The Belding banner-news., 1921-10-12
LETTER COMES
FROM THE JUNGLES
OF So. AFRICA
LOCAL MAN WAS VERY GLAD TO
SEE REAR END OF LEOPARD
AS ANIMAL DISAPPEARED

Mrs. Hite Hall recently received
the following letter from her brother
Andrew Johnson, well known local
man who left here with his wife,
daughter and son-in-law, for South
Africa about a year ago. Mr.. john
son or ginally planned on staying in
Africa for a year but has concluded
to stay until next spring before
coming back to the best country on
earth.
His very interesting letter is as
follows and We are certain that the
many frient of Mr.. and Mrs. john
son in this community will be glad
to read it.
Wednesday, Aug. IT, 1921.
Dear Sister, brother and all:
Well, here / am once more.
Well, as | don't hear from you / will
write once more, to let you know we
are all well and hope this finds you
the same.
Well, tomorrow it will be one year
since we landed in Cape Town, S. A.
We have saw a lot of sights since
that time We did think of coming
back this fall but the children think
we are foolish to think of coming in
the fall as it would be so cold by
the time we would get there, so /
guess we will stay here until some
time in March or April and then we
will start for the good old u. S. A.
once more. the land of the free and
home of the brave, ha. ha. Well /
suppose everything is looking fine
there now. Everything is dead and
brown out here as yet, as the spring
has just commenced now, the rain
has not come vet, some say if we
cont get rain about the Goth Of this
month we won't get it until the goth
of next month. 1t is very dry now
don't know what it will be like by
then. Haven't seen cloud since
don't know when, just bright sun
shine and lots Of red dust in the air
all the time, if the wind blows. Well
| have got the trees all trimmed and
have just fin shed spraying the sec
one time, the blossoms are just start
ing to show up and they look fine.
Well, Hite, / thought Of you every
day and how | did wish you was there
to take shot at some of those large
book that would go bounding away
after | had dropped one or two of
Their pals. There would be from so
to 100 that would go bounding off
like rubber ball, then | would think
what sport you could have if you was
with me. l had the best time of
my life so far as shooting is concern
ed. There was all kinds of book: Roy
book, Spring book, Book Dykes, I'M
palor, Kudo. The ku6o is as large
as an OK. the Roy book are next in
size, of which l got five. | got "a in
all, some are very small. | also got
over 200 birds of all kinds.
Such as Guinney fowls, phesants,
carron, this bird is nearly as large
as an ostrich, this one weighed S3 1-2
pounds. Some bird to carry over 5
miles, one is plenty at one trip.
Also shot l bird called Secretary
Bird which is also very large BIRD.
they destroy those very large snakes,
they catch them, fly straight up,
very high then crop the snake and
if that doesn't kill him they repeat.
Well, Denny is working hard every
day and has all he can do and have
been having the time of my life on
a shooting trip. That is all about
book and birds, until | come home,
then | will tell you the whole story.
| also shot a crocodile feet long,
saw lots more but last of all, as I
sat watching some monkeys playing
in and around a tree, there to my
surpr sc, came a leopard that stood
about 3 feet in height and 8 or 9 feet
in length, with four rods of me.
was armed with my repeating shot
gun with No. shot. Ny heart
pounded on my jaw until it was sore
for week, my hair stood straight
up. Don't know as it is straight yet,
anyway / was darn badly scared, but
it didn't last long The monkeys flew
and the leopard followed. Andrew
and, were darn glad to see the rear
end of him as he disappeared in the
tall grass. | went to examine the
track and it was as large as my
hand, this was on the junction of
two rivers, the Mahadapye and Croc-
adile rivers and is 45 miles from the
railroad and 500 miles from Johan-
nesburg, northwest, which is in the
Bechvanaland which is not far from
the Kalahari desert. You can find it
on the map. Well, / was up there
five weeks and saw more wild beasts
of all kinds than / ever heard Of be-
fore and saw lots / never expect to
see again.
was invited to go there by some
friends by the name of Jovsse. they
live in Irenia, that is between here
and Pretoria. i met them here, they