Omaha daily bee., 1909-10-24
ON The TRAIL OF BIG CAME
Theodore Roosevelt's Story Of the
Hunt in Africa.
CERTAIN DANGERS OF THE CHASE
wild Animals In Abundance ana the
Risks n Hunter Runs-MeetInE
with n LIon-BOer and
BritOn.

- AAUu-nUGE anu
BritOn.
lion, buffalo, elephant, rhinoceros and leop-
ard. The hunter who follows any OF these
animals always does so at a certain risk to
life or limb; a risk which IL Is his business
to minimize by GOODNESS, caution. good
judgment and straight shooting The
leopard is in point OF pluck and ferocity
more than the equal OF the other four: but
bis small size always renders II likely that
he Will merely maui. and not kill, a man.
Ny friend, Carl Akely of Chickago. actu-
ally killed b~arehanded a leonard which
sprang on him. He had already wounded
the beast twice. gripping II in one front
and one hind paw, whereupon IL charged,
followed him as he tried to dodge the
charge. and struck him fun Just as he
turned. 1t bit him in one arm. biting again
and again as Il worked up the arm from
the wrist to the elbow; but Akely threw It.
holding its throat with the other hand. and
flinging its body to one side. It luckily
fell on It's side with it's two wounded legs
uppermost, so that It could not tear him.
He fell forward with It and crushed in its
chest with his knees until he distinctly
felt one Of its ribs crack; this, said Akely.
was the first moment when he felt he
might conquer. Redoubling hts efforts.
with knees and hand. he actually choked
and crushed the life out Of II, although his
arm was badly bitten. A leopard will
charge at least as readily as one of the big
beasts, and is rather more apt to get his
charge home, but the risk is less to life
than to limb.
There are other animals often or occa-
sionally dangerous TO human life which are.
nevertheless, not dangerous to the hunter.
Crocodiles are far greater pests, and far
more often man-eators, than lions or leop-
ards but their shooting is not accompanied
by the smallest element Of risk. Poisonous
snakes are fruitful sources Of accident. but
they are actuated only by fear, and the an
ger born for fear, The hippopotamus some
times destroys beats and kills those in
them; but again there is no risk in hunt
ing him. Finally, the hyena. too cowardly
ever to be a source Of danger to the hunter.
Is sometimes a dreadful curse to the weak
and helpless.
Game in Abundance.
II Is hard for one who has not himself
seen II to realize the immense quantities OF
game to be found on the Kaplti plains and
Athi plains and the hills that bound them.
The common game OF the plains. the ami
mails OF which l saw most while at Kitanga
and In the neighborhood. were the zebra.
wildebeeste, hartebeest, Grants gazelle. and
"Tommies" or Thompson's gazelle; the
zebra, and the hartebeest, usually known
by the Swahill name OF kongoni being by
Tar the most plentiful. Then there were
impalla, mountain reedbuck, duyker, stein
buck and diminutive dikdik. AS we trav.
elled and hunted we were hardly ever out
OF sight of game; and on Pease's farm it,
self there were many thousand head; and
so there were on Skaters. II wealthy men
VINO desire sport OF the most varied and
interesting kind would purchase farms like
these they could get, fer much less money
many times the interest and enjoyment a
deer-forest or grouse-moor can afford.
Unless there was something special on
like a lion-or-rhinocerous-hunt, l usual,
rode off followed only by my sails and
gun-bearers. / cannot describe the beaut,
and the unceasing interest OF these rides
through the teeming herds of game. 1t wa,
like retracing the steps OF time for sixty
or seventy years, and being back in tn,
days OF CORVALLIS. Harris and Gordon
Cumming. In the palmy times Of the grea,
fauna OF South Africa big game. Or
Pease's own farm one day l passed through
scores Of herds OF the beautiful and won
derful wild creatures 1 have spoken o.
above; all told there were several thou
sands Of them, With tho exception Of tn,
wildebeeste, most of them were not shy
and ! could have taken scores of shots a
a distance OF a couple of hundred yard.
or thereabout. OF course, l did not shoe
at anything unless we we're out of mea
or needed the skin for the collections; ant
when we took the skin we almost Away
took the meat too, for the porters, although
they had their rations Of rice. depende,
for much of their well-being on our sue
cess with the rlfle.
ROOSEVELT First Lion.
. At this moment my Hack sals
Slmha, cane running up TO me and tool
hold OF the bride; he had seen the eaas
from the line OF march and had cut acros
10 join me, There was no other sails o
gun-bearer anywhere near. and his actio.
was plucky. for he was the only ma
afoot, with the lion at bay. Lady Peas
had also ridden up and was an lntereste
spectator only some fifty yards behind ms
Now. an elderly man with a varied pas
which includes rheumatism does not vaul
lightly into the saddle; as his sons. for in
stance, can; and l had already made up m
mind that In the event OF the Hons chare
ing II would be wise for me to trust t
straight powder rather than to try I
scramble into the saddle and get unde
way in time. The arrival or my two com
panions settled matters. I was not sure q
The speed OF Lady Pease's horse; an
simba was on foot, and IL was OF cours
sus Of the question for me TO leave hin
So I said, Good, sImba. now we'll see thi
hing through and gentle mannere
Simba smiled a shy appreciation Of m