Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-14

n
90 The idea has savored of romance and
achievement since the exploration
days of Stanley, while the actual expert
has added fame to a few and new
fame to many of already exalted distinguished
name. Not few book heroes have struggled through
the thrilling life and gone home to ignore ofty
claim easily charming partcipator in a lovers quar-
rel.
Is the adventure to-day all that it some years
ago when equatorial Africa wasess settled and civ
lized? rs big game plentiful there?
few Hagenbeck hunters have ventured the opinion
to that the country shot OUT" but it must be
said that in each case their hunting experience was
less crcumscribed and their geographical and
general knowledge not exact.
The hunting grounds of Africa comprise about
eleven and half million square miles, and any one
who can really grasp the extent of such territory
needs no special data to himself that Africa is
not ''shot out" -------
1t takes but few years of open seasons to 'shoot
out" the Adirondacks or the Maine woods, but each
locality is greater than some single African jungle
which may still be unexplored.
Many Species of Buffalo.
1t was comparatively easy to "shoot OUT the
buffalo, but they single species of wild beast
while Africa boasts than hundred; and again.
the buffalo hunter needed little more than an overland
train and wagon fare and the possession of a cow
pony ana winchester. Ihe hunter OF big game in
Africa requires a retinue of servants, battery of
arms, varied lot of ammunition and bank deposit
of several thousand dollars
Then, too, there two kinds of Africa and two
kinds of hunting there just there two different
Aaskas and two New Yorks; is the inkstand kind
and the real variety
You can journey comfortably to some point on the
Uganda Railway, start your luxurious caravan there
and reach your hunting grounds in a hammock slung
to pole, which is borne upon the shoulders of two
sturdy natives Your headman will lead you right up
to the game, your gun bearers will cock aud hand you
the right rife and instruct you where to aim. You
will shoot-and miss; and then they will obgingy
bag the game for you. Your "frst aid" taxiderm
remedies will be correctly applied your agents will
do the rest and you shortly go back with enough
trophies to adorn house and enough inkstand expe-
riences to fill book.
Perhaps the ''inkstand" hunting regions are fairly
"shot out" but unquestionably the real boundless
Africa isn't
There the impenetrable interior forests
and limitless veldts with their malignant miasma
sleeping sickness and veldt sores the same enormous
insects and reptiles the same brakes with grass
twenty feet high, and pig eyed rhinoceros waiting
stealthily in the of runway; the same ALI
gator and hippo pools and the same bad tempered
bull tuskers and wounded she cats. For one who
undertakes a real expedition, such as Mr. Roosevelt
has planned there game and danger for the most
exacting
AS matter of fact Africa has experienced for the
last few years what really to CLOSED sea-
SON" During the war the rifles of the Beers
the best African huntsmen were turned altogether
against the English and for several years following
the cessation of hostities they were forbidden to
carry firearms by the articles of surrender
OVerrun with Game.
It takes but short time to build up game coun-
try again, if it were quite well "shot out" and
thousands of herds in Africa never greatly af
fected. Recent reports would indicate that the coun
try needs professional hunters-in fact at times for
NAL appeals have been sent to the government
Elephants are on the rampage it would seem; So too
are the hippopotami and rhinoceri AIligators are
hungerng for prey Lions creeping down upon the
native villages at night and carrying off cattle Hun
dreds of lives are in danger in many localities
The situation is somewhat analogous to that which
prevailed in Wyoming few years ago. A "closed
season" for elk increased the herds to such an extent
that the farming country in arms against them