The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-04-15

Here, this Is a good elephant yarn
exclaimed Bishop w. r. Lambuth of
Nashville yesterday afternoon. breaking
lions In the Belgian Congo. when my
companion and I were returning to- civil
ization after having been in the wilds for
seven months we descended the Kasai
river in little steamer named the Lap
sley, after the pioneer of the Presbyterian
mission at Luebo, who, by the way, was
born and reared in Admission.
.'one day Captain Scott called my at
tention to small inlet. DO you wish
to see some elephants?' he asked.
answered in the affirmative and taking
my field glasses I was enabled to see
five big beasts quite plainly.
81 will never forget that particular
inlet said Captain Scott, who appeared
to be in a reminiscent mood. One day
several years ago when I was bound
down the river my wood ran out and /
tied up there and sent my 80 woodchop-
pers into the interior to cut wood, not
knowing that this was a watering place
for wild animals. These choppers worked
from 4:30 until o'clock, two hours by
torchlight. They cut several cords of
wood and piled it up.
About o'clock one of the choppers
came running to me while l was eating
supper on board the vessel and cried
out that one of the elephants was coming
aboard. 1t seems that one of the big
beasts had come down to drink earlier
than their usual time, o'clock in the
morning, and finding our wood had tram
pied it to pieces. One of the men had a
pet goat and had taken him ashore and
tethered it on the bank. The elephant
found this and trampled it to DEATH II
then discovered the anchor and attempt
ed to demolsh this, but failed. Angered
the elephant rushed toward the gang
plank, which was the bottom of an old
canoe and quite strong enough to have
supported his weight, and had his front
feet on the plank in the act of rushing
aboard when I appeared on the scene.
1 had been little incredulous when
the servant had said that the elephant
was coming aboard, but had seized a
nsaaket and rushed up on deck. I was
CONFRONTED by small mountain of angry
elephant. The animal had his trunk
raised Nigh and his mouth wide open.
There was nothing for me to do but
sUm the barrel of my musket down his
mouth, which l did and emptied both
barrels. One of the bullets ranged up
through the brain, the elephant stag.
gered, lost his balance, and fell Off the
plank into IA feet of water and was
drowned. The next day the natives dived
down and got chains around his body and
it was raised. They cut his flesh into
steaks and chopped out his tusks for
ivory.
And when I got down the river the
Belgian officials arrested me for shooting
elephants without q license and I had q
terrible time getting free!'
Bishop Lambnth chuclxled and asked
Good yarn. ISN'T it?" and then went
on to tell more of his experiences in
pioneering for a Methodist mission in
Africa Bishop Lambuth was in the
interior. accompanied by John w. Gill
bert, negro Instructor in the Paine
college for negroes at Augusta, Ga.
He left Banana, the mouth of the Congo
river, on November 2, 1911, and re-
turned there In May, 1912. During the
seven months he and his companion
Travelled over 1000 miles, principally
on foot through the heart Of the jungle.
They visited over SO chiefs and 200
villages
Bishop Lambuth, who is also a ply
sciian. treated 600 or more patients,
among whom were Roman Catholic
priests. Belgian officials, soldiers and
natives. lie even combatted the sleep
ing sickness. caused by the bite of the
Isetse fly. and the most dreaded
scourge of the African continent. The
King of Belgium has offered a re-
ward of $4,000 to anyone who will
discover a cure for this disease. Bishop
Lambuth carried his medicine in tab
loid form and found this to be very
etfective He also had a set of sur
eical instruments with him and often
was forced to lance the sores on the
shoulders of the men in the caravan
caused by carrying heavy burdens, the
boxes on which the life of the party
we reached Banana at the mouth Of
me congo river on November 2" said
Bishop Lambuth yesterday in speak
ing OF his adventures In connection
with his African trip. .From there we
went up the Congo river to Bona. the
residence Of the governor general OF
the Belgian Congo. found conditions
IN the Congo much Improved but stu
pitiapie. From Bona we went to Ma
tadi. where we left the river and trav-
eled Tor two days on a narrow gagged
railway 70 stanley Pool.
we WDHD (0Fmn0 m travel in the day.