The Washington times., 1922-05-14
BIG dAhEffUNTER
SIGNS FILM
CONTRACT
Harry K. Eustace, African Ex-
piorsr, to Show Pictures Of
Stirring Adventures In Dark
Continent Here.

explorer. and big game
hunter. who IL visiting New York
Tor the first time. has signed con-
tracts with Robert w. Priest.
theatrical and motion picture man.
sger. covering the worlds rights
20 the many thousands Of feet Of
motion picture films which he
took Of his explorations and ad-
ventures in the jungles Of the
Dark Continent.
Mr.. Priest. IL may DO recorded,
% the man who introduced the
wonderful Captain Scott's South
Polar pictures to tho world i'm.
= mediatsley after the discovery Of
Captain scott's body In the little
tent OF death on the great ice
barrier.
In announcing the acquisition
OF the Eustace adventure films,
which are conceded by all wEo
have seen them to be the best
from Photographic and closeup
point Of view Of ferocious wild
beasts in jungle Businesses ever
obtained, Mr.. Priest states that he
win shortly present them with q
well-known lecturer at one Of the
principal Broadway theaters. In
the meantime. Mr.. Eustace, who
was made q Fellow Of the Royal
Geological Society OF London in
1916. and who IL . reconteur of
worldwide fame, will make a few
personal appearances before GER
tain scientific bodies In this coun-
try. and incidentally describe son.e
Of his hair-raising experiences
with the savage natives and wild
beasts Of the forest. Later Mr..
Priest intends presenting the films
in London and other Continental
cities. where Mr.. Eustace enjoys
tremendous popularity.
The story Of Harry K. Eustace's
Life reads like a page Of fiction
from some thrilling romance of ad-
venture. He is q picturesque
character. standing over six feet
In height, and with a massive, yet
wtrey frame. He may truthfully
be termed the dean Of big game
hunters and explorers Of the Dark
Continent. a. he went into the
jungle some twenty-seven years
ago. at the immature age Of seven
teen years. Beginning AZ q COL
iector Of ivory. he gradually ven
tured into depths of the Jungle
never befors penetrated by any
white man.
Fortune was not particularly
hind to him until one eventful
day when he stumbled. quite by
chance, upon an elephant pit In
which reposed the bleached skels-
ton Of q huge elephant with the
tusks intact. Mr.. Eustacs was al.
most broke at the time. 10 he re-
turned to the outskirts OF civilixa-
ton, where he earned q few dol.
lars with which he purchased
bright trtnkets. He then went
back and traded the trinkets for
the carcass and engaged some of
the natives TO help remove the
tusks and portage them back to
the coast, where he sold them
Tor $500.
Commenting upon the "happy
hunting grounds" phase Of the
African exploits. Mr.. Eustace re-
marked reminiscently: up to a
few years ago, finding tho ele-
phant burial ground was my big
ambition. as It has been that Of
practically every man who has
hunted big game In Africa. No
one has ever found the carcass or
skeleton OF an elephant that had
died Of disease or old age. For
that reason II has generally been
believed that some as yet undis-
covered valley or extinct volcano
crater 10 the spot to which the
aged and sick elephants retro 10
die. Such a place, the burial
= ground Of generations OF ele-
plants, would be a vast storehouse
of ivory. worth untold wealth.
But there Is no such place"
"I gave up my search for this
rainbow's end when ! encountered
an elephant carcass in a swamp.
II then occurred to me that here
In the swamp was the explanation
and facts Of the graveyard Of the
animal world. The aged elephant.
Like the aged human. seeks COM
fort. The aged elephant. there
fore, goes into the jungle swamps,
where luxuriant vegetation af-
fords plentiful food close at hand.
He no longer remembers, as In his
youth, to test the ground ahead
with his trunk to determine it's
firmnsss before trusting his
weight on It. He steps forward
and sinks IN. For a time he sur.
wives on such food vas may be
within reach Of his trunk. Later.
decomposition causes the skin to
rot. Then the birds pick his bones
until NJ laat ALL that In left NJ hin,