Evening star., 1924-09-14

HERE in this old lake bottom,
where the waves of Lake Ed
ward and Lake Kivu once met in
sisterly union. lay the animals para
disc. Water they found in the Ruindi
and in the occasional pools, pastures
in the dry, coarse grass that seems
unsuitable for fodder. but is all the
;ame the favorite food of all the.
hungry mouths.
Antelopes are in the majority
alone, in pairs. in flocks, in herds OF
hundreds of heads. You positively
cannot take a step without seeing
new heads popping up.
In single fi'e the terrifying and
ugly wart hogs run with their curly
tails raised stif1y in the air. If they
are not nosing for food under some
bush, and in the evening the shy
bush buck peeps out of his hiding
place Baboons and monkeys chat
away the hours in the thickets along
the river. Storks, vultures, eagles
ard other birds of prey make dizzy
s~oops in the air, which vlbrates
with the heat.
In the forest the buffaloes lead
their shy life. Originally an animal
Of the open steppes, they have slowly
withdrawn in splendid isolation since
they have observed that man has be-
gun mercilessly to pursue them.
Even the elephants pay call now
and then. but keep mostly upon the
slopes of the adjacent mountains.
Finally, the lions and leopards live
in the ravineS in ose proximity 10
those marauders of the night, hyenas
and jackals. They are responsible
for the movement on the SteppeS
after sunset and they force the kobs
and the topi always to keep a sharp
look -out. so that they dare not sleep
with more than one eye closed.
otherwise, woe to them!
The country and the fauna within
these frontiers are really so typical
of primitive Africa that it would be,
a pity if they in any way lost their
character, and it is to be observed
that the district is the only one
really rich in game still existing in
this part of Central Africa.
All shooting should be forbidden
and preferably competent super
intendent should live on the spot
and keep the beasts of prey in check
(both the two-legged and the four
Legged. For some few years to
come there is probably no danger OF
the game being eXterminated. But
the more communications are deVei-
oped the greater the risk from mans
Strengthening and mere shooting for
shooting's sake. If measures are not
taken in time l am afraid the dis
trict will share the fate of SO MANY
other similar places; it will become
deserted and abandoned. And that
would be a crime against all life and
nature.
One day was, on the whole, very
much like another. Only the game
varied. And so did the situations.
During the light hours of the day
you shot food, built bona" or
made blood and when eve
ming came we crept into our primi-
tive little hut made of twigs, listened
to the sounds of the night. waited
for lions and stared in the intervals
up at the twinkling stars in the sky.
What then shall l talk about"
How the first lion fell one morning
at sunrise after having bravely de-
Tended it's life? How 15 of them
came after carrion at o'clock one
evening, and how in order to get
peace at last we shot eight before
the last one in pure fright jumped
at the barrel of my rife?
How an old wounded male lion
played hide and seek in ravine.
where we fell among millions OF
inch-long migrating ants and had to
give up the pursuit and tear the
clothes off our bodies instead and
pick each other clean from the sting
ing and biting insects, whose strong
jaws took away a piece of skin every
time one was removed?
Or how wounded buffalo. which
attacked US in a mad onrush was
overthroWn just when the tips OF his
horns were only a few yards distant
from his slayer and how the latter
.,lI -nf n l. I,I I, n
Out there in the wilderness the
problem of life or death is simplified
extremely. You are confronted with
i, almost every day, and in the end
you do not react to it any longer.
Let those who so choose boast of