The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-09
ELEPHANT And LION HUNTING.
CHANCES OF FINDING BIG GAME
IN EAST AFRICA.
Proflt and Danger in Shooting Elephants
for Their Tusks-uncertainty In the
* Pursuit OF LiOns-An Austrian Hunter
Big Fish in Headwatcrs of the Nile

Big Fish in Headwaters of the Nile
.-'I regret that l cannot venture to name
the locality where the best shooting is to
be had, for although I was told Of some
places which were better than others,
the information which l was able to pick
up on a rapid tour was SO incomplete that
it might be misleading to put it on record
] will confine myself to saying that If
were a younger man l should certainly
lose no time in making a sporting tour
in East Africa" says Sir Edward Buck
in the Eng'ishmdn.
"The country has not been overshot
yet, but every year will tend to make the
game more shy. And I will add that
should be tempted to push on through
Uganda to the Albert Lake and thence
down the Nile to Egypt. thus avoiding the
long sea journey round by the Red Sea-
The road from Entebbe. at which place the
traveller is landed by the Victoria Lake
steamer, to the Albert Lake is very
good one, and the journey takes about
eight days. AT the lake a boat is procur-
able which takes passengers through the
lake down the upper reaches OF the Nile.
Then a. weeks journey by land is made
imperative by rapids which render the
river unnavigable. After this march the
traveller can proceed in a steamer direct
to Cairo.
"One of the temptations, at least it would
be so to me, on this route is the fishing on
Lake Albert and in some of the reaches
Of the Nile. A fish which appears TO be-
have very like the nahseer is very rlenu-
full, and one was taken last year weigh
ing 90 pounds. But the fish which gives
the best sport is, so l was told by an official
who had caught mahseer in the Himalayas,
the tiger fish, which, though smaller in
size, running only to ten pounds. is much
more active than the mahseer and requires
more skill and care to land.
1.-THE sportsman will find another ad-
vantage on this route. He may take out a
second license for shooting in the Uganda
Protectorate under the same restrictions
az in the East Africa Protectorate, thus
doubling the number of animals which he
may kill, and as he has a better chance
than elsewhere of meeting with male ele-
he may, il he is fortunate, obtain ivory
OF which the value will be materially more
than the license fee Of ESQ., And he will
have obtained perhaps some fairly good
tusks in the East Africa Protectorate OF
which the price will, if he chooses to sell
v
leaving the only charges to be met the cost
of shikaries coolies and food. AS far as
could ascertain the charges for these are
not excessive, provided that the tent car
ried is light
''As have referred to the elephant, it will
not be out of place to mention that on board
the lake steamer / met an interesting
character who had devoted the last ten
years of his life to elephant hunting. He
was then returning from the Congo forests,
~..lt -at 4 10 1.xy fhs Tnnv In 70
and in which he said the finest ivory and
the greatest abundance Of elephants were
to be found. The open season in the Congo
State is six months, Of which he had only
had time for the last two, but in that period
he had shot nineteen males. Naturally
the tusks were exceptionally good and
he had sold the ivory ct Entebbe at the rate
OF six rupees pound, for sum. which after
paying to the Congo authorities the per-
centage OF 20 per cent, which they require,
left him with a net profit materially over
81 900.
:, ''In answer to my inquiries whether he
did not find 1t n dangerous occupation, he
replied that there was very little danger
from the elephant, provided that the hunter
takes care, which he should always be able
10 do, to keep to the leeward of the animal.
But the slightest breath of air on the wind
ward side will carry the scent to the
elephant, who will at once be alarmed and
may possibly turn and charge. He was
beast with a bullet in the forehead. He
had an Shore rife. but seldom used it, pre-
ferring much 40-bore with which, on this
occasion he had killed his nineteen tuskers.
The worst danger which had to be en-
countered was, he said, from the rhinoceros,
which, lurking in the thick grass, would
charge him as he was stalking the elephant,
and from them he had one or two narrow
escapes. But he added, I love the life,
and nothing would induce mo nov to take
to any other trade.
sHe mentioned by the way that the best
elephants In East Africa were to be found
in the neighborbood Of Lake Rudolf, Of
which one shore forms part Of the eastern
boundary OF the Uganda Protectorate,
the lake itself lying in Fast Africa. is,
however, necessary to add that there may
Be possibility Of trouble in that quarter
rom tho native tribes, who have not yet
heerf brought under complete subsection.
News theless one o! my. COMPANIONS on
the homewnrd voyage, who wss TN officer
OF British cavshY regiment, and who,
with two American assc ciates OF the East
Africa eypdieAte. had lust been through