Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-04-10

are evidences of a prehistoric glacial
period along the equator.
When travelling at their best speed
the natives of the safari cover from
ten to eighteen miles on continuous
stretch OF from three to Sour hours;
then q rest Is taken. Intensely violent
tropical thunderstorms frequently in.
terrupt proceedings and in the regu-
lar rainy season malarial fever per-
sistently attacks the whites. The ter
rife heat at midday is tempered at
times by clouds which veil the sun,
and the changes of temperature and
weather are strikingly sudden. A blaz-
Ing sun and bright sky will in very
few minutes be obscured. and dark.
ness swoops down as black. as any
body's midnight. Torrents Of rain fall,
threatening electrical discharges occur,
smashing down trees and destroying
native huts. and the blazing sun will
as quickly reappear Many a capture
OF tempting game is prevented by
these cyclonic outbursts.
Making camp in the hunting field Ia
ing their huts with remarkable swift
ness. Laughing and singing. they stick
flexible canes into the ground In cir
Gle, bending the tops to meet in the
middle of the circle, Interviewing the
ends In the form of bell or dome.
Bundles of elephant grass are then,
packed on the frame, small space
left open as an entrance. In fifteen
minutes a grassy plain is transformed
into prosperous looking native viii
lage Should some village be near, wo-
men and swarms of naked children
visit to sell food and fruits, and the
native chieftain and his council put on
clothes and uncomfortably call on the
hunters to pay their respects, In ex-
change to receive something more tan
gible, like silver trinkets or pistol or
two. Graft is not unknown even In the
jungle. 1t is unknown only where hui
man beings are unknown.
After the evening meal Of elephant
steak. reedbuck, gaZelle or francolins
(African partridges) and sweet pota-
toes or deliciously cool papaw, or egg
fruit, plantains or sugar cane the hunt
ers may partake, IL they wish, of the
native beverages, banana wine or
mbisi or mwenge the latter very
strong. Then, lighting their pipes,
they discuss plans for the next days
shooting The neapnra (headman) sees
that the guards are stationed correctly,
and soon the jungle crackers are
asleep.
No late rising human sloth can hunt
big game where shines the Southern
Cross. The trailer Of the lion and the
ponderous pachyderm must up and
away from his couch before daybreak,
eating his breakfast by candlelight
in the quasi darkness of the early
morning. By the time the suns rays
concentrate on the jungle he must be
off from camp with his helpers to
sight his quarry when it first starts
on its days marauding. Lions and
elephants are his chief desire, and
the latter usually travel In herds,
crushing vegetation as they 60, tear
! ing up trees by the roots and making
havoc generally The lion is often
found in wood scrub and in reed beds
along the river ways and in beds Of
heavy green flag fringing the streams,
these flag beds called "tinga-tinga" by
the natives. Again. lion or lioness
and cubs will be found taking q siesta
on some sunny ledge or crouching,
alarmed, In a mountainous cave or un-
der leaning powders. Hippos or rhinos
also take kindly to sunny spots when
the glare Is not too great.
In tracking the large game beasts
the Uganda huntsman continually
comes across countless animals Of
scores of species. There are over fifty
kinds of antelopes alone in Africa, and
giraffes, zebras. Glands, hartbeests,
sing-sing water bucks and other water
bucks. impala and kongoni ever and
again come into and flee from the
range of vision Multitudes of game
fowl and hashily colored birds OF
the air" are on every side. The "wuff.
wuff" Of Grants gazelles salutes him
from the rock koppies and the grass
tufted mead, and above him in mar.
rowing circles hover the vultures--
cared vultures, black and disgusting;
carrion vultures and the small neo-
phrons, dark brown, with repulsive
livid pink faces, boon partners all OF
the hyena and the jackal.
OF course the safari does not escape
the deadly menace Of the implacable
tsetse fly, the desolation spreading
scourge of whites and blacks, im-
planting with Its bite the mysterious
germ of the incurable sleeping sick-