The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-25
THE WISE TUsKED CHIEF.
A Story of an Elephant Hunt That
Failed.
BY CAPTAIN R. L. SPICER.

BY CAPTAIN R. L. SPICER.
q ONE years ago, on the expedi-
ton in search of big game in
~ the northwest part of British
South Africa, l was witness
to display of intelligence on the part
OF elephants which has caused me to
hold that animal in high esteem for
his "klowingness ever since
| arrived with my outfit at native
village IN the country of the Bayeye
just as the natives were preparing for
a great elephant slaughter. They
agreed to take me along on their ex-
petition provided ! would promise not
to use my rifle. They did not wish to
scare away many elephants for thu
sake OF bagging one, because, as they
assured me, it was their intention to
capture whole herd by their own
peculiar arts.
We went some three miles away to
the banks of the Zuga river, where
there was broad elephant trail lead
ing down from the forest to the wa
ter.
All day the Bayeye worked at their
across the trail. There were three
of these pits, and after they had been
dug they were covered with light
roof of poles and twigs, and over this
roof the sod originally taken up was
placed with great care and then
sprinkled with grass and leaves, SO
that only a close examination would
show that the surface of the trail had
been disturbed.
1t was a bright moonlight night as
we took our stations, hidden in the
bush on the leeward side of the trail,
SO that the elephants would not smell
us out and take the alarm.
Finally there was the sound OF
heavy tramping in the forest, and
down the trail came the herd for
which we were waiting. 1t was led by
a great bull elephant, who marched
ahead, his giant tusks cleaning in the
moonlight, his big body swaying as he
went along, and his trunk always
busy, now sweeping the ground and
now held aloft and turned in different
directions as if seeking for the scent
of hostile wild animals or of that
ldiiS dHilldl, lldli, lHCli SiCdlCst
enemy
The leader reached the edge of the
first pit. Just as we expected to see
him tumble in, he stopped suddenly
and, raising his trunk, sent forth Il
terrific trumpet as warning.
The whole herd stopped Immediate
ly and huddled together in great ap-
parent alarm and confusion.
The old tusker, reaching out one
foot, carefully tried the covering Of
the pit and found his suspicious were
correct. Then, with his trunk work
ing rapidly and angrily, the wise lead
er began tearing off the sods and
watlings until he had entirely stripped
the pit of its covering.
Leading his followers around the
edge of the exposed trap, he proceeded
to uncover the two other pits as he
had done the first, and so got the en-
tire herd without accident to the
water.
In order to get around the pits, the
side of them, and this they did with
tremendous display of force-tram-
ping down, twisting out by the roots,
and otherwise destroying trees of con-
siderable size.
Once on the river bank the ele-
plants waded in until the water was
up to their bodies After drinking
they began regular frolic, squirting
water with their trunks over them
selves and their companions, evidently
in high glee like lot of boys in
swimming.
The natives were disappointed and
disguised at the outcome of their
hunt, but being armed only with
spears they did not dare to attack the
big beasts in the open.
They began to lay another plan i'm
mediately for the capture of the old
tusker. AS for me, was so impress
ed with the intelligence shown by the
leader of the herd, and it seemed like
murder to break in on their sport in
the water with my rifle fire, that | did
not shoot.
For an elephant trap to be discover
ed as this one had been was, the
Bayeye told me, comparatively rare,
and it was only done by the oldest,
most experienced and most sagacious
herd leaders.