The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1903-12-03
BIG GUN
HUNTING


weeks British survey steamer came
in to fill up her crew. SIZE had been
surveying up the Congo and was bound
south to the Great Fish rivS. The
steamer carried forty men all told and
was outlittcd with two 0-poundcrs
and plenty of small arms. She had
lost five men up the Congo by fever,
and when | offered myself | was at
once taken
1--WE were week working up to the
forks of the Great Orange river, and
then the fun began. The Great Fish,
for about 100 miles above the forks. Is
about as wide as the Hudson, with Il
depth of from four to seven fathoms
There never was an hour in the day
that we couldn't see elephants, lions
or rhinoceroses along the shores.
1--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 lanccs
or shoot arrows from the banks TO the
steamer, and we had to be on the
dodge all the time. Our 0-pounders
were kept loaded. and now and then
when the black fellows got too dG"'ng
we sent a shell whizzing among the
thickets and scared them half TO death.
"One 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 mon landed to
stir up big rhinoceros who could be
seen standing under tree half mile
back from the water. They were young
the captain caution them when they
left the steamer.
I'VE could see all that subsequently
took place. The old rhino had never
seen n steamer before, but he wasn't
bit curious. If he had over 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 happ,u. The three
men separated on landing 10 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 rs 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 us well have been fired
against stone wall. The rhino gave
a start as they struck him, and then
down went his head and up went his
tail, and he charged at the man who
was creeping head on.
THE surveyors had made n mess
| of the thing and there was bound to
/ be n calamity. They had taken the
| rhino for noodle head. whereas he
| knew his business to Il dot. The man
| at whom he charged mad no cover eX-
cept here and there a bush. l don't
| know whether lie 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 mile to 20. and
| he was good sprinter, but that rhino
| had full head of sail on him.
HE came on like n ship running
before n hurricane, and about ten rods
| from the bank he 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 n way that could have left
no life in it after a few minutes.
"The other chaps pluckily ran down
and fired two bullets apiece into the
beast, but when he charged them they
made bolt for and climbed the tree
under which he had been standing nj
| first. When he found them beyond
| his reach the rhino 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.
1.-TWO nights after that and twenty
miles above we anchored in midstream
for the night. 1t was bright moon
light night, and up to midnight things
| passed off very quietly. Then a troop
of elephants came down to the shore tC
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 drinking and splashing around
for awhile, two big bulls got into q
| row, | couldn't make out the cause OF
it, but they hadn't been scrapping over
two minutes when 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 o
shout, but the elephants had got theil
mad up and couldn't be frightened of
| by pODgunS Then we were ordered tC