The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1909-02-25
HUNTING AHEAD or ROOSEVELT
IN EAST AFRICA.
BY Captain Fritz Duqucsne.


North America continent will be of
little use to aim on his expedition
into the wiIds of East Africa. Hunt
ing in America is sport, something
to be played at; hunting in Africa
is trade, almost profession In
America one merely takes a rifle and
goes out to shoot. In Africa, to hunt
one takes a battery OF arms, usually
three and sometimes four, high pow
der rifles of different caliber, ranging
from six and five-tenths millimeter
to six hundred cordite express. The
cartridges for these rifles are charg-
ed with various bullets, solid nickel,
steel, soft nose long, soft nose short
and split.
Each Of these bullets was designed
by experts for a special use, and on
the way they are used depends The
success Of ones shot. Often the use
of the unsuitable bullet ends in the
hunters death. On small game the
light caliber arm, six five-tenths mil
limeter, is used, and on large and
dangerous game the nine millimeter
Mauser and six hundred caliber cor
dite express give the best results
The last-named rifle strikes the en-
ormous blow of eighty-seven hundred
pounds, and has recoil of close on
a hundred weight. That the man
whose hunting experiences has been
confined to bird shooting with shot
guns, or small game, with, say, a
thirty-two caliber rifle, may under
stand the meaning of these figures,
let me state that the ordinary thirty
two caliber rifle has a recoil of
perhaps ten to twelve pounds. The
double barreled shotgun, which to
the ordinary hunter seems to have
all the kicking capacity any wea-
pom needs, has a recoil of from
twenty-five to thirty pounds.
The six hundred caliber cordite ex-
press is the most deadly hand arm
made,
Notwithstanding the terrific force
Of this six hundred express bullet
it must be placed in the correct part
Of an elephants or a rhinocero's an
atomy to bring him down. The hunte
must put the shot into the animals
head or heart, or he must face
charge that will probably end in his
destruction.
Rifles of various caliber are carried
for economy. 1t is cheaper to use a
small six five-tenths millimeter rifle
on small game, and a six hundred ex-
press on big game, than to carry one
weapon for allround work whichwould
have to be big enough at least for
the largest game Nothing smaller
than a four hundred and fifty express
would Go for that, and it would be
distinctly uneconomical, not to say
foolish, to shoot a small antelope,
the size of a goat, with six hundred
express. 1t would be like using a
pile driver to kill mosquito Again,
cartridges become very costly by
the time they reach the interior of AT
RIGA. A cartridge for a six hundred
express rifle, for instance, costing
SiXpence-twelve cents in London,
reaches an enormous price by the
time it gets into the hunting grounds
Of Africa. l have seen them bring
five shillings, $1.25 each, and very
scarce at that. Nor is this such an
exrayagant price when one takes
into consideration that every ounce
has to be carried by porters who plod
for months through swamps, across
rivers, over mountains, trayersing the
parched weld and penetrating the dis
mai forest, often fighting their way
foot by foot before they reach their
destination. 1t is easy to see that
weight is an important factor in
cartridge economics. Four six
five-tenths millimeter cartridges are
equal in weight to one six hundred
express. That is, it is four deaths
against one, for the same weight.
These are the things President
Roosevelt must learn before he can
consider himself up on the ways of
safari If the President hunts like
an Americander and not like the av-
erage European that visits the dark
continent, he will certainly find dan
ger; danger That tries hunters
nerve, that requires an alert in
telEgence and quick eye to pass
through it and live.
Of course l am speaking from the
viewpoint of professional hunter,
whose business is to get skins and
tusl1s. Danger is a part of his pro-
fession, and to play with death his
daily occupation. Mr. Roosevelt's rep
utation as man of prowess andnerve
has preceded him. The natives that