The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1913-05-16

thought lutte OF tQdC- Iuey were pos
sessed by an alI-powerful lust for the
blood of this new mammoth of the
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 a wounded quarry until he
has killed it.
AT last, after six hours of fruitless
search. nature demanded 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 satisfying lunch for the
tired and famfshed hunters. Break
fast and lunch would have to be
merged into one meal. This Is not
an fnfrequent occurrence in African
travel, and the tvs men were accus-
toned to 1T.
While the meal was under prepare
ton, Graetz sent three of the 'boys"
to search further for the wounded
buffalo, for he was positive that It
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
CT Il
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 10
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 that
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, hist foot caught
|
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-
ant, who was now lying PROSTATE on
the ground, trying to toss him. At
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 a chance for 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 making
the buffalo more Infatuated. The saw
age beast turned rapidly upon him
and tossed him repeatedly into the
air. tearing his body dreadfully.
Then, as if worn out with it's ter
rife efforts to avenge the attack on
itself. the buffalo toppled over dead
beside the bodies of it's foes.
In recent letter Graetz himself
, best describes what happened next.
His account is graphic, yet simply
, worded, narrative of heroic resource
fulness. In my travels in Africa I
? have met two men-Col Eric Smith
of the Horse Guards, and Mr. Ben
, jamin Eastwood, the chief accountant
of the Uganda railway-who have
actually amputated their own arms
, when dire necessity demanded it, but
| can conceive of nothing more cour-
ageous than Lieutenant Graetz's own
self-accomplished surgery Far from
, medical aid, with his companion in
misfortune gored to the point of
death, suffering indescribable agony,
Graetz acted expeditiously and saved
, his own life by his ready courage.
In the days when anesthetics were
} an unknown quantity, men and WON
J en- had perforce to bear all manner
of operations with remarkable forti-
: tude. But we were a harder race
then. Civilization has weakened our
| bodies and we are unable to endure
, pain as did our forefathers. Yet to
be able to amputate an arm or sew up
terrible wounds for oneself is a thing
that was rarely done in the past ages.
, In Africa. 1t is not an uncommon
: thing 1t seems only fitting that. in a
country where the natives themselves
| bear pain with stoical indifference.
the white man. who exists safely only
| by his own proof of being a superior
being. should show the same wonder
| full bravery.
Il awoke" writes Graetz. when suf-
So.