Dr. Schillings' Zoological Expedition in East Africa

/
/
! r
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LX LIBRIS
ERNEST ALAN VAN VLECK
^.'^^j^^L^
LIBRARY
OF
THE
AMERICAN
MUSEUM
OF
NATURAL
HISTORY
WITH FLASHLIGHT AND RIFLE
VOL. I
cXJ-e^.
c
WITH FLASHLIGHT
AND RIFLE
A RECORD OF HUNTING ADVENTURES
^
AND OF STUDIES IN WILD LIFE IN
EQUATORIAL EAST AFRICA BY
C. G. SCHILLINGS
TRANSLATED BY
FREDERIC WHYTE
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY
SIR H. H. JOHNSTON, G.C.M.G., K.C.B.
ILLUSTRATED WITH 302 OF THE AUTHORS UNTOUCHED"
PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY DAY AND NIGHT
VOL. I
London : HLTCHINSON AND CO.
PATERNOSTER ROW
1906
3i<-i"i'l-'U- e'i-- ou^ "V-
i^^^
[Cj
/
TO
M V F R I E N D
HERNY SUERMONDT
I
DEDICATE
THIS BOOK
i*5
''
A HULL GIRAFFE OX THE ',"/ Virii
Author^s Preface
THI'^,
illustnitions in this book, with a very few
exceptions, which are indicated, have been repro-
duced from the oricrinal photographs taken by myself.
Dr. LudwiL;- Heck, in the course of his
appreciative
introduction to the German edition, refers to these
photooTa})hs as Natururkuudcii certificated records, as
it were, of the scenes trom wild life therein
depicted.
And the fact that they are absolutely free from "re-
touching" of any kind will be held to justify him in the
use of that term. Absolutely the only photograph that
has been worked up in any way is the one (on
p.
393)
of two lions attacking an ox. The negatix'e of this
was damaged while I was developing it. I have
described elsewhere the feeling of satisfaction
with
which, six months afterwards, I received a telegram
fVom the Fatherland to announce that it was o-crettct
restored !
My pictures may be classified as (i) ordinary photo-
graphs taken by daylight at varying ranges;
(2)
those
taken with a telephoto-lens
; (3)
those taken at night
time by flashlight.
ix
b
Author's Prcfcicc
-;
'J he /c/c/if/o/o
fûi
lives shall III not he held loo close la
Ihe eye. To v,el ihei/i iiilo foeiis, so lo s/êah, Ihe reader
shoii/d hold Iheiii al cirm s lem^lh.
h- * * * *
Conspicuous anionu^ th()S{! to whom I owe u;rat<-lul
ackiKnvlcdL^niL'iUs tor (^ncoura^cincnl and assislaiu (^ in
connection with my work arc! thc-" lollowiiiL;" : I )uke
[oliami y\ll)rcchl ot MccklcnljurL;' ; the I )uk(; of l\aiiljor
;
Prnice kailcnlxr^
;
Prince I'ran/ Arcnljcri^
; I'rcihcrr
von Richthotcn ; 1 )r. Staled; Count (j()t/.cn; IIcit \-on
Sodcn; I'rcihcrr \'on \'arnl)ulcr. Count xon llohdithal
imd Dcr^cn
;
I'rcihcrr xon Ixcischach
;
llcrr \(in Plato;
Count 1>)
landt- Khcndt
; my uncle P ield-Marshal Ritter
von l\eil ; 1 )r. MocPius; Dr. 'I hid
;
Major Ihicl
;
Prolessor l.am|)ert; Pi'olessor von Sicmdachncr
; lion.
Walter koihschild ; I )r. IC Ilarlert; Mr. Pitler Porenz
\'()n JaPurnau; Prolessor \ OIkens ; Prolosor 1 ornier
;
I )r. ( d imleld ;
i'rofcssor L. C. Neumann-'l (nilouse ; and
I P'l'r ( )scar Neumann.
Dr. A.
Peiclicnow and i'rofcssor i\Pitschi(! have
su|)|)orted m<: in the kindest and most Iriendly wa}- lor
yeai"s past, and I must single them out tor special thanks.
Herr ( ioerz has also keen inlimatcK' conn('ctc(l w a h my
enter|)rise thnju^h his ^cmerosity in îviiiL;' me lacililies
lor pciiectiiiLj mv
photoLjraphic (!(|uipm<'nt m his optical
estaPlishnu lit. I .\\\\ indcPlcd also in an extreme dcLiTce
to m\ friends IPrr lleiir\ .Suermondi, \)v. Pudwij^
Meek, I )r. Kmistler (who went dn'ouL;h some Pail tiiiU'S
with me (111 in\- expeditions), and, lm,ill\-,
<
aplain Merker,
who lurlhered m\ plans and assisted me in every way.
-^
A III hoi's Preface
Without C;i|)l;iln Mcrkcr's \aliial)l('
"
CxiktI
"
adx'Icc; I
should hardly h.ivc hccMi ahK; to cavvv out my journeys;
and (hii'iuL;' my s('vcro ilhicss in i<)()2 he look some
c'apital photographs with my tclcpholo-hais, live, ol
which arc inchidcd in diis work.
\)y. I^-L^vk Dr. C.roolhutcu, and \)r. Phihips, I Icrr
Warnholl/ and I Icrr Meyer, I'rolessor Schwcmlurlh,
I )r. kichard Kant, and Messrs. Louis l)raemann, hClix
Schiill, Allrcd Kaiser, C_ . W. Ilohlcy, and Tomkins (to
whose L;'real kmdness I hav<; relcrrcd on
p. 672), and
Captain von d<r Warvvitz have- also cirncd my !j;ratitude
in \âla"ous ways.
