Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-02-08

Those Big Pigs, the RhinoCeros
and the HippopotamuS.
THEY ARE HARD TO CAPTURE.
Getting Away With One Of tho Colossal
erutes Makes the Work of Trapping
the Zig Feiinos Seem Like Child's
Play-Mcthods OF the Hunters.


Trapping the big fcliucs is child's
play compared with the work of can
turing those numbering. colossal ami
mails OF the big pig family, the rhl-
nocsros and the hippopotamus.
Too stupid to tame or to break to a
matter and too heavy to transport
through hundreds Of miles OF wilder.
ness. it would take man half a life
time TO bring one OF these Eve TO six
thousand pound creatures out Of Jun
gle into civilization. Therefore the
experts only chance is TO ind a COW
with a calf and to capture the young
one
Compared with the alert, grim ex-
terror OF the felines. there is little in
the appearance OF a phlegmatic. pom
dcrOuS pig like a rhinoceros to indicate
its real ferociousness. There is hard
~ wild animal in existence which Is
more dangerous than this rarcst OF all
our menagerie captives Awkward as
the great creature appears when at
rest once aroused II dashes through
the densest thicket with the irresisti.
bic speed of an express train.
TO catch a rhinoceros the trapper
proceeds with preparations much as
would an explorer bound for n two or
three year expedition in the interior
or IN uncXplorcd continent, for the
difficulty confronting him IS the three
fold one of first penetrating thou
sand or more miles into the interior;
second. OF finding not only a rhinoce-
roS, but Il rhlnoceros COW with a calf
old enough TO capture, and. lastly, Of
transporting his prize across hills and
mountains and plains. over rivers and
ravincs. across swamps and through
forests to civilization.
SNirtlng swamps aAl rivers, the men
are ever on the lookout for the deep,
round spoors, like II pie plate driven
into the mud. for in this wet ground
the rhinoceros loves to wallow. FIRE
qucntly five or six months clapse be
fore the tracks OF a COW and calf are
picked up.
Noiseless and from we'll to leeward,
the trapper and his men gradually
steal nearer until the cow and the
calf are incloscd in a circle. From
ahead, out of the maze Of cane and
crecper, sounds the uneasy stamping
of the cow. With a half snort, half
grunt, in an instant the rhinoceros is
all attention. Head raised and nostrils
smiling, she searches the air steadily.
At sight or one Of the savagcs the cow
daShes with the speed of a race horse
at the man. charging the human decoy.
and ut that instant the trappcrs rifle
is heard, and her furious charge is
over provided the bullet reaches the
heart by striking just behind the left
forcleG-the only vulnerable point in
the inch thick armor with which the
beast is clad.
Now and then it happens that the
trapper fails to kill i'm ume-his gun
may miss FIRE Intervening trees may
interfere or the marksman may miss
his aim. Then the life Of the decoy
depends upon his own agility To run
TO one side before the rhinoceros is al
most on top OF him would be fatal. for
the swift brute would overtake him
with a few bounds His only hope is
TO wait until the deadly horn is almost
at his feet and then. with the swift
ness OF mongOose lodging the aim OK
q cobra, TO leap to one side while the
ponderouS creature. unable to turn
short in time, dashes onward under It's
own impetus. Twice, three times, a
clever native hunter will dodge in this
way. giving the trappcr ample time to
bring down the rhinocerOs
Then comes the tracking OF the
frightened Calf. which has fed at the
I FIST sign or trouble. and soon it is
pushed, Axoddcd and showed mp a
H Gridse oE sRids into a cage of the
Areu'morc dangerous is the trap
pin II the hippopotamus. FOR. al
. tho 49, in itself the "rhuO" is % more
say3gc antagonist than the river
/ horse" the trappcr hunts the former
ON land and brings down ut safe dis
I taucc. whereas in the case Of the hip
/ popotamus he must fight in the same
| primitive fashion that su,agca have
used for ages. Hand Co nav. as &c
were be must engage ibis two ton
! monster while stubdlug in tho bow Of
frail canoe. for the lippopotamus.
as its maine. the river horse" means.
/ Us "a land and water animal and must
I bc harpooucd and brought ashore be-.
/ fore &c expires. otherwise 10 would sink
/ at once 90 The bottom OF the river. the
coveted caIf escaping among the other
Appropriateness instead OF following
tbc stricken cow 90 shore. SO that the
/ yDuugstcr may be- cauglt-A. vs..
/ HoiEor in ST. Nicholas.