Washington sentinel., 1898-01-29
: ..., SENTINEL
Queer Sport.
RadminkON Magazine,

QNiCkAY ONCI AAG OOuNM GAlAlNah
hill or through the South African
valleys, his thoughts far away |
with people like Linn9us, Button,
and Humboldt, when plump goes
his horses foreleg into an ertvark
hole, and the naturalist is sent
sprawling into the mud!
II is lovely night. The sky is
cloudless, the moon nearly full,
myriads OF frogs. crickets and
other insects are calling, singing
and chipping along the rivers
banks; while close TO the house
some owls are hooting from the
telegraph poles, and a couple OF
nightiars making merry In their
melancholy way under the blue
gums. A light open wagon drawn
hkkahNur mules takes us some dis
from the homestead into the
'| VA Dkarroo soil away from the
Gntains. Here the mules are
kharnessed and tied up, and the
VYdogs let loose, Not tree 70 he
seen anywhere; only stretches OF
red saliene soil and rhinoceros
bush, with here and there a small
mound capped by low thicket
casting a shadow in the moonlight
and showing the centre Of an ert-
vark Subterranean castle. Our
host sent a man on horseback in
the afternoon to mark the fresh
borrowings, and we advance at
once to the nearest mound. In
we hear the old dog who
leads the van snaTling under
ground, and then come a grunt
and some yelps as If one OF the
dogs has got hurt. run for the
gun There's a porcupIne in the
lBholel | know his gruntl" Sings
out one of the party. Like an
arrow | head for the wagon and
return with the gun. That's
right You know how to shoot
a pig We will light hres IN the
escape holes, smoke him out, and
then YOU can shoot him. Only
remember, you must aim low in
the moonlight The dogs are
called off, green bushes propped
into the three holes in the rear
and set alight, while / take my
stand on the top Of the mound
with my back to the flames, my
gun at full cock and the chief exit
Immediately below me. There is
smoke enough in all conscience.
Another moment and there comes
a grunt, followed by the sound of
a body stumbling forward, and
out rushes a splendid porcupine
with quills atilt. take careful
aim--the porcapIne is not ten
yards of-and pull the trigger.
"TIIPP> goes the right hammer,
but no report follows. l pull
the other trigger. TJIPl" goes
the other hammer, but not a ghost
of report. / drop the barrel.
Why, bless me, the gun
is not loaded, l cry in consterna-
ton. "Well, you are ninny"
exclaims somebody amid the roar
of laughter; "why on earth didn't
you load itP" "Well," l replied,
''I saw no cartridges about the
wagon, and naturally concluded
they must be IN the gun, OF
coursel" That stops their laugh
ter: the man who brought the gun
to the wagon forgot to bring the
cartridges.
But the dogs are in again, and
this time there can be no mistake.
The subterranean barks, growls
and yelps increase in volume by
the second, until all at once dog
Tushes out howling with flap OF
skin torn from his shoulder. "Ah,
that's she ertvark, The dog has
been under his claws" exclaIms
our host. "Dig away, men, and
guard all the exits" The mound
begins to crumble under the mems S
spades and soon dwindles away
altogether, revealing a sort Of ante.
---ScqARASer, from which several
passages shoot out in different
directions. One Of our hosts
shepherds-a wrinkled little OLD
combination of Hottentot and
bushman--is lying fat on the
ground above the hole. Watching
his opportunity he passes a thong
round one of the ertvsrt's hind legs
in twinkling, and with the aid of a
pole and a clever slipknot pulls
the thong tight And now begins
an extraordinary tug-of-war-fif-
teen en- and dog against one
solitary ertvark. To the philoso-
pher who asked what would hap.
pen If an irresistible force tied tC
an immOvable object were to start
pulling IN the opposite direction
/ could tell him: the rope would
break. We on our side are pull.
ing with might and main; the ert
vark holds on like grim death; the
thong snaps and-we sit down
more forciblY than elegant, per.
hapS; but still-we sit down, all o
US. BY the time we were ready to
try again the ertvark has burroweo
a foot deeper into the earth, anc
the spades have to be brought into
n requisition again. This time, anC
gwiab- the aid OF a bulls-eye Ian.
Fn, the old shepherd succeeds in
fastening two thongs, one to each
hind leg. And now the ertvark is
no longer immovable; he is com
ing backwards inch by inch, we
are too strong for him, and he
gives in. A dog rushes forward
and tries to get a bite in some.
.,,ba~.. Ls,t kka arktyar IL 0iUac hirr