for a camel if starved, but not
when fat and at midday, with a man and
women 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 conceal him,
and then held his ground until shot dead.
| think it showed great pluck. End OF
/ No. ?.
| In the night the men heard some of the
others bowling, so at daylight | went over
to where | shot No. ,, 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
oil the ground, only the feet trailing. He
took it about 10 yards and put it under a
| bush. | lay still for few minutes, and
then the vultures came down, but the
three hycnas drove them OFF. | then sat
up and one of them saw me. As they
were only l25 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 mer
said there was a hyena keeping off the yul-
lures. | went out with the glass and saw
he had taken the last dead one about 20C
yards up stony hill, with some large rock,
on the top. He was just going back &c
| the rocks, after having male a sortie upon
the vultures. | then went up toward the
rocks. when out he came, and took a gOot
look, standing facing me. 1t was lOnl
shot, over POO yards; but by good luck
put a bullet in the centre of his throat
killing him dead. This made the fourth
Next morning | went to take a look, anC
there was one with the dead one shot tn,
the day before. - LOBdOH Fied.