Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1912-07-12

district 1 was threatened with instant death and
torture if I caught again by them
Then began six days journey through the
blazing African with all my clothes in rags.
helmet and no hat no water, and no food ex~
cept what could find my the way, which was
very little seeing that had no rifle. All my
camp equipment, stores and rifles had been taken
away from me and l had lost all my ivory the
result of many months arduous work in the
Congo.
"At last after days of infinite torture. I
reached the camp of Belgian official near Ma
hagi, who clothed and fed me, promising me that
the natives would be punished This was indeed
kind of him, for it must be remembered that
a poacher in the Belgian territory and liable
to ten years Imprisonment if captured by the
Belgans in the act of poaching ivory. I have
to Butiaba to try to get together another
outfit and return to the Mahagi district to re-
place my losses. am determined to make up my
lost time and feel confident that can do So"
l wish that l could tell the tale with the un-
affected simplicity and nothing utof-the-ordiuary
manner in which Bennett told it to me.
The next day left by launch for Koba, the first
government post on the Nile. Here found 3
small village of white elephant-poachers but all
of them were away after ivory in the Congo at
the time of my visit They live on the British side
of the Nile and make periodical excursions into
the Congo after ivory The British government
allows Congo ivory to pass through it's territory
payment of twenty-five per cent custom duty,
and in a way this encourages the poachers, for
they are allowed to shoot only two, at most
three elephants each year in East Africa or
Uganda. on payment of a $3.50 license. In the
Congo license is necessary and they may shoot
as many tuskers they can, without license, II
they evade being captured by the Begians
or the natives
Each man takes untold risks when he follows
this calling Not only does he chance ten years
Imprisonment in a chaingang in the interior OF
the Congo, If caught by the Belgians, but he also
fake In he
an elephant, for ne crawls into herd through
the fifteen twenty-foot grass selects the big
gest bull and then shoots it at range of from
ten to fifteen yards No who has not trieC
elephant shooting realize the terrifying aspec
of herd of elephants when you are close tt
them. They move silently, and yet each one II
capable of crushing the life out Of any man whC
dares disturb their peace
At Koba I found the houses, made of grass anC
mud of John Boyes the Honorable Rupert Craven
and of Pickering and Buckley. "Karajoma" Bel
had given up poaching for the time being. as HI
had made more than sufficient out of 1t to satisf
all his desires Bell is young Englishman, VIII
has big estate in England and annual rent
roll of $4,000. He came out to Central Al
rca seeking adventure in 1902 when only eight
cen years of age, and at once turned his attention
to elephant-hunting.
am told that in the last eight years Bell ha
spent 100000 in seeking ivory and has mad
100000, SO that he has cleared one hundred pc
cent
John Boyes alias king OF the Kil1uyu," wai
unfortunately, poaching in the Congo. l shoul
have liked to renew my acquaintance with hin
for he is a remarkable character. Boyes was
one time able-bodied seaman on merchar
vessel and was wrecked, or deserted. know nc
which, at Zanzibar, many years previous to m
first meeting with him in 1904 He had spent a
his time catte-trading and ivory-hunting in tn
wilds, and for many years made the territory {
the Akikuyu tribe his headquarters. He had b.
come bloodbrother to their king Kinanjm an
then had made himself virtually their king