Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-09-26
ElERcEsr OF HORNED CATTLE.
The Philippine Timarau Has Never
Been Tanned.

The Philippine Timarau Has Never
Been Tanned.
Unpatriotic though 1t may sound, the
American bison was great only In ap-
pearance. His shaggy frontlet, his
wild eye and his mighty coronet con-
cealed as cowardly 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 a marvel of the animal world, the
Spanish American war saved our face;
for when we acquired the Philippines
we acquired with them buffalo that
is the wfckedest thing that ever moved
on four legs. The Philippine carabao
or water buffalo Is 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 so mean and saw
age that he will search out carabao
and kill them for the mere love Of kill
ing.
Nobody ever has tanned q timarau.
Nobody In the Philippines wants to
try; indeed. few natives of the Philip
pines ever want to see one. The fear
Of the tiger and lion In India and Africa
Is as nothing compared with the fear
of the timarau In the Island Of Min
doro.
L O. 20 "a NJ fha
furtive. belligerent, relentless little OK
that Profs. Worcester and Steere were
unable even to find out what kind Of
beast 1t was when they visited the
Philippines In 1888 on an exploring ex-
pedition.
Everybody warned them against
the creature, but no two descriptions
agreed Prof. Worcester says that one
man solemnly assured them that It had
only one horn, which grew straight
from the top of its head. Another de-
clared that he had never seen any horns
on It, but that It 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 tribe called the Mangyans, who
knew 1t we'll. They said that 1t was
like a small buffalo. with straight horns
running upward and backward like
those OF a goat. They expressed great
fear Of 1t, and told him 1t attacked
and killed the big water buffalo every
time 1t got chance and how 1t would
charge a man whenever 1t was ap-
preached.
Finding out about timarau and find
ing timarau were two different things.
The creatures were so marvelously
shy and cunning that, although the
party followed trails day after day
which showed where whole herds had
congregated. they never even caught
a 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 so only
after he had forced an agreement that
he be permitted to run as soon as he
had located the game for the hunters.
He pointed into the bushes, whispered
"Timarau, senor!" and raced madly
away, his face gray with fear.
Prof. Worcester worked his way
carefully through the bushes, but could
not see the buffalo for a long time, so
perfectly was the animal concealed.
At last he saw his head and fired, but
lust as he did so the bull tossed his
head and the shot missed him.
LAS I fired a second time" says the
professor. there came crashes In the
Jungle on every side Of me. had
walked into a whole herd Of timarau
without knowing it. One old bull stood
his ground and gave him bullet In
the shoulder. Furiously he whirled
around on me. AS pushed the sliding
block Of my rife to throw another
cartridge into the magazine the mech
anism jammed and left me to face
wounded timarau with useless gun.
Why that brute did not charge has al
ways been a mystery to me. I never
under similar circumstances. What ne
did do was to dash madly into the
brush after the herd"
Prof. Worcester found his tracker
up tree and had so hard time coax
Ing him to come down that they lost
the trail.
Despite careful hunting and despite
the fact that they were In timarau
country they got no other shot that
trip: and 1t was not until the next trip
that Prof. Worcester got one Of these
buffalo. and then only by firing half on
guess into the bushes where he could
see one indistinctly. 1t is rarely that
these little buffalos are found In any
except cover so dense that the hunter
must cut his way through 1t with
knife, foot by foot. This and the fact
that IL he happens to get within scent
of a lurking buffalo the animal Will
charge him as quick as lightning ana
gore and trample him to pieces COM
bines to assure the little forest buffalo
of Mindoro a long season Of immunity.
The natives like the meat or the
timarau, and as other food often falls
them they are eager enough for 1t; but
they are far too much afraid Of these
cattle to hunt them, even when they
are starving.
Attempts have been made to eaten
them alive, but the timarau usually
kills itself by its wild struggles as soon
as trapped, and even II it does not
struggle to the death 1t refuses to eat IN
captivity The natives say that even
the youngest calves II caught and put
to suck with a tame carabao will not
only refuse to eat, but will try desper-
ately to kill the foster mother.
The tlmarau and its cousin, the
pretty little anoa Of Celebes, are the
smallest of the OK family. The big
gest, standing higher at the shoulders
than even our bison, Is the gaur or
| seladang.
fr or what use are friends? In
prosperity a man has no use for them;
! In adversely they have no use for him.