*****
In s|)ile ot m\' hest cndcaNours, this work will he
found to have man\ laults : I can onl\ hope dial my
r<-adcrs will lu- m(i'( ilul Ui ilicm. I Imd pholoîMphinj^
lions an (.:asier matter than wrilin^ kooks
'
C. G. SLllllddNCS.
GiiKZi'.Mi II i:ki 1)1 Ki-.N, (Jkkmanv.
Ndti;. -'i'h.inks air due Ikuii tin- liaiislalor to Mr. W. von
KnoIiLincli, ulm li;is kindls' icail llir piools for him; and lo Mr. K.
l.ydckkcr, who h;i,s revised ihc spcdlinn of :ill die /ocdoîca! and
geograijliical luune.s.
XI
itv
. ^* - .

Introduction
CONSCIOUSLY
or unconsciously, Herr Schillings
has followed in th(' fo(jtstcps of Mr. Kdvvard North
Buxton, who was the hrst sportsman of roputo havinc^
the courajô to stand u[j before* a sncjhhish public and
proclaim that th(* best sport for a man ol cultivated mind
is the snapshcjtting with the c.amera (with or withcjut the
tel(q)hot(j^raphic h-ns), rather than the pumping- of lead
into elephants, rhin(Jceroses, antelopes, zebras, and many
other harmlf'ss, beautiful, or rare b(jasts and birds. if
any naturalist-explorer previously d(q)recated the irightiul
devastation which followed in the track of British sports-
men, and a few American, Russian, German, or Hungarian
imitators, it was thought that he did so because he was
a bad shcjt, or lack('d the necessary courage to fire at a
dangerous beast. Mr. Ikjxton, however, had proved his
manhood (so to speak) in the many sporting adventures
which preceded his conversion. Therefore people have
listened to him, and the way has been paved for such
a work as that of Herr Schillings.
xiii
Introduction
->
This is the sportsmanship of the future. The
present writer does not mean to say that he or any
other exi)lorer, when and if they visited Africa, would
not still use every opjjortunity of ol)taining good
specimens of rare wild beasts, birds, and reptiles for
our museums, and most of all for the information of
zoologists, who must perforce carr)- on many of their
studies within the pale of civilisation. Neither does
the writer ot this Introduction condemn the killing of
leopards, lions, hyaenas, jackals, hipp()j)otamuses, or
elephants

at any rate in moderation

where they
become really dangerous to human beings, to the
keeping of domestic animals, or to the maintenance of
cLiltivated crops.
Rut these concessions do not cover, excuse, or indem-
nify the ravages of Iuiroi)ean and American sportsmen,
which are still one of the greatest blots on our twentieth-
century civilisation.
Herr Schillings refers to the case of the late I )r. Kolb,
a German who came out to I)ritish East Africa in con-
nection with a Utopian undertaking called
"
hreeland,"
and who, when his jjolitical scheme Ijecame impossible,
ai)plied himself to the reckless slaughter of the big game
of British East Africa. In the course of two or three
years he had slain f)r no useful ])urposc whatcxcrone
hundred and ti(l\- rhinoceroses (a companion killed one
hundred and foi't) more), c-ach on(; being a tar more-
interesting mammal than himself .\t the <-nd ot this
career of slaughter, a rhinoceros killed him
pc;rhaps
approj)riately.
X i
\-
'
Introduction
In spite of game regulations and the creation of
game-reserves (to which admission can generally be
obtained through the; exercise of special influence, some-
times rightly exercised in the cause of science), one has
only to look through the cokmins of "Society" infor-
mation in the London weekly and daily press to realise
that this work of wanton destruction of the big game
of tropical Africa is still going on at a considerable rate.
It seems to be still the accepted panacea in British or
Continental society that a young or a middle-aged man,
who has been crossed in love, or has fiorured in the
Divorce Court, or in some way requires to fairc peau
iiciii'e, must go out to Africa and kill big game. Make
ii note of the names mentioned it you will, and inquire
twelve months afterwards what has become of the
creatures thus destroyed. Many of the trophies, after
the carriers of the expedition had feasted on the flesh
of the slain, were ultimately abandoned on the line of
march as being too heavy to carry. Even those that
reached the home of the sportsman were ultimately
relegated to obscurity, and did not add to our zoological
information. In short, there is very little set-oft' in
gain to the world's knowledge for the destruction of
one of Africa's most valuable assetsits marvellous
Mammalian fauna. A Schillings, a Lord Delamere, a
Major Powell Cotton, a Delme Radclifte, a Sydney
Hinde, or a Carlos d'Erlanger may kill a relatively
large number of beasts and birds in their sporting ad-
ventures
;
but
-if one may put it thusevery shot tells.

All the persons namedto say nothing of Mr. E. N.
XV
Introduction
-^
Buxton and others recently at work in Northern Nigeria
have killed with discretion and strict moderation, and

with the definite object of increasing our store of know-
ledge and enriching the national collections, while they
have accompanied their cautious toll of the African fauna
by valuable studies
generally photographicof the

animals' life-habits.
