The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1913-05-17


sessed by an all-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 4 Temporary
halt. 1t was after midday. Graetz
decided to have the motor-launch
brought up to them and 4 man was
sent back to get 1t. 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 II not
an infrequent occurrence in African
travel, and the two men we're accus-
toned TO It,
While the meal was under prepara-
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
speedy location of the buffalo. they
fastened of 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, 30 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 his foot caught
In the long grass and he fell on his
knees. 1t proved his salvation. II 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 prostrate 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 chance for a second shot. For
a few brief minutes, which seemed
hours to Graetz, nan 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. It all hap
pened In 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
gallantly to his companions rescue.
unmindful Of his own danger He
fired but succeeded only in making
the buffalo more infuriated. The saw
age beast turned rapidly upon him
and tossed him repeatedly into the
air. tearing his body dreadfully.
Then. as II worn out with its ter
rife efforts to avenge the attack on
itself. the buffalo toppled over dead
beside the bodies of its 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
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 1t, but
I 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 wom-
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
rsuais. L.