The Jersey City news., 1903-12-03
BIG GUN
HUN TING
leopyrigft. 1908. BY c. 5. Lewis

said aFsallor to me the other day .and
when IL had been THERE for a couple Of
weekssa British survey steamer came
in to fill up her crew. She had been
surveying up the Congo and was bound
Eouth to the Great Fish river, The
steamer carried forty men all told and
was soutfitted with two 9-pouHders
and plenty of small arms. She had
lost five -ae4s up the Congo by fever,
and when l offered myself l was at
once taken.
s'We were a week working up to the
forks of the Great Orange river, and
then the fun began The Great Fish,
for about lG0 miles above the forks, is
about as wide as the Hudson, with a
depth of from four to seven fathoms.
There never was an hour in the day
that we couldn't see elephants, lions
or rhinoeeroses along the shores.
"We had been steaming slowly up
stream for about ten days before the
river narrowed to about half its for
mer width. and then we began to have
trouble with the natives They had
no firearms. but they could hurl lances
or shoot arrows from the banks to the
steamer, and we had to be on the
dodge all the time. Our 9-pounders
Were kept loaded. and now and then
when the black fellows got too daring
we sent shell whizzing among the
thickets and scared them half to death
Zone day, when the fringe Of forest
along the right bank suddenly ended
and gave place to a long stretch of
grassy plain, we came to anchor and
three of the survey men landed to
stir up big rhinoceros who could be
seen standing under tree half mile
back from the winter. They were young
fellows and full Of daring. and l heard
the captain caution them when they
left the steamer.
I'VE could see all that subsequently
took place. The old rhino had never
seen steamer before, but he wasn't
bit curious. If he had ever seen
hunters before he had no fear of them.
He just stood there in the shade, bows
on to us, and didn't trouble to figure
out what might happen. The three
men separated on landing TO get in
the rear of the big beast and cut off
his escape, but he wasn't thinking of
running away. He let two of the men
creep up till within range, and it SEEM
ed to us as if we heard the thud Of
their bullets when they struck against
his thick hide. They were ounce bull
lets, driven By big charges Of powder,
but they might as well have been fired
against stone wall The rhino. gave
start as they struck him, and then
down went his head and up went his
tail, and lie charged at the man who
was creeping head on.
''The surveyors had made mess
Of the thing. and there was bound to
be calamity. They had taken the
rhirlo for a noodle head; whereas he
knew his business to dot The man
at whom he charged had no cover ex-
cept here and there bush. / don't
know whether he should have run to
the right or left or stood still, but
what he did do was to fling down his
gun and make back for the river He
had pretty near half a mile to go. and
he was a good sprinter, but that rhino
had a full head of sail on him.
HE came on like ship running
before hurricane. and about ten rods
. from the bank lie overlook the fleeing
man and tossed him ten feet into the
air. AS the body came down he caught
it and tossed it again and then flung
it about in way thai - ID have left
no life in it after a few ..unutes.
THE other chaps pluckily ran down
and fred two bullets apiece into the
beast, but when he charged them they
made a bolt for and climbed the tree
under which he had been standing at
first. When he found them beyond
his reach the rLino began running
about in a circle, and it was then
that we cleared away one Of the
Founders and opened FIRE on him. AS
he was on the move the first two shells
didn't even throw dirt on him. but
the third struck him fair amidships
and exploded.
Another boat was sent ashore. and
was one Of those who landed from it.
We found the surveyor dead and With
every bone broken. and as for the
rhino he was sight TO see.
Two nights after that and twenty
miles above we anchored in midstream
for the night. 1t was a bright moon
light night. and up to midnight things
passed of very quietly. Then troop
of elephants came down to the shore 10
drink 1t was in my watch. and
counted fourteen big fellows and two
kids. They were just opposite us and
not over forty rods away. but were not
at all alarmed by our presence.
After arinlsing and splashing around
for awhile. two big bulls got into
row. couldn't make out the cause of
it, but they hadn't been scrapping over
two minutes whep the rest of the herd
Joined in, and there was row to beat
the band. Some of the officers brought
their rifles on deck and opened fire,
and the captain ordered us to raise
shout. but the elephants had got their
mad up and couldn't be frightened of
by popguns. Then we were ordered to
slew a 9pounder around to bear OH
the mob. It was loaded with per.
cussion shell, and the target was too
big to be missed at TINT short distance