It is not against the actons of such men as these that
Herr Schillings or the writer of this Introduction raises
any protest ; it is against the idea that the destruction
of the African fiuna is part of a fashionable man's
education, against the damage done by a hundred obscure
shooters that the protest is necessary. For this reason
public opinion should strengthen as far as possible the
wise action of Governments in protecting the world's
fauna all the world over, wherever the creatures thus
protected do not come into too dangerous competition
with the welfare of human Ijeings. Moreover, it is
for the welfare of humanity in general that this plea is
entered. The world will become very uninteresting
if man and his few domestic animals, together with
the rat, mouse, and sparrow, are its only inhabitants
amongst the land vertebrates. Man's interests must
come first, but those very interests demand food for
the intellect. .EstheticalU', the egret, toucan, bird of
paradise, grebe, sal)l(', chinchilla, and fur-seal are as
important as the well-dressed woman, d he vipc-r, lion,
tiger, croccjclile, wolf \-ulture, and rhinoceros ha\-e all
their j)laces to till in our world-picture. Ihey are
amaziniJ^lv interesting", and therefore their destruction
xvi
Introduction
should only be carried out to the degree of keeping
them in their proper sphere.
I his lesson that we are learning in Atrica ai)plies
also at home, where we should learn to value the natural
beauties ot our home scenery, especially its own ni-
dk'idita/ity. It should be made illegal t(j carry on the
worship of the pheasant (a toothsome and a beautiful
bird, but not a true native) at the expense of the lives
of owls and stoats and weasels that are true British
subjects, and without which our landscapes lose part ot
their national character. The otter is cjuite as valuable
as the salmon ; the fox is not more worthy ot encourage-
ment than the wild swan. A nice bahmce must be struck
;
and our clergy must inveigh against the national sin
of scattering greasy paper over the loveliest nooks ot
English scenery.
We have not yet reached the greasy-paper outrage
in the African wilderness ; but, as Herr .Schillings })()ints
out, the Atrican tauna is rapidly tlisapijearing betore
the uncontrolled attacks of man. Me is quite right to
lay stress on this important fict, that all the wrong-doing
does not rest with the white man. The Negro or the
Negroid, armed with the white man's weapons, is carrying-
on an even more senseless work ot de\astation. I he
present writer has witnessed in East Atrica troops ot
uncontrolled Somali adventurers, and .Svvahilis trom the
coast, led by Goanese, in\ading the wilder districts ot
East AtVica, and slaughtering beîsts bv hundreds and
even thousands tor their meat, horns, tusks, and, above
all, their hides. It is an irony which has entered into
xvii
Introduction
-)
the soul of Major Powell Cotton, that, while the institu-
tion of the game-reser\e rigidly excludes the cautious
European naturalist from the killing of one
"
protected
"
bird or beast, in and out of that reserve At'riccUi natives
or half-castes apparently pursue their game-destruction
unchecked. 7 he reason ot this is want of money to pay
for close supervision and gamekeeping. These African
Protectorates and Colonies, under no matter what Bag,
are poor. They yield as yet a local revenue which leaves
ii considerable gap when compared with their narrowest
expenditure. To maintain an efficient control over these
vast game-reserves needs the expenditure, not of a few
hundreds of pounds annually, but of a few thousands. Yet
this control over these future National Parks could be
maintained efficiently for a relatively small sum of money.
Will not the growth of education, the dawning aesthetic
sense amongst the (>overninc{ authorities in Britain, France,
Germany, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, P^gypt, Spain, and
Liberia bring about the pro\ision ot sufficient funds to
preserve for the delight and wonderment of our descendants
the vestiges of the Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene
faima of Alrica ?
It may be said without exaggeration that only one
other such work of real African natural history, as that
in which Ilerr Schillings describes the wild lite ot h.astcrn
I^quatorial Atrica, has hitherto been prcs('nted to the
stay-at-home reatler, and that is Mr. ].
G. Millais'
Jh-ealk froDi the W'ldl. 'Phe writer ot this Introduction
subscribes with pleasure to the remarkable accuracy of
X
\'
i i i
-^
Introduction
Herr Schillings' observations on the habits of the birds
and beasts he mentions and illustrates. With Herr
Schillings it is an illustration of the old nursery story
of Eyes and No Jiycs. It gives one somewhat of a
feeling of shame to think that this quite young man
.should in some seven years have learnt and recorded
more that was true and new about the wild life of East
Africa than has been accomplished by officials, traders,
and explorers, both German and British, of twenty,
fifteen, and ten years' actjuaintance with this part of
Africa. His book is a real
"
Natural History," in the
true sense of the words.
What we require nowadays is the work of the
biologist, the anatomist who can examine and describe
niinutely and accurately the physical characteristics of
living forms. Then, in addition, we want the natural
historian, the individual who can as taithtully and
minutely record the lite-habits of the same creatures
a study quite as im})ortant as that of their anatomy,

and a study in which there is an enormous leeway to
make up. As Herr Schillings points out, until, say, ten
years ago, there was a great inaccuracy and sparsity in
the information given (very often copied by one author
from another) of the lifediabits of wild beasts and birds
in Africa. Either these were not thought worth studying,
or the writer, the explorer, deemed it sufficient to repeat
stories told him l)y the natives, or rash conclusions at
which he had himself arrived after very little evidence.
It is interesting to listen to all that natives can record
of the habits of birds and beasts
;
and yet, although
xix
Introduction
-^
they can tell one many a true detail, they will mix up
the true and the false, the mythical and the labulous>
^s readily as did our forefathers in these British Islands,
who could repeat in one natural-history book after another
the ridiculous story that barnacle-geese were produced
bv
bivalve molluscs, or that swallows hibernated at
the bottoms
of ponds, or that toads were found alive
after bein^' embedded in the rocks for countless centuries.
