Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1913-05-22


African jungles. Besides, until they
had killed. they could not rest and
eat; their sporting instincts would not
permit this until all hope of success
was lost The true sportsman never
deserts wounded quarry until he
has killed it.
At last, after six hours of fruitless
search nature demanded a temporary
halt. 1t was after midday Graetz
decided TO have the motor-launch
brought up to them and a man was
sent back to get it. In the mean
time the two white men rested In
three hours the launch reached them
and the cook Immediately began to
prepare a satisfying lunch for the
tired and famished hunters. Break
fast and lunch would have to be
merged into. one meal. This Is not
an infrequent occurrence in African
travel, and the two men were accus-
toned to it,
While the meal was under prepare
to search further for the wounded
buffalo. for he was positive that 4
must be somewhere in their vicinity.
He offered his followers liberal
"bakshish" and with this incentive to
a speedy location of the buffalo. they
fastened off into the bush. Break
fast and lunch was just about to be
served when the boys" came run
ming back to announce that they had
| found the wounded buffalo lying in
the long grass near the river SO
much good luck had been hoped for,
but hardly expected
Graetz and Fiere rose eXcitedly to
their feet and got their rifles. They
were only just in time, for at that
moment the high grass parted right
in front of the former, and the ami
NAL dashed out. making straight for
the German He fired, and at the
same time Fiere fired also. so thar
the two rifle reports sounded as one.
Graetz sprang to one side to escape
the furious charge of the maddened
animal AS he did so, his foot caught
in the long grass and he fell on his
knees. 1t proved his salvation. If he
had remained upright he would have
been impaled upon the sharp and
cruel points of the buffalo's wide
sweeping horns.
Snorting with extreme fury, the
huge beast nosed under the lieuten
the ground, trying to toss him. Al
last Graetz sprang to his feet and
chung with all his strength to the
horns of the beast. in the vain hope
that, severely wounded as the buffalo
was, he might give way before his
own strength or that Fiere might
get chance for a second shot. For
a few brief minutes, which seemed
hours to Graetz, man and beast pitted
their strength against each others
The huge denizen of the forests was
rapidly firing from loss of blood, but
Graetz was no match for the strength
of the enormous beast 1t all hap
pened in a few minutes; the buffalo
tried to shake the man off. and. as
he flung his shaggy head from side to
side, the point of his left horn pierced
its way deep into Graetz's right
cheek He cried out with pain and
then felt himself suddenly hurled up
ward into the air and consciousness
left him.
In the meantime. Fiere had come
CALAMITY to his companions rescue
unmindful of his own danger He
fired. but succeeded only in makine
the buffalo more Infatuated The say
age beast turned rapidly upon him
and tossed him repeatedly into the
air. tearing his body dreadfullv
Then. as If worn out with its ter
rife efforts to avenge the attack or
itself the buffalo toppled over deaC
beside the bodies of its foes.
In a recent letter Graetz himself
best describes what happened next
His account is graphic, yet simply
worded. narrative of heroic resource
fitness In my travels in Africa
have met two men-Col Eric Smith
of the Horse Guards, and Mr. Ben
iamin Eastwood the chief accouutan
of the Uganda railway-who have
actually amputated their own arm!
when dire necessity demanded it, bu
can conceive of nothing more cour
ageous than Lieutenant Graetz's owl
self-accomplished surgery Far from
medical aid, with his companion il
misfortune gored to the point o
death. suffering indescribable agony
Graetz acted eXpeditiously and savet
his own life by his ready courage.
In the days when anesthetics wer,
an unknown quantity. men and won
en- had perforce to bear all name
of operations with remarkable fort
tude. But we were a harder rae,
then. Civilization has weakened on
bodies and we are unable to endur
pain as did our forefathers Yet {,
be able to amputate an arm or sew u,
terrible wounds for oneself is a thin
that was rarely done in the past ages
In Africa, it is not an uncommon
thing. It seems only fitting that. in
country where the natives themselve
bear pain with stoical indifference
the white man. who exists safely onl