Rocky Ford enterprise., 1912-07-12


district was threatened with instant death and
torture If was caught again by them.
Then began six days journey through the
blazing African with all my clothes In rags
no helmet and no hat. water and food ex-
cept what I could find my the way. which was
very little. seeing that had no rife All my
camp equipment. stores and rifles had been taken
away from me and 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 a 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 II must be remembered that I
poacher in the Belgian territory and liable
to ten years imprisonment If captured by the
Relrans in the act of poaching ivory | have
came 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
| wish that l could tell the tale with the I'M
affected simplicity and nothing g-out Extraordinary
manner In which Bennett told 1t TO me.
The next day left by launch for Koba the first
government post the Nile Here I found a
small village of white elephant -poachers. but all
of them away after ivory In the Congo at
the time of my visit. They live the British side
of the Nile and make periodical excursions into
the Congo after ivory. The British government
allows Congo ivory to pass through Its territory
on payment of twenty-five per cent custom duty,
and in a way this encourages the poachers. for
three elephants each year in r-st Africa or
Uganda on payment of $3.50 ..cense. In the
Congo license is necessary and they may shoot
as many tuskers they can. without license. II
they can evade being captured by the Belgians
or the natives.
Each man takes untold risks when he follows
this calling. Not only does he chance ten years
Imprisonment in a chain-gang In the interior of
the Congo If caught by the Belgians. but he also
takes his life in his hands every time he shoots
an elephant for he crawls into a herd through,
the fifteen or twentyfoot grass. selects the big
gest bull and then shoots 1t at a range of from
ten 10 fifteen yards. No one who has not tried
elephant shooting realize the terrifying aspect
them. They move silently and yet each one is
capable of crushing the life out of any man who
dares disturb their peace.
At Koba found the houses, made of grass and
mud of John Boyes. the Honorable Rupert Craven
and of Pickering and Buckley "Karajoma" Bell
had given up poaching for the time being. as he
had made more than sufficient out of II to satisfy
all his desires Bell is young Englishman who
has n big estate in England and annual rent
roll of some $4,000. He out to Central AT.
rica seeking adventure in 1902. when only eight
cen years of age. and at turned his attention
to elephanthuntng.
! am told that in the last eight years Bell has
spent 100000 In seeking ivory and has made
100000 so that he has cleared one hundred per
cent.
John Boyes, alias king OF the Kikuyu" was
unfortunately poaching in the Congo. / should
have liked to renew my acquaintance with him
for he is remarkable character. Boyes was Mt
one time an ablebodied seaman on a merchapt
vessel and wrecked. deserted know not
which at Zanzibar, many years previous to nv
first meeting with him in 1904. He had spent all
his time cattle-trading and ivory-hunting in the
wilds and for many years made the territory of
the Akikuyu tribe his headquarters He had be-
come blood-brother to their king, Knanjui, and
then had made himself virtually their king