Sunday Washington globe., 1902-04-13

4
stories of strange adventure in the iungles
of South Africa and India They are the
personal experiences Of Arthur Spencer,
wild animal hunter, for years in the employ
of Carl Hageubeck, the famous animal
dealer of Hamburg. The stories are thrill
ing, containing as they do some of the most
critical situations ever faced by the fore,
most man in the most dangerous business
in the world. and they possess the further
merit of being absolutely true, says the
Cincinnati Enquirer.
At the time Of the occurrence of the fol-
lowing adventure I was in the employ Of F.
G. Warner. the South African agent of
Carl Hagenbeck, the wild animal dealer of
Hamburg, Ger=any and engaged in the
capture OF wild animals and their trans
portatiou to different parts Of the world to
supply the demand of menageries and ZOO
logical gardens.
Our stockade in which the animals were
kept pending their shipment was at that
time located n miles north of Cape Towu,
where all animals were brought after cap
ture and there kept until orders we're re-
ceived for them from Hamburg.
Early one spring our stock Of lions hav-
ing become exhausted because of an uu-
usually large demand for them the pre-
cediug winter, we decided to at once set
out upon lion hunt. One afternoon about
s O'Clock we left the stockade with the in
tentiou Of proceeding to the nearest Kafir
village some IS miles away, there to en-
gage guides and beaters and to leave the
village early on the following morning for
the Jungle We arrived at the village
about O'Clock, having come on horseback
and after making the necessary arrange
ments with the natives. retired to rest
inn ahO Era
O'Clock aud, after a nasty breakfast and
leaving our horses in charge of a couple of
men in the village. we started for the near
est Jungle, some eight miles away. We
reached there shortly after daylight and
entering the Jungle preceded by our guides,
began our task of searching for the spoor
or track of animals in themselves in search
of what in that country is called an elephant
tank or watering place, where animals come
to drink
AS it was in the dry season, and most of
the regular water courses dried up we were
compelled to trust to chance for a sight Of
the coveted spoor We had travelled several
hours, laboriously making our way through
the rank uudergrowth, when, upon ap-
preaching the west side Of the jungle, I
espied, some City yards or more away, a
tall ceiba tree which cast a luxuriant shade
for some distance around, and being tired
after my long tramp concluded, without
telling any one, to rest for a short time be-
meath it, aud then, before the party was out
of hearing, to reioin them. I accordingly
dropped behind and made my way across
the veldt to the tree and sat down beneath
its comforting shade. Worn out with my
long walk through the jungle, I had barely
touched the ground when was asleep.
How long slept know not but when
I awoke it was far in the afternoon, and
deathly silence reigued everywhere Even
the buzzing of gnats and the dreaded tsetse
fly was hushed. Just as I was trying to
collect my scattered senses I thought
heard faint laugh. At hrst thought It
was some of my companions, amused at nv
discontinue, but hearing it again, and this
time being able to locate the sound, arose
on my elbow and looked around the tree
and across the veldt I there saw what at
6rst thought TO be herd Of small antelope
but hearing the sound again and by this
time being able to distinguish the forms of
the animals, knew them to be the spotted
or laughing hyenas, ''the grave diggers of
South Africa"
For a moment I was undecided what to
do. 1 knew if I attempted to reach the
jungle the hy enas would overtake me be-
fore I covered half the distance as they
we're by this time only a couple of hundred
yards away and making bee line for the
tree under which was I also knew that
If attempted to climb the tree that they,
with their wellknown stubborn disposition,
would remain under the tree until I either
fell out from exhaustion or became the prey
Of some Of the numerous snakes that infest
the ceiba tree, and that if I shot one or
more OF the hyeuas the rest would make
mincemeat Of me. All Of these things
flashed through my mind in an instant, and
then il suddenly occurred to me that the
laughing hyeua. in its wild state, never eats
flesh until it becomes putrid. and so I con-
cluded my only safely lay in pretending TO
be dead simultaneously with the thought
dropped 70 the ground, rolled over on my
side and lay perfectly still
In a few minutes the tree was reached
and surrounded by the vicious. suarliug
brutes to the number Of at least forty. When
they discovered me they came to a sudden
stop. Then one more bold than the rest,
approached me, FIRST smelling me all over,
then licking my hands and face with a
tongue as rasping as a file. Then the rest
Of them, fighting and yelping with that hor-
rid, devilish laugh, began to pull and drag
me about by turns, until at length when
thought they not finding me sufficiently
dead 20 suit their taste would leave me, two
Of them sank their faugs into my desh, one
grabbing me by the right shoulder, the
other by the right ankle, which although
protected somewhat by the heavy suit Of
ducking wore yet caused me intense pain.
With me between them the hyenas started
off In a long swinging trot across the plain
followed by the entire bowling pack. Mile
after mile they traversed, seemingly tire
less. The sun went down the moon came
up. and still they kept on without stopping
for a minute At length, after what seemed
TO me an eternity, they came to a succession
of small hills and travelled for a snort space
of time at a slower gait until at length the
animals came to an opening in the side o
one Of the hills The hyena having hold o.
my shoulder dropped me and the othe1
dragged me into the opening which grad
ually grew larger until I could see
by the moonlight which shone through
rift in the top, that was ia a cavern some
thirty feet in length and about fifteen ia