The San Francisco call., 1909-04-25

IN HUNTING trip in one part Of
world is, in its essential par
A ticulars. much the same as IN
another One goes about IL diff
ferently in different places, to be sure,
but the ends are similar If you Kill
much game your trip is successful; II
you do not Kill much game-or, Of
course, If the game kills you-the trip
IS not successful There are varia-
tions on this. but they all reduce TO
the same thing The unvarnished tale
OF the ordinary hunting expedition
furnishes little TO interest one who
does not hunt himself and about the
only tales that are really worth telling
are those which viii never be told:
the stories that might have been told
by the men who have sought their
quarry out alone and gone under in
the conflicts in which they gave the
latter something like sporting
chance.
British East African hunting is no
exception to the rule. II everything
goes right tsetse flies and malaria are
pretty sure to furnish the principal
excitement OF the expedition, and
there. more than in any other of the
big game districts of the world, are
especial precautions taken that every
thing shall go right The large num-
Der OF young Englishman of family"
with whom the killing Of the elephant
rhinoceros or lion is the sole object.
Irrespective OF the manner in which
the killing is accomplished, are respon-
sible for this. ] have never heard Of
one OF these young hopefuls poisoning
game, the slaughter OF which he
deemed necessary TO bringing himself
20 social ripeness. but the shooting OF
Il backed UP by a score or so OF armed
Askari-sll good marksmen and ready
70 create q diversion or XIII the beast
themselves at moments NOTICES
procedure no whit more risky. You
never hear OF one OF this class being
killed by q lion or elephant. and their
tales Of hairbreadth escapes on which
London drawing rooms hang with
hated breath are received with smiles
Of Indulgence IN Mombasa and beyond.
The shooting of big game in Africa,
or anywhere else, with the modern high
power rifle is about as FAR removed
from a fair sporting proposition as
the killing Of caterpillars with paris
green. The animal has about one
chance in a hundred OF getting away
i,nharmed, and not one chance in a
thousand Of killing the man who Is
srv.vg 10 shoot II. Those who shoot
big game for pastime are accustomed
20 speak OF themselves as sportsmen.
cutie losing sight of the fact that in
snort both sides are supposed TO have
.ar equal show. Putting firearms en-
tfrelv out Of the reckoning, a man with
ing bIadec knife should have all
ne advantage in lighting an animal
that must depend entirely upon teeth
and claws OF hardly more than half
an inch in length. The much greater
eLill which the animal possesses in
me use OF its weapons offsets this ad-
,,a-tace TO a certain extent and would
make a rough and tumble between
-,an armed with a knife and an animal
~ somewhere near his own weight a
nassably fair sporting proposition Big
oan,e shooting is very amusing and
s5I well and good as pastime,
b5,t as generally practiced, in no wise
er+itled 10 be classed as a sport on
snv but the Ioosest Interpretation OF
fbat much abused term.
Il british East Africa is by no means
Ae nest big game country of Africa.
- n IS the only section where wild
s-snals still cyst in any number
--btcb Is easy OF access; this on ac-
.,-,,,t Of the UganGe railway, which
-.o,etrates from the 'ast to the end
= Take virfor;a -" of tNe