The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-11
BY w. B. MCCORMICK.

Of the Life Of Frederick Courtehdy
.Selous, d. s. o., Capt. 25th Royal Fast
Ters. For it is not ~ man who entered
fine military service of his country when
he was 6 wears old and was killed in ac-
ton nearly two years later that Selous
will be remembered, but as hunter OF
biz game. chiefly in Africa, and writer
of books on shooting and natural history.
And il is all the more curious that Mlllals
should have elected to link Selous's brief
military career with the title of his
formal biography, since he was lifelong
friend of the big game hunter and
knows better than most men how really
important SeIous's life work was as
naturalist and one Of the real empire
builders of Great Britain.
To write "life" of Selous was a com
paratively easy task. He wrote much
himself. and in such works as A Hunters
Wauderinas, TrdreI and Adventure IN
South East Africa and Sunshine and
Storm in RhodeSid he gives countless de-
tails of his adventures, expresses his opln-
ions of men and things freely and en-
ables his biographer (if he had no other
knowledge Of his subject) to learn how
prefound was Selous's information as to
the habits Of the game he hunted. More
over, Selous wrote for a boys paper a
story of his own youth at school that IS
an open window TO the soul OF the lad
who never grew up, so far as love OF ad-
venture, hunting and outdoor life was
concerned. In addition to this, Millais
had the advantage of incorporating IN
his pages personal "reminiscences of mem
bers of SeIous's family and friends, con-
tributions that belong to school OF bl-
ography writing of an Older day but
which add much TO the warm humanity
Of the pages.
The DAYS of Selous were divided into
two parts, from 1871, when, at the age
of twenty years he landed at Algoa Bay,
Africa, until 1915, when he went to East
Africa TO fight for his country in the
land he knew best. Less than two years
later. on January 4, 1917, he fell, shot
through the head by a German bullet
while out in advance Of his men study
ing the movements of the enemy. The
privilege is given to few men to go into
their cOuntry's army at the age OF "a and
TO die calamity in action as Selous did.
But that his military career was not the
great thing in his life, is shown by the
incident related BY Col. R. Memertz7
hagen of the British staff in East Africa
at that time. Selous and the Colonel
were old time friends, and the staff OIL
Ger was passionately interested in natu-
raj history. When they met at the first
inspection of the Royal Fusiliers, after
the arrival in East Africa, Selous was
standing at attention in front Of his pla-
toon. The Colonel and Selous were soon
deep in discussion of hartebeests and
harlequin ducks. 1--WE both forgot we
were on parade, much TO the amusement
of Selous's platoon, who still stood
rigidly 70 attention throughout the dis
cussion"
To Selous, Africa was like an 'idee
fye" from his very earliest years, his sis
fer thinking that the passion must have
come down to Frederick from one of his
mothers ancestors named Bruce, who was
an Abyssinian explorer. He read all the
books on Africa he could find, announced
in his ninth year that he was 'going TO
be hunter in Africa" and made his first
acquaintance with people who knew that
land, family from Natal, when at IL
he was in Wiesbaden preparing himself
to become medical student. But he only
went TO the University College Hospital
in London for three months, and that ITO
gain some knowledge of medical science
preparatory 10 going TO Africa" Selous
saw Africa as a big game hunter from
the days before that sport knew anything
ILL "a. ,,rasopt rorfacf earavanc "nqr-