The natural historian of to-day must be an educated
man, not jumpini^- too rashly at conclusions, and not
even trusting" his own (;yes and ears too imi)licitlv, but
checkinof his information over and over aoain before he
gives it to the world.
The writer of this Introduction has travelled niore widely
and extensively in Africaeven in b.ast Africa than
Herr Schillings ; Ijut his time and attention have often
been occupied by many other matters than natural history.
In his observations, therefore, on the lifediabits of these
East African birds and beasts he willingly retires into
the background,and would in almost all cases subscribe
without cavil to the correctness and \aluc; of Schillings'"
descriptions. He has. however, here and thcrt- \('nturedi
to correct his sijelling of Kast African words, where this,
through oversight or mishearing, has been incorrectly
rendered. I lerr Schillings has not been aljle to exccd in
every brcUich of African research, and has evideiuh' not
studied to any extent the; structure of' the Masai language
(a Nilotic Xegro tongue), or he woultl attach no im-
portanc-e to th(; theory of Captain Merker that the Masai
are a branch of" the Hebrew race. The writer of this
XX
-*
Introduction
Introduction had hoped that at last the lost ten tribes of
Israel had been allowed to rest in peace, and it is a matter
(to him) ot much regret that Captain Merker, who has
written such valuable studies on the tolklore and customs
of the Masai, should have again revived this hobby of
th.e nineteenth century l)y deducing from his observations
that the Masai an ancient mixture of Negro and Gala
are a people of Seniitic origin. The linguistic evidence

to support this theory is valueless, if a careful study is
made ot the other idioms ot the Nilotic Negro peoples.
'I'he slight non- Negro element in the Masai tongue is
<ikin to Somali and Gala, and has either been borrowed
direct trom contact with those peoples ot Hamitic
(Caucasian) stock, or may have arisen from the ancient
fusion of the two races on the Negro borderland. The
Somali and Gala lano-uaQ-es belono- to the Hamitico-Libvan
family, which possibly included the ancient Egyptian
speech ; and this grouj) has an extremely distant con-
nection in its most remote origin with the Semitic
languaoes, of which Hebrew is one of the manv dialects.
The customs of the Masai, which Captain Merker deems
to be particularly Hebrew, are met with in othjr groups of
Nile Negroes, amongst Hamite peoples, South Arabians,
and ancient Egyptians. In venturing to express, very
humbly, his deep appreciation of Herr .Schillings' natural-
history studies, the writer ot this Introduction does not wish
at the same time to endorse the theories attributed to
Captain Merker. These, however, form no essential part
of the most beautiful, accurate, and complete picture of
the East African wilderness which has yet been given to
XXi
Introduction >
us ]))' any writer. This book is equivalent, in the case
of the stay-at-home reader, to a sojourn of six months
amongst the wild animals of the Ethiopian region
;
while
it is bound to produce nosfa/gia in the minds of returned
veterans.
H. H. JOHNSTON.
xxn
Contents of VoL I
III. THE MINDS OF ANIMALS
lY. MASAI- N VI KA .....
V. TO KILIMANJARO WITH rRINCE LOWENSTEIN
VI. BY THE NJIRI
LAKES ....
VII. EVENING ON THE MARSHES .
VIII. I;Y the STREAM .....
IX. THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT
X. ELEPHANT-HUNTING ....
XL RHINOCEROSES .....
XII. CATCHING A YOUNG RHINOCEROS .
xxiii
PAGE
I I. THE TRAGEDY OF CIVILISATION
II. INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPHS OF WILD LIFE 1
6
42
59
9a
I 12
I 20
. 141
. i6cS
204
244
Contents of \\)\. I
CHAP.
XIII. THE
HIPPOPOTAMUS
XIV.
BUFFALOES
AND
CROCODILES
XV.
GIRAFFES .
. .
.
XVI.
ZEliRAS

. .
.
X\TI.
LIONS .
.
XVIII.
A
LION-HUNT
PAGE
o
,26
355
X X 1
\-
List of Illustrations in Vol. I
Froii/ispiciC : Portrait of tlie Anthiir
A Bull Girafie on the (jiii vive .
Euphorl)ia-tree ....
Gnus roaming over the \'elt
Candelabra Euphorbia-trees
Skeleton of a Rhinoceros .
Sonie Reniarkal^le .Specimens of Ele
phant-tusks and Rhinoceros-horns
Elephant Skull and Bones .
Egyptian Geese on the Wing
One of my Cameras .
Orgeich setting the Men to Work
Lioness stealing upon an Ox . 2
My Photographic Equipment
The Effect of the Flashlight
Storks wintering in Masai-Nyika
"Fatima,"' a Young Rhinoceros, anc
her Messmate, the Goat .
Marabous with the Cook .
Tame Birds wandering about the Camj
Marabous and Vultures
A Long Line of Waterspouts
Scene on the Rufu River .
Look-out over Nyika .
Drinking-places in the Rocky District:
of the Velt ....
Typical Bit of Succulent ^'elt Vegeta
tion in the Rainy Season
VOL. L
x.wm
I
34
36
38
40
42
43
45
47
49
X
Kilimanjaro, with the Kaiser Wilhelm
Peak
Bit of the Succulent W-lt with Pyrcii-
aiantha iiialz'ifoli,i ....
P)it of the so-called Thorny "Fruit
(larden'' Velt ....
^^'hite-ant Mill on the \'elt near the
Coast ......
Thorn-l)Ush on the \'elt
Arab Dho\\> .....
Cape Guardafui .....
Askaris being put through their Exer-
cises at Tanga .....
