Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1892-01-31
FIGHTING WITH A BABoON.
A Mans Desperate Hand-tO-Hand Battle
With a Monster AnthrOpod.
A6DSry{es,-

A Mans Desperate Hand-to-Hand Battle
With a Monster Anthropod'
Advertiser.
l was walking through my lands and
had my gun with me, and the balloons
were screaming on the top of the rocky
precipice that overhangs my homestead.
The dogs in the farmyard, on hearing
the noise the balloons were making;
rushed up to the mountain and were
soon engaged in a deadly fight. l
took up my gun and climbed up
the mountain for the purpose OF as
sisting the dogs and in the hope OF saw
ing them from being torn TO pieces.
When | reached the summit OF the
krantZ number OF balloons fed. l
fred and wounded one in the shoulder;
he was Immediately 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 and the dog on the
very brink of a precipice. l had not
another cartridge for my gun, so | put
IL down and picked up couple OF large
stones and walked to within few yards
of the spot.
l was lust in tie act Of hurting one
of them at the haboon when suddenly a
tremendous male boboon, the largest |
have seen, came straight at me in bold
and defiant manner, his eyes cleaning
with anger and his huge jaws working
together as if in anticipation OF the
crunching that was in store for me.
lust had time to hurl the stone in my
now appraised 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 mash
ed TO atoms. l kicked with all my might.
| tried to get hold of stone. l at
tempted to seize him by the throat,
dealt him several blows with the fist,
but it was all useless, the strength of
enraged African mandril overpowered
me completely.
After he had finished with my leg he
raised himself on his hind legs, put his
arms around me and seized hold OF me
on the chest with his powerful jaws.
What could | do? Every now and then
he let go his hold Of my breast
and snapped at my throat.
seized him by the throat with
nv right hand and clinched my fingers,
but he would no yield his grasp for a
single moment. Every time / moved he
dragged me nearer TO the edge Of the
precipice, and we were now within three
feet of the brink and the ground slop,
ing down 10 IL. | knew that If | for a
moment lost my footing down we should
90 into the chasm below. The wounded
baboon and the dog, that were respOn'
sihle for the awful predicament in
which | low found myself, had just
rolled over into the abyss. We had been
at il nearly an hour, and, as the baboou
showed no signs Of releasing mo, felt
| | should not be able to hold out much
| longer, as I am an old man, considera'
| bly, over 60.
At this stage l bethought myself OF q
pen-knife I had in my waistcOat pocket.
| If l could only get it out, might ward
| him of by stabbing him in the face.
gradually got my left hand into my
pocket and got the knife out, the brute
scratching and tearing my face with
his hands all the while. got it to IN!
mouth and held il there till l had al
| opportunity of opening it with my left
hand. l then began stabbing and prod
| ding him, but the knife was not large
enough to do him any damage. l drew
| blood, however, the sight Of which only
made him more vicious still. BY this
time hand scarcely veStige Of clothing
| left, and my laScerated body bore token;
! of what a South African baboon can de
! when he chooses TO tackle and fight al
| unarmed man.
| l was wondering how all this was go
| ing to end, when one OF the dogs thai
had been wounded in the fight, and had
recovered sufficiently to make his way
to where we were, seized the ANNA
from behind. L felt the brute wished tt
| get at the dog. He threw himself from
me upon the dog; they had one rough
and-tumble, and then the babOOn walk
ed sullenly away along the ridge Of thC
precipice, looking back from time t
/ time as IL undecided whether he should
rene the attack. 1t was some time
| before could recover sufficient strength
! to descend the mountain. l got home
however, and the dog, TOO, aftea an en-
! counter such as / shall never forget
and the like of which l hope never K
experience again.