The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-11-10
ELEPHANT HUNT In UGANDA
HUNTERS ADVENTURES IN
SEARCH or BIG GAME.

Dangers % the Chase I'm the Wet season
advantages NJ u shot az Close Range
Tracking n Wounded Bull Through
Tall Grass - Fearless Wnd Tuskers
met with the following experience while
after elephant in the district around Minute,
a Uganda Protectorate station ON the White
Nile almost opposite the Congo Free State
station Of Dufle. writes a correspondent
Of the London Field. This part of the country
swarms with elephants, the left or Congo
Free state bank being perhaps the more
oDsrtifully supplied since they are less
hunted there h in British territory.
During the rainy season, which extends
from the end Of March to the middle of
December approximately, the Nile valley
in tO "A great extent a swami r is ON
tirely covered with long coarse elephant
grass from nine 10 twelve feet high which
renders the shooting of anything srnallcr
than elephant an impossibility and causes
the pursuit Of the latter to be a matter Of
considerable difficulty and danger. On
this account the prCteCtorate officials sta
toned in this part of the wCrld seldom or
never sally forth in chase Of the elephant
until the advent Of the dry season. when
the whole Of the grass is bun ncd and one
can pursue ones game under very much
more pleasant ambitions.
The one and only advantage which the
wet season possesses is that while the
country is thus thiCkly %overgrown the ele-
plants remain almost stationary in certain
localities. coming nightly 10 feed upon the
crops of the unfortunate natives, for this
part Of Africa il thiCkiy populated. kle-
plants arc also To bc found much nc arer TO
Minute itself AT Tins time than during the
dry season. IruhGb bly, On account Of the
practical cessation Of ehcCtirg. have
myself left Minute IN the eCI ~ morning,
shot my elephant and Icen back in the
station in tire for "A late luncheon, and
there is Il stsTy CNtant of a solitary bull
elephant having stroiiad across the Minute
parade ground at about go y. NJ.
In the dry season, on the other hand. ele-
plants range further Gicld and rarely re-
main in TIE same l~o,ulity f,r many days
together, LelER. / sLIp,rc. kept on the
move by the polite attention Of local Of
fciaIs. al follows then tEBt e he SPORTS
man is pressed ter tine and * content to
take his chances with ram. swollen streams.
swamps mosquitoes especially mosquitoes
and fever he has a better chance of COM
ing up with his duaTly Al the limited time
at his diaporal in 'Ee vet season than in
the dry. This ia especially so as the nGtiv es
are. very good at bringing in news as 70 the
whereabouts of clci larts. both OF account
of the damage they 30 to crops and with
an eye TO bat kshCcsh should the sportsman
prove sGcCasjful.
I left Minute e7rlY o." morning and
crossing the Unya.aa River halsel for a
short time al tho Village OF A1udu. where
1 obtainel forr native trdC'.Crs. who ro-
fessed themselves acquainted with a place.
some six hours iii 'taat, where. thoy assured
me. ~eleThants were to be found. Accord
inRly | rcsscd for varl ant at a5ogt I
O'Clock cnmrel on TIE banks al a small
stream Towing into tho Nile. While camp
was being TitcIed | sent out the crackers TO
look for si-ns o. Gle harts. and in abour
an hour two of them returned, ~Lrcathless
with excitement, to tell me nat they hal
Just seer = big. solitary hull with heavy
tusks. travelling slowly up tHc bank Of
the stream. | s4a;chei up my double
.4SO cordite and hUrris I OF. We soon came
to the place where the tuskor hal been
sighted md started TO follow up his tracks.
However after going some little distance
without viewing oUr quarry the apI roach
~oT-darkness compelled va 10 return
The next morning 10y the LIGHT %. a tror-
icaI moon a small Tarjy Jeff ramp in quest
of our game. In advance were the four
trackers. then myself on d mule. husband
ing my strength in case Of an all dag tramp
after a scared or wounded beast. Bchini
me came ray syce and two SuLanCsc gun
bearer. lust az the earliest strcals OF
dawn were tightening the cast 20 struck
the fresh spoor of "A single buli and rele-
RatfnH Tho Fn1l 10 and his syyp RI tho raar
1 pressed forward on the heels OF the track
ers. After about an hours steady rog-
ress we reached a huge tree under which
the spoor led, and here a halt was called
while one Of the trackers ascendeI to sly
out the land. A moment later aud a whisper
from above of -fl" (eleDhantD sent me also
climbing skyward. From my lofty TerchI
could see three elephants, or rather the
tops Of their heads. which was all the long
grass permitted. After about ten min
utes watching one OF them, moving slowly
forward to a srot where th" grass Wa some
what shorter. revealed a GlimI sc of a air
of tusis i2p rounds each il an ounce. De
termining that this was good enough for
me. 4 formed a plan Of canraign.
The big bull that ! had Fixed on fer my
prey was about one hundred and eighty
yards from the tree, and on each rIdc of
and about one hundred and fifty yards
distant from him was another elephant.
whether bulls or cows l could not tell.
The win1 was favorable. though n shade
gusty, blowing directly from the elephants
toward me. Here just two words to the
unlnitiated hunter in search Of elephant.
Firrt. watch the wind. Secondly. never.
If possible. shoot at II distance Of over
twenty yards. ParadoxicaI az il may
sound. with dangerous game, such as
elephant or rhino. the nearer you are to
them the safer you are.
The reason is fairly uhviOus-at twenty
yards even the most Indifferent shot should
be certain Of hitting a vital part. and one
cartridge lays your game dead at your
feet; whereas a long shot only wounds him
flor the vital points arc easy to miss, and
you spend the remainder of your day
In pursuing Il wdnndcd animal. or he
reverses the positions and puts in a few
lively minutes huntin 4 You, with possibly
unpleasant results. With elephant a shot
at close quarters rs especially desirable,
since 10 pierce the brain in my opinion
far more satisfactory than the heart shot
one must hit an area between the eve and
the earhole. about the size Of n small plate,
and this shot. though easy enough at twenty
IT,