Prince Johannes Liiwenstein and the
Author ......
A Flock of White Storks .
.Storks taking to Flight
Mire-drums and Black-headed Herons
A Pair of Thomson's Gazelles .
Darters ......
Herons ......
A Big Haul of Fish ....
Oryx Antelopes .....
Vultures on the ^^'ing ....
Tantulus Ibises in a Swamp
The Military Station at Moshi .
Egyptian Geese on the Swamps .
The Velt in the Rainy Season . .
XV
c
51
53
55
56
57
59
60
61
64
67
69
71
73
75
77
79
Si
83
85
87
90
91
List of Illustrations
in Vol. I
PAGE
Flamingoes on the Wing . . -9^
A Pelican 94
The Caravan on the Marcli . 95
Cormorants . . . -97
Egyptian Geese 99
Wiltuies
...... 103
Tropical Vegetation near the Coast . 105
Two Huge Pythons .... 106
Marching through Inundated Swamps 107
Vultures
108
Zebras drinking at Night . . .109
Vultures and Marabous fraternising . 112
Kingfishers looking out for Small Fish 113
Marabous and White Storks . -US
A Large Flock of Guinea-fowl . 1
1
7
Crested Cranes in Flight . . .118
Old Bulls acting as Sentries to Herds
of Gnus . . . . . .120
The Author in his Tent . . .121
Bustard in Flight . . . -125
\'ultures . . . . .127
Waterbuck grazing in the Open . .129
A Pair of Large Vultures . . iji
Zebras . . . . . -135
\'elt \'egetation in the Rainy Season . 138
A Lioness and her Prey . . -139
Candelabra Euphorbia-trees . .141
Two Large Bull Elephants. . .143
A Wonderful Elephant-tusk . -145
Armed Natives (" Fundi
'') . . 151
A Caravan Load of Elephant-tusks .
157
Removing the Skin of an Elephant . 165
Distant View of Kilimanjaro . .168
Orgeich and the Carriers preparing an
Elephant-skin . . . -171
Herd of Fleiihants .... 175
Mimosa-trees broken duwn by F,lc-
phants . . . . . -177
Another Instance of a lirnken Mimosa-
tree iSl
A l)iicd-up .Sireani .... 183
X
Elephant Skull and Bones .
A Huge Dead Elephant
Scraping the Bel of a Dried-up Stream
for Water .....
Elephant-tusks .....
Voung Elephant .....
Two Bull Elephants and a Bull Giraffe
Skull of an Elephant ....
\îew on the Njiri Swamps during the
Inundations .....
Rhinoceroses bathing . . . 206.
Remains of a Rhinoceros .
Rhinoceros photographed at a Distance
of 120 Paces .....
Rhinoceros settling down .
Rhinoceros with ISirds on its Back
Rhinoceroses charging
Two Dead Rhinoceroses
Rhinoceros throwing up its Head
Cow Rhinoceros with her Young
l'"our Photographs of Rhinoceroses
under a Tree .... 234.
Dead Cow Rhinoceros
Dead Bull Rhinoceros
Acacia Velt . . . . .
Stormy Weather in the Xyika Country
Voung Rhinoceros chinking in a .Swamp
Dead Bull Rhinoceros
Voung Rhinoceros taking his Milk
Another Photograph of the Above
\"oung Rhinoceros, with Goats and
Mbega Monkey . . . .
Dead Cow Rhinoceros with her \'oung
( )ne beside her . . . .
Snow-white Herons and Black-and-
White Ibises
Old Bull Hipi)opotamus
Mawenzi Mountain and Kilimanjaro .
N'oung Cow Hii)popotamus
Dragging the Body of a Hippopotamus
out of a Pond . . . . .
xvi
AGE
IS7
189
193
197
'99
201
203
204
207
211
215
219
219.
229
2;i
239
241
244
245
249
251
255
257
259
261
263
205
269
273
List of Illustrations in Vol. I
Hippopotamuses at Home .
A Newly Discovered Vultuie on tlie
Skull of a Hippopotamus
A Crocodile-infested Stream
Buffaloes
The Rufu River ....
A Flock of Flamingoes
Vultures on a Dead Buffalo
Skull of a Buffalo
Flocks of Marabous on the Merk
Lakes .....
Giraffes amliling away
Schillings' Giraffe
Bull and Cow Giraffe .
Giraffes taking to flight among Flat
Acacia Trees ....
Bull Giraffe ....
Giraffes taken with Telephoto I>ens
A Wounded Bull Giraffe at Close
Quarters .....
P'emale Zeliras and a Foal .
A Halt on the Waterless Velt
'ACE
-75
277
2S2
283
287
291
295
301
305
307
309
3^3
315
317
319
3-3
323
326
PA<ili
A Herd of Gnus and Zebras . .
327
Remarkable Colour-blending of Zebras
with their Surroundings .
A Herd of Zebras
Zebras approaching a Drinking-
place .....
Zebras drinking ....
View near the Kitumbin Volcano
A Frightenetl Lioness
On the Gilei Volcanic Mountain
A Bull Gnu, a Thomson's Gazelle,
and a Gerenuk Gazelle .
Three Full-grown Lionesses
Male Ostrich near its Nest .
An Ostrich's Nest
The Auth(jr questioning an Ol
.Morani 'concerning the Habits of
Ostriches .....
367
Orgeich superintending the Transport
of a Young Lion into Cam[) . -371
The Skins of Three Lions shot by the
Author
373,
329
333
337
343
347
351
355
357
363-
363.
