Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-03-26
AFRICAN HUNTING GROUNDS.
Where Mr.. Roosevelt Will Find Great
Shooting

In the dry bush plains, the myster-
ious jungles and impenetrable forests
Of British East Africa, where Theo-
dore Roosevelt and the Smithsonian
African expedition will soon begin the
search for specimens for the National
Museum at Washington, there is 9
variety Of big game and smaller NAM
mails that makes this the most wonder
full shooting ground in the world.
Hours before the American party
miles north Of Nairobi, where the ex-
pedition will make its headquarters
game will be sighted as the train
makes its tortuous way along the
Uganda railroad. There is no shooting
allowed within a mile Of the railroad
and the sight Of herds Of graceful mpala
antelope or massive eland grazing along
the line within only few miles Of the
coast serves to whet the appetite fol
the "safari," or hunt, to come In the
interior. There is game all along the
line of the Uganda railway. but hun
ters generally go to Nairobi, some
800 miles inland. Passing Simba,
where lions may be found, the rail-
road enters the Makindu district, a
rare shooting country.
It is is the north Of JULIA Ranch,
though, that all kinds of big game
abound. A flock Of vultures, soaring
In the air, tells Of a lion roaming on
the dusty plain. These birds wait to
pick the bones Of the lions kill. The
country is. alive with lions, but few
fear them, as they give man a wide
berth at all times Only when wound
ed and escape is disputed will the king
of beasts show fight. All through the
night the cry Of the lion may be heard
in this territory, and 1t Is no uncom-
mon thing for a party Of these beasts
to sit outside Of house all night and
roar. Skins Of lions that have not been
SCARED in combat with foes or torn in
in breaking through the thorny under
brush are rare. Having obtained a
good lion skin the hunters guards 1t
carefully from the ravages Of the white
ant, which will destroy skin in a
night. The lion prefers the plain,
where his yellow hide does not con-
trast with the brush and underground.
In point Of danger the natives Of this
territory regard the buffalo herds as
the most dangerous to encounter, and
where a travelling party Of porters will
scarce notice the roars Of a lion, the
sounds Of buffalo herd will send them
into a panic. This much dreaded beast
Is tricky and brave, and huntsman
needs all his skill to make his kill.
Wounded, the buffalo resorts to ruse
of retreating into the brush, tempting
the huntsman to follow him. Wheeling
suddenly about, the wounded animal
charges the oncoming hunter, who, un-
less he sends a bullet into the brain
Of the beast, is most likely to be gored
and trampled to death under the ami
mails hoofs. In hunting the buffalo 1t
Is customary for the hunter to post his
shikaris in the tree tops to inform him
Of the trail Of the beast.
The hunting Of elephants Is much re-
stricted in the territory which the
Roosevelt party will cover, and the
killing Of these mammoths Is regard
ed as little less than slaughter. Mod
ern rifles make the killing Of elephants
easy to accomplish, and without much
danger to the hunter. Hunting for nip
popotami is also limited, as the animal
is hard to locate, and only found in re-
mote places along the rivers and lakes
The hippo" is timid and not consid-
cred dangerous unless his escape to the
water is cut off or he is wounded.
The hunt for the rhinoceros In this
region is no mean venture, for not IN
frequently the hunter Is hunted, ano
the angered beast breaks up whole
"safari" party with one Of his terrible
charges. The "rhino" is very near
sighted, but Is possessed with a re-
markable sense of smell and acute
hearing: in fact, his attack is entirely
guided by these senses. Scenting dan
ger from afar, the infuriated animal
charges in a straight line, trampling
down underbrush and small trees In his
path as II he were making trail
through nothing more than a flower
garden. Caught in the whirlwind rush
native hunters sometimes stand STILL
hoping the animal will mistake them
for a tree and pass on, which the beast
not infrequently does. The charging
animal can only be halted with we'll
directed bullet through the eye OF
heart.
It is expected that the American
party will make every effort to bag the
much discussed white rhinoceros. which
has been killed off from his original
range in British East Africa. Besides
"rhInos," buffaloes and other large ami
mails, the hunting game includes gi-
raffes, leopards, zebras and antelopes
The antelopes of Africa are most in
teresting from a huntsmans viewpoint
as they are extremely difficult to shoot
Very shy and quick, 1t requires an un-
erring aim to bring them down, and
only the best shots are successful.
In this rare hunting ground the
American party will find three species
of the hartebeest, the oryx, the sable
antelope, the roam antelope, the oribi
the lesser reed buck, the water buck
the steinbuck. the Gland, the greater
and lesser kudu, and gnu and the bush
buck. All these various species of
antelopes have keenly developed es-
GAPING faculties. Wart hogs. jackals
hyenas, together with a host Of cranes
bustards and other feathered varieties
all help swell the population of the
animal kingdom in this region.
No hunter can ever be said to have
enjoyed all the experiences Of the Afri-
can jungle without an adventure with
wild dogs, which roam in packs and
are the dread Of the natives. The cry
Of these animals is not unlike that OF
leopards or smaller game, and once
heard the natives fly to the tops OF