Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-22
FIGHTING WITH A BABOON.
A Mans Desperate Hand to Hand Battle
with a Monster AnthrOp0fd.


with Monster Anthropoid.
l Iwas 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. took
up my gun and climbed up the noun
tain for the purpose of assisting the
dogs and in the hope of saving them
from being torn to pieces. When |
reached the summit of the krantz a
number of balloons fled l fired 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 precipice. had not an
other cartridge for my gun, so l put it
down and picked up couple of large
stones and walked to 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 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.
just 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
smashed to atoms. | kicked with all
my might, tried to get hold of stone,
I attempted to seize him by the throat
dealt him several blows with the fist,
but it was all useless; the strength Of
the enraged African mandril overpow-
cred me completely.
After he had finished with my leg he
raised himself on his hind legs, put his
arm around me and seized hold of me Oh
the chest with his powerful jaws. What
could l do? Every now and then he let
go his hold of my breast and snapped at
my throat. seized him by the throat
with my right hand and clinched my
fingers, but he would not yield his grasp
for a single moment. Every time
moved he dragged me nearer to the edge
Of the precipice, and we were now with
in three feet of the brink and the ground
sloping down to it. l knew that if for
moment lost my footing down we
should go into the chasm below. The
wounded baboon and the dog, that were
responsible for the awful predicament in
which | now found myself, had just
rolled over into the abyss. We had been
at it nearly an hour, and as the baboon
showed no signs of releasing mo felt !
should not be able to hold out much
longer, as am an old man, considerably
over sixty.
At this stage bethought myself of a
penknife had in my waistcoat pocket.
If could only get it out l might ward
him off by stabbing him in the face.
gradually got my left hand into my
pocket and got the knife, the brute
scratching and tearing my face with his
hands all the while. I got it to my
mouth and held it there till had an
opportunity of opening it with my left
hand. then began stabbing and prod
ding 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 vestige of clothing
left, and my lacerated body bore tokens
Of what a south African baboon can do
when he chooses to tackle and fight an
unarmed man.
was wondering how all this was go
ing 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 wished to
get at the dog. He threw himself from
me upon the dog; they had one rough
and tumble, and then the baboon walked
sullenly away along the ridge of the
precipice, looking back from time to
time as if undecided whether he should
renew the attack. It was some time be-
fore could recover sufficient strength
to descend the mountain. got home,
however, and the dog, too, after an en-
counter such as shall never forget, and
the like of which hope never to expe-
rience again. -Reinet Advertiser.