XXVll
EL rilOKIilA-TKKE
im:i^^'*^r^Tm
^
GNUS WERE TO BE SEEN IN THOUSANDS ROAMING OVER THE VELT
With FlashlicHit
and Rifle
I
The Tragedy of Civilisation
IN
the course ot his strenuous career ot^ conquest,
civihsed man has succeeded during the last hundred
years or so in bringing the entire globe more and more
under his dominion. Modern inventions have enabled
him to make his way into its remotest extremities. A
glitterinLi" network ot iron rails carries us into lands
which it would have taken us months and years to get
to a short time ago ; and ever fleeter vessels bear us in
a few weeks to the most distant coasts.
Wherever he goes, the pioneer of civilisation manages
to open up for himself new resources, even in regions
where they are only to be wrested from Nature with
the utmost difficulty ; and he strives untiringly to create
new assets and to make ready the path of progress.
But, side by side with this same progress, much is being-
destroyed that hitherto has lived undisturbed, working-
out its evolution in harmony with its environment. Far
VOL. I.
I
With Flashlight and Rifle ^
from the smoky centres ot civilisation, with their rush
and turmoil and the unceasing" throb and rattle of their
machinery, there is at this present moment bein^" enacted
a L^rave and moving and unique tragedy.
As the explorer ruthlessly pursues his victory in every
direction, he destroys directly and indirectly everything
that stands in his way. The original inhabitants of entire
countries have to go under when thev cannot hit it ofi
with the invader. With them disappears a rich and
splendid fauna, which for thousands of years has made
existence possible tor the natives, but which now in a
few years is recklessly slaughtered. Never before in
the history of the world have whole hordes of animalsthe
larger and stronger animals especiallybeen killed oft so
speedily by man.
The flora follows the fauna. Primeval fijrests are
destroyed, or at least injured, and wooded districts
often changed into artificial deserts. With the colonist,
who drives out the aborigines, there come in other animals
which
h(di)
to drive out the aboriginal fauna ; and in the
same way the vegetable world also is supplanted. Kitchen
gardens and weeds spread everywhere, imprinting a new
stamp upon the flora. Those who are familiar with all
these circumstances cannot be in doubt as to what is l)ound
to follow. 'I"h(! result must indubitably l)e this : thai the
colonist, forcing c^vervthing under his rule, will destroy
everything that Is usek;ss to him or In his way, and
will seek only to have such fmna anil flora as answcT
to his needs or his tastes.
I'Lxamples of this state of things are to be found in
2
->
The Tragedy of Civiliscitioii
all parts of the world. The Indians of North America
and many branches of the Polynesian race may be
instanced : their scattered remnants are hastening towards
complete disappearance. For centuries past civilised
THE CANDELABRA ELMT IiiklU A TREES ARE A lU-
TINCTIVE FEATURE OF THE NVIKA COUNTRY
colonists have been waging a war ot extinction in the
Arctic regions against those animals which provide us
with turs and blubber.
The Hudson Bay Company has made heavy inroads
on the number ot fur-bearino; aninials in its own reyion.
With Mashlight aiul Ritic ^
The fur of a sea-otter is now worth over ,/i"iOo; but a
complete skin of this animal, such as could
\)(-
(exhibited
in a museum, has tor years past been unobtainabk; !
War to the knife was long declared against whales
the largest mammals of our time. (The popular notion
that they are hsh seems, by the way, almost ineradicable.)
But for long they were able to escajje complete annihila-
tion in Arctic regions, their capture invoKdng the death
of so many determined men engaged in the struggle.
Now, howevêr, that the harpoon is no longer slung by
the experienced whaler, but is shot into the whale's body
out of a cannon ; now that whaling has become a science,
carried out with the most elaborate and highly finished
im|)lements, the last whale will very soon have dis-
appeared.
"
Very soon " ; for what are a few centuries, when
we think of the long ages which were needed tor the
evolution of the whale to its present tbrm ? Large
"schools" of whales are still to be seen in the Arctic
regions, and still redden the waters, year in, \ ear out.
with their blood, shed in a tlitiU' conflict with an over-
powering enemy. ]>ut soon all this will belong to the
realm of legend and tradition, and in luturc; times man
will stand in wonder before the scanty specimens to be
t"()und in the muscaims, [)reserved tJKTcin thanks t(_) the
t(jresight of a tew.
It is shocking and distressing to realise the niimlier
of instances of the same- kind of slaughter among
horned animals. A lew decades ago millions of .Xmerlcan
bisons i^Bisoii diroii) roamed over their wide prairies.
4
-
The Tra^'cdx- of Cj'\ ilisation
To-dciy these milh'ons hîve gone the same way as the
\anish(Ml Indian trilx-s that once Hved side by side with
them. It was feared that the buffaloes, as they are called
in Atnerica, would damage the Pacific Railway, as Heck
has pointed out in his book Das Tjcrreich. So buffaloes
in their myriads had to make wa\' for the st('am-engine.
'rh(^ number of buflakj-skins d('a]t in by traders during
A SKELEION Ol- ,. , ,., -' l,KO>, rKUllAIil.Y KILLED BY THE " 1- f
NlJlS
"
NATIVES LICENSED TO CARRY FIREARMS AND HUNT BIG GAME

the last seventy years of the preceding century is
almost beyond belief. Only a few hundreds are now in
e.xistence !
