The evening times., 1896-12-17
HUNTING GAME In AFRICA
Episodes Of asssarch q for Rare
Specimens.
A Eand-:o-cIaw Fight with a Loop
African Liods .and Wild Asses.
CAiedqp Tribune.
sI1

| iiicdu CoiieetinE eNpeuftlOn ever it-
| tempted. With frof. Elliott returns the
taxidermist of the Field Columbian Muse
um, MIR. &. X. Akely, and both bear the
marks of the hardship undergone under
| the burning heat OF an African sun, and
| of the dangers that beset the path OF those
who follow the trail of savage beasts in
a country infested by equally savage men.
| Early last spring these Two Chicago men,
| accompanied by an assistant taXiderniIst,
| Edward Dodson, of London, crossed the
! Gulf or Alden from The place or the same
| name and handed at Berbera. There they
| secured the services of more than three
score men, blacks and yet not negroes.
| Ineir nair WAS as straight as tnat OF any
Caucasian in the company, their noses
| were aquilinc, and their features generally
| showed their Arabic origin.
| These men, who We're engaged to go
forward into the dangers which 1t was
| known must be encountered, Were selected
| from eight different tribes. About an
| equal number was taken from each, for
| the greatest safeguard against attack by
| any OF the wanderers OF the interior lies
| in the presence among the travellers OF
some who claim blood ties with the enemy.
| The land south anu southwest of GcrDerd Is
| called somali Land. ! hat part OF IL along
| the coast is called British SOinali. Be yond
The liiie which some gcographer has drawn
as marking the limits of the British doinin-
| ion lies u land that belongs to the savage
beast and savage man. There they roam,
| preying one upon the other, and, save at
rare intervals, see no one from the uliiiZed
world beyond.
Into this country. rich in its geological
| possibilities, and equally rich in danger
certaipties, the three white men led and
were ied by their black auAiliaries. There
were ninety camels to serve as pack ami
mails for this collecting company; donkcys
there were, tco, but these patient creatures
ban N. l.,ttf
themselves when opI Ortunty came as bait
for the night-prowling lion. In one sense
the party was II band of shepherds, for
ahead OF them they drove a great flock of
sheep, reinforced by loodly gathering
Of goats. These creatures can live upon
scantrations OF ofherbage II it becomes neces-
sary, ana can keep up fair amount OF fat
where other beasts W ould well nigh starvc
The sheep which toiled along patiently at
the head OF the camel caravan Were for
fcoi purposes, while the goats were taken
along as sacrifices 10 the lurking leopard
who might, by the bleating OF BEy or Nan.
be induced under cover of night to leave
his lFil.
1t is my belief" said Prof. Elliott yes
ierday. "tnat MIR. Akeiy is the only inan
living who has choked to death a leopard
He encountered the Beast on its native
heath. 1t was slightly wounded, a feet
which simply added To its Terocity. The
leopard, disturbed, at its meal. left tine
carcass to hurl itself at q man with the
full intention OF changing its breakfast
bill OF fare. How MIR. Akely stood the
shock OF that impact 1 do not know and
cannot yet underst and. The leopard
was big and heavy, and landed with its
full weight, after a spring of many feet,
upon tue shoulders and breast of my COM
panion. Mr.. Akely had braced himself
for the encounter, and, though staggered
and nearly falling under the shock OF the
meeting, he kept his feet and closed his
fingers on the throat OF the infuriated cat.
The creature sunk his teeth into his right
arm three times successfully before the
effect of tue choking made itself in the
least felt. The honter then forced his
left hand actually under the 10 wis OF the
animal and forced 1t To cease its biting
With great effort he threw the leopard,
and himself fell uppermost. He planted
his knees just at the junction OF the body
and fore legs, and in this manner succeeded
in keeping the ella wsfrom nflicting wounds
He put all his strength into his grip on the
throat and at the same ime he pressed his
knees into the creatures breast fairly
crushing and choking out the fierce life.
Up to its last moment the beast fought re-
vengefully. 1t was a great struggle, gal
lantly won by man, and under conditions
which think the ma iority OF cases would
throw the victory to the leopard
While the sun was t!i high Prof. Elliott
ana Mr. Akeiy, accompanied by one or two
OF the black Arabs, would build a little
blind very much like the covering which is
used to protect duck hunters in the Indiana
marshes. Some yards in front of this
blind they would drive Il stake in the ground. |
lnd then. just us he shadows were length
ening, goat would be led out and fastened |
10 the stake. Whether or not that goat |
knew the danger lie was in il is hard to |
say 1t may be that he was lonely, but |
whatever tile cause, he kept up an inccssant |
bleating from the moment OF his tying |
up until he was either killed later on or |
rescued after the death OF his would-be |
destroyer. Billy safely anchored, this |
small party of hunters would lie down be- |
hind the biind md wait until the plaintiyc |
calling of Billy or Nan had reached the
ears of some prowling leopard.
Ims creature Is particularly fond Of goat |
meat, and it does not take long after his |
ears have once been greeted with the sound
or the bleating or his nostrils touched by |
the unmistakable odor before he is ap-
preaching the quarry stealthiiy through
the bushes or along and behind the rocks.
lie does not know, OF course that the goat
is tied; he does know, however, that a
good sized bIllygoat with its formidable
horns has one chance for life and that there
are legends in the leopard family of some
old patriarch who found himself iupal.d
upon the two curved weapons which Capri
cornus bears upon his head. So the leopard
approaches warlly, and will take a spring
from behind. long. 1.-THE form launches
out, and the moon shining down through
the break in the tree tops, shows a dark
shadow passing swiftly over the face Of
the ground. The leopard has jumped for
his victim. Two shots echo through the
glade; they have both gone wide The |
leopard lands upon his victim. The goat
is borne TO the ground, but the leopard never
stops Leaping as lightly and as swiftly
as before, he makes for cover. third shot
rings out, and beyond the goat lies the life
less body of the prowler.
Billy suffers only from shock, and ne is
led back to camp and will make even a
better bait the next time, because his
previous experience has SO thoroughly
frightened him that he will keep up a
Noise that viii bring about his post all
the leopards from Abyssinia to Mount
Boora. r7a
The lion Is much heavier an bigger than |
,he leopard, and when he does make up
his mind to fight, he is, of course, much
more formidable antagonist. When pushed
o it he will give battle. The South Afri-
can lion, according to Prof. Elliott, is q
far nobler specimens than is the one in the
section OF the country Which the Chicacoans
have just explored, The Southern lion
Will fight at any time, while his cousin
'urther north will fight only when he Is
obliged to, or at times at night when he
seems to have his courage REINFORCED by
ne darkness. A donkey is the bait for a !
ion. Lions prefer ;denkcys to eat. The
praying of the beast, as one does not need
q go to Africa to discover, can be heard
Tom Dan to Beersheba.
When donkey is fastened out as a bit
Of bait he begins to bray at first in semi
suppiicating way. then reproachfuIly, and
fiQally for the fOle Durnosn Of making |