Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1897-03-25

hlrehgth TO enable the fisherman [,
maui the quarry within gaffing dis
lance. This done, the fish wa
speedily mastered with the aid of n,
assegai. From this ninety-pounde,
the specimens caught ranged dow,
to q pound-and-a-half trout: aImos
identical in appearance with thos,
speckled beauties that are found il
the lochs and burns of bonnie Scot
land. These trout differ in size tc
considerable extent. The pound-and
halt specimen was the smallest q,
the lot. From that the fish Of ih,
trout variety ranged up to five
pounds, andsa curious fact is that the
largest trout was as delicate in poin,
OF flavor as his smallest brother
MIR. Moore says that catching these
trout with hook and line was rs
ilne sport as it is possible for apy
man to enjoy.
The majority of the fish i'm Tan.
ganylka have uniform silvery ap.
pearance, which is probably pro.
duced, the explorer thinks, by the
popularity Of the waters of the
lake. Tanganyika is unquestiona.
oly a body of fresh water. Its
situation renders it impossible
that it should be anything else.-
But 1t is certain that from some of
It's numerous tributaries it receives
peculiar properties which render its
waters strangely invigorating and
effective along the line of producing
unusual growths among fish which
nature has placed in its care.
Another strange fact is that wbiIe
IN most bodies of water there are
only a limited variety of fish, in
Ianganyika the variety is endless.
Almost every sort of edible fish that
the civilized world knows has its
prototye in this lake. Perhaps il is
not technically correct to say its pro.
totype, because there is n slight diff
terence, but the resemblance is so
thorough as TO make the difference
OF small consequence. Thus it NAV
be seen that the Tanganyika is a
natural wonder in point of contents.
II some multimillionaire had
sougt to CRAFTY the desire to have a
hSh pond" stocked in a manner
that should make him the envy of
all who knew about his plan, he
could do no better than to take Tan.
ganyika as his model. At least this
is what Mr.. Moore says, and his ut
terances have the great weight which
attaches to the assertions of thor
oughly responsible man, and the first
European who has made public the
facts regarding this remarkable BODY
of water.
Another feature of Tanganyika
which the scientist explorer tells us
OF is that it offers splendid oppor-
tunity tor sponge fishing enterprise.
He discovered several large sponge
beds, the specimens he secured show
ing that they were of tho very finest
quality. These sponges do not seem
to have attained as great a growth
as those which are considered among
the best on the continent, but they
are certainly, says the explorer, su-
perfine in quality. Mr.. Moore fur
ther declares that he has never seen
sponges of so peculiar a texture as
those secured from the bed of an
African lake. He believes if Eng
lish capital could only be interested,
that not only could a colossal for
tune be secured by means of the
sponge fishery, but that there is am
pie opportunity for equal gains
through the natural resources af:
forded by the lake and its environs.
1t must not be imagined that this
OF g
he has seen and learned have excited
almost as great interest as the news
that Stanley told us years
ago, saw nothing but fishes and OPP
portunities for Investment. His
experiences were offer perilous in
the extreme, and he witnessed sew
eral scenes which would strike ter
ror to the hearts of most individuals,
although lacking entirely the ele-
ment of personal danger is, so
far as the scenes themselves were
concerned.
One instance in particular i'm
pressed itself upon the mind of Mr..
Moore. 1t was desperate fight be-
tween a crocodile and a leopard,
each specimen being of unusual size.
The latter had gone down to Tangan-
yika to drink and the crocodile had
quietly crept unnoticed to position
almost beside it. Suddenly the leop-
ard spied his enemy and turned to
take leap which would place him
out of danger. The crocodile was
too quick for him, and then ensued a
contest that no man can adequately
describe.
In less time than it takes to utter
the necessary words of description,
the leopard's left hindquarter was
fast in the nav of the fero-
ciOus saurian. Twisting its 1.-THE
body and uttering frightful cries,
the leopard struck at his assailant
again and again, striving to claw the
eyes, knowing these to be the only
vulnerable point of the enemy that
seemed to be the emmissary Of death
to him. The animals struggles were
unavailing, so far as scratching the
eyes were concerned. Slowly the
hideous reptile dragged his victim
| towards the waters of the Lake
The cries of the leopard, Mr.. Moore
states, were frightful. 1t was like a
combination of a call for help and a
death scream.
The contest went on for more than
an hour. At first the crocodile
would drag the leopard toward the
water, and then the leopard, with
frightful energy, would give a spring
that would force his enemy several
feet away from the edge of the lake.
Meanwhile, the crocodile was steadily
crunching the leg of the leopard,
which he held i'm his jaw. AT last,