The record-union., 1892-10-28
LIMITING N AFRICA
Fools Evsn There Who Shoot withou
seeing Their Game.

roofs Ev1n There Who Shoot without
seeing Their Game.
J.Char les Davis, whose fishing and hunt
ing stori es have delighted SO many read
ers, reEited the following experience to
the wrK ers
"One of the most interesting hunts l
ever par .icipated in was in South Africa,
where had the good fortune to form the
acqualnta ance of family of settlers who
lived In the valley OF the Ungani River in
the Province OF Natal. The elder Null
lens, for that was the name of the family,
had four sons whose principal occupation
was hunting, while it was occasionally
limited that the oldest boys sometimes oc-
cupled portion of their spare time by
running arms or ammunition through
the lines to the Zulus. This was looked
upon as very great crime, as the colo
nIsts were in constant dread OF an attack
and did everything in their power to pre-
vent unscrupulous traders from enrich
ing themselves by trading modern weap-
ons Tor the gold dust, rough diamonds
and worries the Zulu always has to barter
for anything he wants.
I'VE lett the station, our farm, before
daybreak one cool October morning to
run down horned horse that one of the
halhr herdsmen had reported having
seen the Gay before about eight miles up
the river. The beaters had been sent on
over night, and under a sharp gaIiop we
brought up at their camp while the dav
was yet young. There were about 100
men and boys, principally Zulus, kafiirs
and Fingos, who had been engaged to
stretch out across the valley, forming a
line that would drive all kinds of game
before 1t up to narrow kloof or ravine,
about i've miles away, where our guide
informed US we were to be stationed. |
WAS surprised at the absence of firearms
III the ranks of the native contingent, but
our guide explained that If you give a
negro a loaded rifle you are really in
more danger than the game in case he
should ire, and that the chances are 100
to one il attacked he will drop the weapon
and run, while party of them armed
with horns, gongs and tOmtoms Will beat
a jungle in dangerous country and drive
every living thing before them with the
unearthly noise they make.
Leaving our party in charge OF the
natives, we galloped across the country
IN SUCH way as to come into the kloot
at the upper end directly opposite where
the game was expected. We diSmounted
and gave our horses in charge of couple
OF kat1irs and were placed on station,
each of us instructed where and how to
shoot. When the rush came, in order not
to run any risk OF hitting one OF our own
party, or some Of the beaters, we We're
placed upon opposite sides of the kloof,
and each man only allowed to fire at OBJ
jects. between given points. | was in
structet not to shoot at anything smaller
than springbok, and not to, on any ac-
count, ire before the noise of the beaters
was plainly heard. Smoking was forbid
den, and we were instructed to keep out
OF sight and remain as quiet as possible.
After waiting about an hour and a half.
when 1t seemed to me four, we heard a
faint sound coming up the valley, borne
on the strong breeze, and as we listened
lOnHpr a nd r. -.
for me to say we were all attention. Soon
we heard rustic, and with a rush a
small band of pete, a little hog deer very
plentiful in Africa, came bounding up
the valley, closely followed by a bunch
of game that consisted of springbok,
gemsbok, biessbok and three or four
other varieties of African antelope.
Il breathlessly awaited the first shot,
having resolved not to be the first to
break the silence, and, through over
anxiety, possibly frighten away or turn
back some more noble game than that
fired at. After the first rush we saw
nothing else for some moments. and
finally the crack of a rifle in the hands of
man tarthest down toward the beaters
warned us that big game was i'll sight,
and moment later a pair OF leopards |
with three cubs came bounding along
with velocity that was astonishing. !
They had not gone more than half way
luS hlOOI WuSu one Uuul DIeu |
over stone-dead, and the other fell with
broken back, disabled but still danger
Gus to approach. The cubs turned back
toward the old animals and remained
near them, while our party turned their
attention to some more springhok, three
of which were killed. | possessed the !
only Winchester rifle in the party, and
probably did more firing than any other
man there, but i'll the excitement it is |
questionable whether [ hit anything ex-
cept the rocks and the shrubs on the
opposite side of the valley.
The beaters drew nearer and nearer.
but no gnoo, or veldebeste, as the Dutch
Beers called them, put III an appearance.
We would all have been quite well satis-
fed with our sport had it not been that
one of the best shots in the party saw
something moving in the tall grass. or
rather, saw the grass waving Just at the
entrance of a ravine, and fired a shot lust
below the top of the waving verdure.
when we heard cry of pain unmistak-
ably human, and at once ran down to as
certain the cause. The first in the cover
discovered poor Zulu boy almost dead.
lie was one of the beaters who had out
stripped the others and come up within
range without knowing it. His father
and several relatives were among the
beaters and soon arrived.
This sad occurrence brought our hunt
to an end, and, after selecting such por-
tions of the game as were most desirable,
we left the rest for the natives, with in
structions to have the leopard skins
brought down to our farm. ."-Detroit
Free Press