New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-07
A TRUE SPORTSMAN.
Caspar Whtney's Adventures IN Far
Eastern JungLeS.

JUNGLE TRAILS AND JINGLE JINGLE - PEOPLE F3s La
East BY Caspar Whitney Nlth 81 ill1SIT r;, ~
from photographs. $40. pp. xvi, $40 tharIe'
Scrhner's Sons.
This volume opens with capital account OF
+he annual elephant "rouud-up' in Siam, car
Red on under official auspices by the King
rnahout an interesting young Simo-Chinese' Oy
name Choo Poh LEX. with whom the author
became acquainted in Bangkok. The son OF
weil-to-do Chinese merchant. he endeared nm
self to Mr. Whitney by the fact that he hao
reIinouished a promising commercial career 10
engage in the more exciting activities OF NUM-
ing the biggest game that roarns the 4dllu- 1
the elephant in Siam is sought Tor the purpose
of securing his useful services for man anu
IS not shot down for the ivory in his tusks' the
task of capturing a large number OF '"e9
powerful and sagacious beasts alive Is one re-
,r;ng The. utmost skill and tact. as well as pro-
lonpa6 and patient effort. Various herds are
ers+ 1oca1ed. then by means of their tanned
and trained brothers, gradually anaIgaiha teu'
and then. cautiously and without a"aNeiiiis
their fears. led and driven across wide extent
of territory 10 a corral at Ayuthla. Where the
desirable members are cut out and the reiiialiiueI
,,,,.e6 70 return 10 their accustomed ia -
c. we'll did Choo Poh LEX conduct the NUM- oi'
+ra occasion that Mr. Whitney describes .''a'
,,,a &c +an7pted TO believe that the author "ue'
- somewhat the intelligence of the game
end so in a measure is leo TO discount Inc
Of the huntsman He writes
ooess Of elephant catching in India as Vel vel
ne kEiaTn tends rather TO undermine one ; 500. 500
ao.5ons of elephant sagacltE ana 70 o,sa nd
Ine, de isnorantIy conceived animal STORES :
have been put forth about NY L2IG for ali its
me intelligence is driven into places MAJ ~ ~
other IN s NAIVE :ungie held captive within
circle through r Thigh no obedience
t- force the smallest fraction OF It's own mum
bers Part Of this is no Sou9 que 9sT Because Of
;ts lack Of originality, which latter defect. nov
The elep1ant's notable arnentty 10 discipline
In his later vivid description of the successtui
termination of an elephant hunt conducted Oy
himself in the interior of Sumatra Mr. Whitney
snnears to have found the beast as wary
as clever as courageous. not to say as dan
serous. an antagonist as any that ne en-
coun+ered He was at very close quarters WIN
the one he shot. and only his cool and accurate
Workmanship secured the trophy and saved INC
life Of his brave and intelligent guide, Jln Apu'
However, his later experiences do not appear %
have caused him TO revise his early lmpI
and there is little doubt that the elephant IN
cornpanv with most other animals has oeen
largely endowed by imaginative nature VIII
ers with qualities that close and accurate Cd
servers like Mr.. Whitney have failed to detect
II ,s worth recording that the tusker which SO
nearly brought the expedition to an untfme4y
end. charged with head held high and trunk
RIGHTLY ourled mot stretched aloft like broom
handle. as I have seen written"
The rhinoceros. too, proved no unworthy OBJ
1ect of the chase. Mr.. whitney. indeed, chaseo
him far. and TO little purpose until he secured
the services of ida Prang, a Samaritan Achl-
nese, as his assistant. ida did not i've up 10 MS
promises as a dauntless huntsrnan OF big game
hut he did lead his employer to a rhnoceros'
discreetly retiring to give the author the sole
credit Of dfspatching it. It was almost if not
actually a toss-up which would cone off the
winner but good fortune and steady nerve gave
the victory to the hunter. He had climbed
nile of trees and underbrush 10 get better
view of the animal. which he had already
wounded and which, catching his scent, prompt
" charged him. Twice Mr.. Whitney aimed for
the beasts eye, but inflicted only superficial
wounds on its arTnorlike epidermis. Neither
shot made any impression On the rhino," he
writes which kept coming; and continues:
BY now he was not more than ten feet from rue,
should say. and had jpst pumped anoIneI slea ai
into the barrel, when suddenly was thrown on
my feet and over the SIDE OF li,e lnoohh;; as i
went into the I expected every second TO feel
rife (which. curously, did not off. although az
fun cock). and, when fell Scrambled to my 1eet
59og1d and was running toward the jungle with
Tent no more b thought gM SECONDS 96 beoe nat nd
not take long to put ball at the base OF ms
ear, and he dropped like stone--without a SOUND.
the question OF the rhno charging by scent rather
he drew near upon one end Of long small log. on
the other end of which stood, and thus teetered
me out of his path. No doubt 1t was lucky
teeter for me
The great impeachment to successful shooting
in the Malayan jungles is the character Of the
Jungle itself which effectuaIly hides the biggest
game and renders the task of stalking it against
the wind almost impossible, unless the hunter
happens to be so fortunately placed at the
start The discomforts Of tracking through the
wet thick growth with its millions Of mosqui-
toes and other insect pests, do not sound aur-
ing, but Mr. Whitney animated by the spirit
of the chase and never faItered. His persistence
was rewarded among other ways by some in
Yerestins experiences with the tree-dwelling
s;akais a wild tribe that still roams the northern
section OF the Malay Peninsula. They a
people little known, of whom only one white
man. Captain Cerruti, Italian, has made a
study They were very shy. but the author
was able to make some valuable notes of their
manners and customs and to witness the funeral
of Of them.
Every one belonging to the little band of twenty
gathered around the lamented. who lay stretched
OUT with bark cloth under nm ana a variety OF
lizards chasing another under and over him.
The mourFlers. all bepainted in fantastic and
Srotesque designs, constantly moved around the
dead and the lizards, though performing
enough uniformity 10 suggest dancing Certainly
st was "A very crude ana weird ceremony in the
gloom and the rain OF the jungle especially the
moaning ana waning. L never heard such dlreful
sounds from human throat
GYPSY LORE.