Evening star., 1909-09-05
In Closed Territory
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Der that you are son of Labusoni, who has
missed no chance of kill of the Big Ones since
his youth, and who will be following them un-
til his old carcass is tossed to the fsi [hyena.
the common end of all our people!
The effect of song and personal appeal was
SO deeply stirring OF every savage instinct, that
usually by the time Labusoni was finished sew
eral OF his men were SO stark frenz1ed mad they
were actually amuck, frothing at the mouth,
| slashing right and left with their weapons, and
often many had to be seized and bound.
Ol Toilo. the Luck Bird
INFORMING come, cooled of the nights ex-
AvA citement, steady nerved of the last weeks
complete abstinence from honey beer always
| practised as preparation for elephant hunt
or for battle, the band stole out of the forest
in single file, silent ghosts, led by Labusonl,
to camp three or four miles from the position
of located herd At dawn of the following
day, two scouts made thorough reconnais-
| sance and reported. If all conditions were ia
vorable, Labusoni handed to each bits of medi-
cine herbs and roots, potential to stouten their
hearts, built rude arch of green boughs, and
then led his men beneath it to the chase, every
ear strained for the first note Of Oh Toilo the
luck bird,-if heard behind them, guaranty of
safety for ALL if to the right, or ahead, or un-
heard, sign of good kill, but with casualties;
if on the left, such certainty of poor kill and
day, abandoned.
UNLESS Oh Toilo forbade, on the column
moved to near approach OF the herd, when 1T
was halted and Labusoni disposed his forces
for the attack; the old men holding the position
they then occupied, the honi [youths1 being
| sent to right of the herd the young warriors to
the left and the farther side.
I'm long grass the Wanderobo never attack
elephant; escape from attack by the wounded
is too nearly impossible When found so
oCa1 fho har frIU 1nfr 1ach for
the nearest forest by the yells and skin coat
shaking of the outer fankers, while within the
wood their mates awaited the onrush, seventy
two-inch bows bent thirty-six-inch arrows
drawn to their poisoned tips.
so, with keen biting empoisoned arrow
fights and frantic yells and skin shaking, for
time the herd was turned hither and yon, from
one line of f1ankers to another, sometimes was
so held for much as an hour within area
no more than a half-mile square, with indi-
vidual duels here and there between wounded
elephant and one or another of their enemies
whom they had sighted and pursued with such
fury and cunning of attack that naught but
Wanderobos wind and dexterity at lodging
and tree climbing left the pygmy assailant any
chance at all of escape.
" "Ultimat tely, of course the herd broke
through the attacking lines. Then the search
for the dead began and runners were sent to
fetch up the women and children. And there,
upon and literally inside their kills, the tribe
camped until every last fragment of meat was
eaten, every bone cracked and its sweet fat
contents sucked.
las high thirty elephant have fallen in
such hunt within an hour to one attacking
party numbering no more than forty Wande-
robo."
Lion Bait
FEBRUARY was for me day of remark
ably mixed luck in the matter of shooting;
for, after beginning with six clean misses of a
splendid waterbuck / much wanted at ranges
from one hundred and twenty-five to hundred
and seventy-hve yards / finished by killing a
gray wildebeest bull at six hundred yards and
three kongoni at three hundred to four hun
dred yards, each dropping to single shot.
Two Of the kongoni were left as lion bait; but
with small hope, for there game was too plenty
to leave it likely they would touch a cold kill
All that night lion were heard about camp
two in the direction the kills lay; but when
went out to them at dawn found one kongoni