Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1892-03-18
Battling with q Ba5oon.

A writer in the Graf R.inet Adver-
User tails the following exciting ad-
venture: I was walking thror.h nv
lands and had NV gun with ma. and
the baboons were screaming on the
top OF the rocky pr-cipice that over.
hangs my homestead The dogs in the
farm. ward. on hearing the noise the
! baboons were making, rushed up TO
| the mountain and were soon engaged
/ in q deadly fight. took up my gun
and climbed mp the m puntain for the
/ purpose OF assisting the dogs and in
the hope OF saving them from being
/ torn 10 pieces When reached the
summit OF the krantz number OF
balloons fled. l fired and wounded
one in the shoulder; he was imm-di-
ately pursued and tackled by the only
dog left, the Others having been torn
To pieces. The struggle for life or
death was taking place between the
wounded baboon aud the dog on the
very brink OF a precipice. had not
another cartridge for my gun. 80
put il down and picked upa couple
OF large stones and walked 20 within
! few yards OF the spot.
| was just in the act OF hurling one
/ OF them at the baboon when suddenly
! a tremendous male baboon, the largest
/ have seen, came straight at me in u
J l,.
/ cleaning with anger aud his huge
| Jaws working together rs IL In antici-
! patton OF the crunching that was In
/ store for me. | just had time TO hun
| the stone in my now upraised hand at
/ him. when he was upon me. He seized
me by the leg first. and bit me with
such violence that thought every
bone in my leg was smashed TO atoms.
l kicked with all my might, tried 10
get hold OF stone. | attempted 10
seize him by the throat. dealt him
several blows with my fist, but it was
all useless the strength OF the enraged
African mandril ovrrpowed me com
pletely.
After he had finished with my leg
he raised himself on his hind legs,
put his arm around me and seized
hold OF me on the chest with his pow.
eriul jaws. What could dor Every
now and then he let go his hold of
my breast aud snapped at my throat.
| seized him by the throat with my
right hand and clinched my fingers,
but he would not yield his grasp Tor a
single moment. Every time | moved
he dragged me nearer to the edge OF
the precipice, aud We were now within
three feet OF the brink aud the ground
sloping down TO IL. knew that II |
for a moment lost my footing down
we should 90 into the chasin below.
The wounded baboon aud the dog,
that were responsible for the awful
predicament in which now found
myself, had just rolled over into the
abyss. We had been a. IL nearly an
hour. aud. as the baboon showed no
signs OF releasing me, felt | should
not be able TO hold out much longer,
a. ] AIN an old man considerably over
sixty.
At this stage | b"thought mvself OF
a penknife ! had In my waistcoat
pocket. II | could only get II out.
might ward him of by stabbing him
in the face. | gradually got my left
hand into my pocket aud got the
knife out, the brute scratching aud
tearing my face with his hands all the
while. got IL TO my mouth aud held
IL there till had an opportunity OF
opening IL with my left hand then
begaC stabbing and prodJing him,
but the knife was not large enough to
do him much damage. drew blood.
however, the sight OF which only
made him more vicious still. BY this
time had scarcely n vestige OF cloth
ing left. and my lacerated body bore
tokens OF what n South African ba
boon can do when he chooses to
tackle aud fight an unarmed man.
was wondering how all this was
going TO end, when one OF the dogs
that had been wounded In the fight
and had recovered sufficiently TO make
his way TO where we were seized the
animal from behind. felt the brute
wish TO get at the dog. He threw him
self from me upon the dog; they had
one rough andtumble. and then the
baboon walked sullenIy away along
the ridge OF the precipic,, looking
back from time to time, as II undscid-
ed whether he should renew the at
tack. 1t was some time before
could recover sufficient strength to
descend the mountain. got home.
however, and the dog too. after an
encounter such as ! shall never forget.
and the like Of which hope never TO
experience again.