The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1909-02-25
NARROW ESCAPE FROM CRoCo-
DILES.

DILES.
The summer before last was hunt
ing on the Kagera. We had eaten
antelope for some time and the camp
was anxious for a change, SO | shot
a hippo for food. 1t was an easy
dining to do. AWAITED till it showed
its head, and, bang. A spirit of blood
and it was all over As the wgcer
was deep, but not running, | knew
that in the morning | ought to find
my victim floating. At daybreak
was dawn at the river with party
of natives As expected, the hippo's
body was floating, but, unlucky for
us, on the opposite side Of the river,
which was teeming with crocodiles.
tried to persuade some of the ma
Lit SO that we could draw the hippo
over. No amount of persuasion would
induce them to even put their feet
in the river. At last, exasperated,
seized the end of the rope and
bumped into the river, boots and all,
and struck out for the hippo.
had gone about a hundred strokes
when a cry from the bank caused
me to look around A cold shiver
of horror ran through me, for
! twenty yards behind, gliding silently
| TOW nd hn
could distinguish the brown form
of a crocodile.
| ''Shoot" | cried. "Shoot' as / put
every bit of energy into my stroke.
| The crocodile must have been near m
| for the bullets that were being fired
from the bank commenced to zip, zip,
around my head. l was afraid to look
| back, expecting every moment to
! be seized and dragged to the bottom.
and managed to drag myself out of
the water up on the slippy carsass.
| The exertion made my head swim.
| In few minutes | was myself again.
apOlogized in silence to the black
gentlemen on the river bank for
doubling their courage. l had none
| left. / took my knife and cut foot
! hold on the carcass, and then rocked
| it so that it would drift to the shore.
! The natievs told me that we'll
directed bullet had hit the crocodile
in the head.
Two months after that / got some
dynamite from Nairobi and blasted
| the crocodile hole Where l had such
a close shave. | fished out one hun
dred and foryt-seven in a week. The
skins of thousands Of these crocodiles
are shipped from the Lakes Region
every year to German firm that
makes a specially of crocodile skin
bags. Crocodiles, with lions and Loop
ards and number of other carnivor-
Gus animals, are classed as vermin.
so no license is required to shoot
them.
The cost of hunting big game in
Africa is enormous. One must spend
a fortune before firing the first shot
The various European colonies PRO
tect" their game by charging fifty
pounds sterling = $3.50 year for a
license which allows the hunter to
kill two each of the pachydermata
and from two to ten of the various
species of antelopes. This does not
protect the game. but it fills the local
treasures. Added to this is the
price for porters, alikarees, headmen,
etc.,who have to accompany the hum
ter. The average expedition is made
iup of from thirty to thirty-five ma
tives for each white man. The cost
Iof euqipning and maintaining an ex-
petition is from four hundred to six
hundred dollars month for each
white hunter, according to the district
hunted in. One well known concern
with headquarters at Nairobi, that
makes business of hunting and ex-
petition managing. equips and main
tains an expedition in the field for
six hundred dollars a month. sup
plying everything excepting arms and
IliQuor.
No doubt you will say, IF it is so
costly, why hunt? 1t must pay or
one would not take the risk Reckon
ling in dollars it does not pay.
have hunted a great deal and turned
over q lot Of money, but was never
much better OFF at the end OF the
year.
/ why hunt?" you ask. There is
one answer. sOnce q hunter always
q h,.nfny