Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-07
ALL AyeNAs ARE NOT cowARDs.
illustrative Encounters with Them in
Somaliland.

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illustrative Encounters with Them in
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
: Somali xareba. 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 car
ried off sheep and badly bit young
COW.
Next morning saw two Somai 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 evil
IDENTIFY he wanted to see what I was do
ing and 80 came toward me. When
about 100 yards off Iput bullet through
his shoulders.
So much for No. /. He knew how
far q Somali 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 q lion had killed one Of
my camels. took the 4.50 express and
~k.~kn5 oH ~, o,.r;xy;,,o. ~, tho coapa I
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 150 yards off.
The bushes, three in number, were only
91k feet high and on an open plain. AS
the Somai men had been making great
noise I said nothing would stop there.
However, went to have 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. I 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 hyena finished him.
He was a very large and fat beast,
with good coat Of hair, and had good
portion of sheep in his inside.
Now could imagine ono going for
. camel if starved, but not when fat,
and at midday, with a 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
20 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. 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 of the ground, only the feet
trailing. He took it about sixty yards
and put it under bush. I lay still for
few minutes. and then the vultures
came down. but the three hyenas drove
them off. I then sat up and one of them
saw me. As they were only 1875 yards
off, however, I had good shot, and a
hollow bullet behind the shoulder fin
ished No. 3. The other two made off,
90 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 200 yards up 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.
It was long shot, over 200 yards;
but by good luck I put a bullet in the
center of his throat, killing him instant,
ly. This made the fourth. Next morning
I Iwent to take look and there was one
with the dead one shot the day before
London Field.