The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-06-09

SbSul d TllllOcSrOS SlhHulllS Sl66plly uu-
der clump of mimoa-thorn, with the
rhinoceros birds keeping watch on
his neck an animal SO strangely blind
that you can crawl unperceived within
few yards of him, yet so keen scent
ed that If he gets your wind he may
come crushing furiously out of the
bush and scatter your caravan almost
before you have realized his presence.
In the big green reed covered swamp
there is the huge African buffalo wall
lowing in the mud, coming out morning
mad evening to feed in the open; he is
when wounded, perhaps, the most vi
cious and dangerous of all African
game. And if forum Is kind you may
sight big herd of elephants on the
march, forming superb spectacle with
their high, massive heads, huge, tower
ing bodies, long, white tusks and gi-
gantic, tapping ears. They jog along
over the plain in long single file, all SUI
perbly Indifferent to everything around
trampling straight ahead through or
over all obstacles, swaying their great
trunks
The greatest excitement. of course,
comes in an encounter with dangerous
game. There is the thrilling conscious
ness of danger when you follow lion
through long grass, catohdng only a
bare glimpse of him as he sounds
| along, hearing now and then sullen
growl Of anger, but never knowing ex-
actly where he is, whether still retreat
ing, or lying in wait for sudden
spring when you come within reach.
His tawny skin blends perfectly with
the color Of the dry grass, and the first
clear sight you get Of him may be a
few yards distance, as he stands
crouehing for attack, his powerful body
| quivering with rage his head set low
over his chest. He looks the embodi-
ment Of threatening ferocity, with his
fierce open mouth, cruel teeth and saw
age eyes, as he snarls and growls with
maddened fury, twisting his tall omin-
ouhly, or raising it stiffiy above his
back, as he does when about 10 charge,
A beast fully as dangerous, and often
harder to kill, is the buffalo. You come
perhaps on his spoor in the midst of
thick laish, and if the ground is at all
soft his heavy weight and eeply
marked feet leave a trail that is easily
seen. YOU follow it eagerly as it winds
up and down, knowing from the fresh
impress that the beast cannot be far
off, your fingers itching on the trigger,
your eyes striving to pierce the densi-
| ty of the branches around; and then
| perhaps, as you are growing weary
and losing hope, yaur men suddenly
scatter on every side, leaping like non
keys UP the prickly bushes, and the
buffalo crashes furiously out Of the I'M
dergrowth, where you least expect to
| sea him.
Thrilling, too, is the stalking Of rhi-
noceros and elephant. Rhihoceroses
are usually found on the plains or in
the more open bush, but elephants must
often be followed in the depth of the
forest, where the tangled foliage Pro-
duces the dim gloom Of cavern, adding
strange ghostly feeling TO the sense
Of the risk that must be faced Both
rhinoceros and elephant are furnished
with very thick hides and wonderful te-
nacity Of life; they are very difficult to
kill with frontal shot, 50 that 1t Is
wles, If possible to get the first shot
into the brain or heart by creeping
close UP to them before attempting to
shoot. The danger involved is sonle-
what lessened BY the fact that they
cannot see clearly over fifteen or TWEEN
ty yards, but on the other hand a slight
shift Of the wind may bring them
charging down on you.
| You crawl onward with wary stealth,
watching the wind anxlously, wonder
ing as yaou gain the cover of a tuft of
grass If you can ever hope to cross
the next open patch unperceived; lying
motionless, hardly daring to breathe II
the animal seems to grow suspicious
feeling as you look at his huge bulk
that you are ridiculously puny and fee
BILE and that your powerful Express
rife Is little more than pop-gun, and
longing for the moment for the crack
of the rifle to break the silence and dis
solve the uneasy tension that the long
stalk and wait can hardly fail to pro-
| ducc.
The most critical and thrilling expert
ence Is the following up Of a savage
wounded beast driven desperate by
pursuit and maddened by its hurt,
Shen risks must be taken and must be
met by unceasing vigilance and wari-
ness, and perhaps the moment may
come when you have to face the nerve
shaking charge of the furious animal,
when there is no time for thought or
calculation, and your life depends on
your capacity for instant decision and
quick and accurate shooting. A sue
cessful day after danger game is not
a day that you forget,