Evening star., 1909-06-13
HUNTING AHEAD OF ROOSEVELT T1z&Ez1 6zzE
The Ugly Rhinocer0s and Smaller Game
R11C Cantain Dun1e

alive. Many animals. harmless and timid
under ordinary circumstances. become de-
mons when captured. The Understanding
antelope will put up fierce fight when
once over its first fright: the ostrich will
kick a man to pieces, raining its blows
with lightning-like rapidity. l do not
know one African animal that can be
called cowardly.
One has only to look at the formidable
horns of all the African antelope to see
that they are built to fight with. strong
as iron and as sharp as a lance. / have
seen an antelope attack a leopard. and
even lion. when It's young is threatened.
The gemsbok. or oryx, with its two
sword-ike horns. has dispatched many
lion. 1t Is not uncommon to find gems
box and lion dead beside each other
the mere evidence OF a terrific encounter.
The most dangerous animal of all to cap
of the country it inhabits as on account
of its enormous strength, as the following
incident will illustrate:
I was commissioned by a German natu-
ralist society to capture one of each spe-
cies of African quadrumana. German
professor accompanied me on my expedi-
ton. which set forth in a direct line west
from Oar es Salaam. We succeeded IN
getting some of each species. with the
exception Of the gorilla For weeks we
wandered about the country. 1t was in
the rainy season. and the weld, which un-
der ordinary circumstances afforded ex-
cellent travelling. became a swamp. with
our long line Of native porters we liter
ally waded over the country for weeks.
the black, ooZy slush soaking into our
bones and the clay under foot gripping
like glue.
Such was the predicament we were in;
the spirit Of, revolt and desertion had
seized the caravan. 1 called the men to-
gether and told them we were going
into the Kongo forests where there was
no doubt about capturing gorilla. A
smile of satiaraction swept over the
natives faces. and at sunrise We started
for a three-month tramp to the west OF
the Tanganyika.
Arriving at a Belgian army post. a
pigmy prisoner told us where we could
find a gorilla, and an hours travel from
the post brought us to the place where
the animal made its home. 1t was an
ideal retreat. rank with rotting vegeta-
tion the accumulations of centuries,
reaching up to our knees. Snakes glided,
kissing, out of the way. and lizards, green,
blue and every color of the spectrum,
bolted in fear to the treetops and blink
ed at us with their little. glistening eyes
from safe perches among the limbs.
Monkeys looked in wonder and then
scampered in thousands through the for
est. screeching like wild fiends and
swinging from tree to tree for such dis
tances that they seemed to fly.
Beautifully designed ferns grew under
foot and crept caressingly up the great
tree trunks Flowers of fantastic beauty.
weird shape and almost maniacal express
sion grew up and hung down from the
smooth. black. smoke-like vines. exhaling
from their hearts a hundred intoxicating
odors which mixed with the sickening
effluvia Of decay.
Insects resembling flowers and leaves
crawled over everything. twigs apparent
ly walking up the trees and leaves ap-
parently splitting and flying in all direc-
tions. Beetles with big. hypnotic eyes
and bronze backs buzzed noisily around
our heads and beautiful birds vying with
one another in .brilliance of plumage sail
ed through the air, filing the dismal for