Soon a long list of other noble specimens of the
American fauna will follow them. President Roosevelt
himself is not blind t(j this prospect, and he favours
everything which seems calculated to stave off this inevit-
able calamitv. Throucrh the introduction of barbed-wire
With Fhishli-ht and Rifle
^
fencing- many kinds of deer, for instance, have been ex-
terminated in America. In Australia the kangaroos fall
victims to the snares of the farmers. In Asia the annihila-
tion of many kinds of wild beasts proceeds apace. The
Indian rhinoceros, wild goats, wild horses, and wild sheep
of the Asiatic hill countries of the interior are being
recklessly exterminated. In Germany the aurochs, which
figures so largely in our old legends, has long disappeared.
It is scarcely possible now to form a clear idea of this
splendid animal, so scanty is the material at hand tor
the purpose. The bison (Bison />o//ass//s), its power-
ful cousin, only exists now in small herds, which are
degenerating through breedini^-in. The steinbock has
been exterminated in the Alps, only a small number
surviving in the valleys of the Aosta, and that under
royal protection. The elk [A Ices aIces) disappeared from
Germany long ago, and is now to be found only in
small numbers under royal jjrotection, like the bison, and
like the beaver also in the Elbe district.
But the way in which wild lite is annihilated nowadays
in South Atrica is simply terrible. A short time ago
there were countless herds ot splendid animals in Cape
Colony. The Boers, trekking into the interior, had to
light their way step by step by slaughtering the animals
they found grazing in their path.
Cixilisation l)rought aljout only the checking of the
growth ot the native races, not their extermination like
the American Indians. And the nalixcs applied them-
selves to the work of destroying tlu; wild lite with the
help of the arms brought in b}' the luiropeans, and on
6
^. >
z
o
H
2
-^
The Tni^^ccl)' of Cixilisation
behalf of the white tratlers who ecjuipped them for the
purpose.
Thus disappeared the whitc'-tailed gnu {Couuoclurtes
gnu), the bontebok [Danmliscus pygcirous), the blesbok
{Danialiscus albif rous), the true quagga {luj/ins quagga),
the mountain zebra {lujinis zebra), the splendid roan
antelope {Hippotragus Icucoplunis), the Cape buffalo
{Bubalus cafjcr), the elejjhant, the so-called white rhino-
ceros {Rhinoceros sinius), the black rhinoceros {R. bi-
cornis), the giraffe, the hippopotamus, and the ostrich
except tor a tew preserved indi\iduals in the case
of the first three ; completely in the case ot all the
others. The number ot animals still to be tound there
in the last third of the previous century was immense,
but it is hard to realise the dense crowds of them that
must have existed there a hundred years betore that.
And side by side with them from earliest times lived
the coloured races. Like the American Indians, they
levied their toll upon the animal kingdom without im-
pairing it. It was lelt to the reckless and purposeless
slaughtering indulged in by civilised man to achieve the
seemmgly impossible, and turn this thickly inhabited
region into a desert.
To my mind there is a groundwork ot truth under-
lying the myth of a Paradise, in which the animal world
lived all together in harmony. Trustworthy observers
have told us that in the Arctic regions the sea-lions
creatures of exceptional intelligenceand seals and rein-

deer and birds do not budge an inch on the approach
of men, and show no trace of tear. 1 his must have
9
With l"lashli-lii aiul Ritlc
^^
bcjcii tru(; of th(' ciilirc world Ijcforc the beginning- ol
the suj)rr:iTi;icy ol Iloiiio sapiens.
What was IouikI, inchtcd in those i)olar
rcfîons
uninhabited by man, I niysell have; otten observed in
that land of blindino^ sunshine vvhich ijôes by the name
of the Dark Continent. l^normous herds of harmless
animals, as well as bcâsts of prey, forminL( one j^-eneral
community, are to be; found to_L;(;ther at certain times in
desert places.
Where the natives do not hunt, wild animals are
to b(; found on almost as friendU' terms with them as
sinîn^^ birds and other such p(;ts are with us, or as storks,
swans, sfjuirrels, and all the; oth(;r naturally wild animals
that have come under our protection, ami have come; to
trust us.
Thus it is that in the wild regions ol Ecjuatorial Africa
we fmd the; animal kingdom flourishing almost to the
same extent as was once the case; in th(.' south.
I say
"
almost," because it must be alle)weil that the
herds of el(;phants in the interior have; l)e;(;n thinned
and the; herels of buiralo<;s decimateel by the rinderpest
intr()duc-(;d bv I'airopeans into Africa. At certain times
ot the; \e:ar, how(;\c;", lor wcjeks anel months at a time;,
I have seen such numbers and such a \ariety of animals
as simpK' e'amiol b(; imagine;d, and 1 am able; thus to
form a notion ot what things must have been like; in
the s(juth.
1 can gi\e; no adequate notion of the extraordinary
prolusion ol wild life; there is still in h.(|ualorial Africa,
and 1 would lain raise my voice in e)i-eler to induce
lO
-)
all those who hcivc influence in the matter to save and
maintain what can still be saved.
By this I mean, not merely the maintenance so far as
is possible of the prest^nt state ot thinj^s, l)iit also the
getting together of an immediate and ccjmprehensive col-
lection of specimens of all the different species for our
museums. To-dav Ihcrc is still tunc iii flic case
ol
many
species, hi a few
years it 7l'iII he too late.
I could bring forward the names of many men, famous
in the world of geograph)^ and natural history, such as
those of von Richthol(,'n. Schweinturth, Ludwig Heck,
Paul Matschi(', Wdlhelm Bolsche, and Professor
Lami)ert,
who agree with me on this point.
It is a regrettabl(' fa.ct that we Germans know very
little o[ the animal life ot our colonial possessions.
