The sun., 1905-08-20
RIDRCBST OF HORNED CATTLE.
THE PHILIPPINE TIMARAU HAS
NEVER BEEN tanned.
Natives Afraid to Hunt II, Although II Il
tho Smallest OF tho OK Famny-Pfof'
Worcester's Hard Task In Getuns
. Shot at One--Can't Be Trapped

WOfCester'O Hard Task In GotunB
q Shot at One-Can't he Trapped.
Unpatriotio though It may sound. tho
American bison was great only In appear
ance. His shaggy frontlet, his wild eye
and his mighty coronet concealed as cow
ardly a ton of flesh as ever stirred says
the Washington Star.
But even il We have to admit that the big
Bos Americanus OF the United States is
not worthy Of honor except as marvel
OF the animal world, the Spanish American
war saved our face; for whom we acquired
the Philippines We acquired with them
buffalo that Is the wiokedest thing that
ever moved on four legs. The Philippine
oarabao or water buffalo Ia wicked enough
when wild, and even In tanned state is
prone to attack human beings suddenly.
But the timarau, although much smaller
than the carabao, Is 80 mean and savage
that he will search out carabao and Kill
them for the mere love Of killing
Nobody ever has tanned timarau. No
body in the Philippines wants to try; in
deed, few natives Of the Philippines ever
want to see one. The fear Of the tiger and
lion in India and Africa Is as nothing COM
nared with the fear OF the timarau In the
Island Of Mindoro.
So deeply rooted is the fear Of the fur
tive. beliieerent, relentless little OK that
Profs. Worcester and Steere were unaoie
even to find out what kind Of beast 1t was
when they visited the Philippines In 1883
on an exploring expedition.
Everybody warned them against the
creature, but no two descriptions agreed.
Prof. Worcester says that one man solemniy
assured them that it had only one horn,
which grew straight from the top Of its
head. Another declared that he had never
seen any horns on it, but that 1t certainly
had only one eye, which was set right In
the middle Of its forehead.
These tales spurred them on; and they
visited Mindoro, only to search In vain
for several months until they found a tribe
called the Mangyans, who knew " Wen.
They said that 1t was like q small oGHe!c,
with straight horns running upward and
backward like those Of goat, They
expressed great fear Of It, and told him
It Attacked and killed the big water buffalo
every time it got q chance. and how 1t
would charge man whenever 1t was
'ffEi Finding out about timarau and finding
timarau were two different things. The
creatures were 30 marvelously shy and
cunning that, although the party fol:
lowed trails day after day which showed
where whole herds had congregated, they
never even caught q glimpse OF the animal
itself.
At last. after more weeks OF hunting.
a native tracker led them to hiding place
Of timarau; but he did 80. only after he
had forced an agreement that he be per.
mitted to run as soon as he had located located
into the bushes, whispered "Timarau,
sef,or!' and raced madly away, his face
s'f Prof. Worcester worked his way care
fully through the bushes, but could not
the buslo .s ns for long GongssIss sis g Per, per.
he saw his head and fired. but just as he
did 80 the bull tossed his head and the shot
missed him.
fessor, @there came crashes IN the jungle
wi Whole herd Of timarap without knowing
it. One old bull stood his ground and I
gave him q bullet in the shoulder. Furiously
he whirled around on me; As ! pushed
the sliding block Of my rifle to throw an
other cartridge into the MAGAZINE the
a wounded timarau with q useless gun.
Why that brute did not charge has always
been a mystery TO- me; ! never after
ward knew ono to fail to do II under similar
circumstances. what ne QUO 90 was TO
dash rnadly into the brush after the herd.
Prof. Worcester found his tracker up a
tree and had 40 hard time Goa king him
to come down that they lost the trail.
Despite cereful hunting and despite the
fact that they were in timarau country, they
got nc other shot that trip: and 1t was not
until the next trin that Prof. Worcester got
one Of theee hufYalos, and then only by
firing half on guess into the bushes where
he could see ono indistinctly. II - rarely
that these little buffalos are found IN any
sxcept cover 40 denae that the hunter must
cut his way through 1t with knife, foot by
foot. This and the fact that IT. he happens
animal will charge him as quick as light
ming and gore and trample him to pieces
of Mindoro a long season Of immunity.
The natives like the meat Of the timarau,
and IA other food often falls them they
are eager enough for It; but they are far
too much afraid Of the~e cattle to hunt
them, even when they are starving.
Attempts have been made to catch them
alive, hut the timarau usually kills itself
by itn wild struggles ss soon As trapped
and oven II It does not struggle to the death
Il refuses to eat In captivity. Tho natives
Ax~A 49, sAAN