Py means ot comprehensive collections ot large series
of skins, skulls, skeletons, etc., 1 myself have d(jne some-
thing towards pro\iding our museums with zoological
specimens, many of which were hitherto unfamiliar. As
I had to do this out of my private; means, and without
any help from the State-, this meant very considerable
personal sacrifice's.
I maintained rigc^rously the principle ot keeping my
caravan (in which 1 hail never less than
130
nien) upon
a vegetable diet for the most part, allowing them meat
only to a v(;ry small extent, and then merely as an
adjunct to their meals. In the fmiine year of
1899
my
provisions cost me more than 20,000 marks, which
miafht have been brought down to a trifling sum had I
taken heavier toll of the game, as the natives were
A\'ith I'hishlight :uul Rifle ^
alwciys ready to barter vegetables for animals I had
killed.
In addition to pecuniary sacrifices, I had, more-
over, to face the en\y and disfavour with which all
prixate travellers are apt to be regarded in our German
colonies.
Where an unexplored region full of wild life is in
question, the interests ot the explorer and collector
should always be put bef )re those of the sportsman. It
is infinitely easier to shiughter whole hosts of big game
with the help of Askaris than it is to prepare a single
giraffe-skin and conxev it in safety to Europe. This
is a laborious task, needing much personal supervision
and involving several days' workwork that at times goes
on all night. The lack of careful handling and expert
knovv^ledge in the preparatiori of skins is the reason why
serviceable zoological specimens hardly ever reach us in
Europe.
The recognition I have been accorded by the authorities
in the field of zoology enal)les me to treat the slanderous
reports of some of our colonial traders with the contempt
they deserve.
It has been a great satisfaction to mc- to tnul
"
m\-
animals" restored l^y expert taxidermists in German
museumsfrom the smallest dwart antelope to the girafie,
from the rock l)adger to the rhinoceros and the elcpiiant.
These stufled specimens are the only possiljje substitute
for the reality for those who can never see with their
own eyes the life and growth of the
animal kingdom
in foreign climes.
14
-^
Already a great number of the inmates of our zoological
museums have been struck out of the book ot hving
things, though they existed in miUions in the time ot our
fathers. The work of destruction entered upon by civilised
man goes on with terrible swiftness.
May this cry of warning be of some use !
^
EGYPTIAN GEESE OX THE WING
II
Instantaneous Photographs of Wild Life
INSTANTANEOUS
photographs of hving wild
animals! An every-day matter, surely! And yet I
venture to maintain that until the recent successful photo-
graphing of American wild lite/ and a tew similar
photographs taken subsequently by Englishmen, all the
ostensible pictures of this kind we have seen have been
ot animals not in absolute freedom and not in their natural
surroundings.
Photographs taken in zoological gardens and closed
preserves, or ))hotographs of animals in capti\it\-, sur-
round(,'d by stage [)roperties specially arranged tor the
purpose
photographs which, in addition, have been more

or less retouched afterwards
pass current, and are oftcji

taken for representations ot actual wild life. Anschi'itz
rendered great services in German\- in the field ot aiu'mal
])hotogra])h\-, and prnckic-cd some beautiful pictures
Zoological works continued, however, to be illustrated
'
Civ/ura S//i)/s (1/
/)'/V
(ia/zic, l)y A (1. Wallihan, contains a numl)cr
of very successfuf pliotograplis of different ]<intls of deer. The photographs
of pumas and l)ears are interesting, too; hut tlie pumas had heen liunted
with dogs, and tlie Ijears had been caught 1)V means of traps.
16
.v^r.
VOL. I.
-^
Instantaneous
Photographs of Wild Life
chiefly by drawings which, for good reasons, failed in
many respects to interjjret the character of the animal
world correctly. For not only had the artists no oppor-
tunity of studying- the animals from the life, but they were
frequently dependent upon ill-mounted museum specimens
as models from which to produce lifedike sketches. A
few artists were in the position to make studies from life
and on the spot, and to these we owe some valuable
pictures ; often, however, the animal pictures presented
to us were stift and wotjden, and calculated to give quite
wrong impressions.
Incredible things were perpetrated in this branch of
art. Zoological works and works of travel were illustrated
with "cuts" which were simply ridiculous to any one
with any si)ecial knowledge of the sul^ject. We find,
indeed, even in publications of to-day, //o/ merely photo-
graphs
of
single stujjed aiiuiia/s, but pliotugraphs
of
zuho/e
groups
of
them, passed
off
as studies
of
K'i/d beasts taken
in their ivihi state : and certain excellent photographs
by Anschiitz of caged lions are constantly to be met
with served u[j in all manner of formsvarious kinds
of vegetation and other accessories being introduced at
different times ! 7'his kind of thing can only be de-
scribed as a fraud upon the reader, cUid only too often
it is in keeping with the accompanying text, in which
people, who in their own country are scarcely capable of
killing a hare, describe the most wonderful adventures
they experienced, and lay down the law with the
greatest assurance upon the most difficult zoological
questions.
19
A\îth I'lashli'jht and kit] i'
-^
An ai:4Te(!al)k; contrast to such jiuhlications is otlcrctl by
(jLiitc a num1)('r ot volumes by b>n^lish writers, th(! illustra-
tions to which arc rcinarkabh; ])olh lor their artistic merit
and h)i' their accuracy Irom a naturahst's point ot \ie\v. 1
may instance especially Iôrd Delamere's photographs of
ele])hants. e'irafies, and /.ebi'as in The (irciil aiicl Siiial/
(raiuc 0/
.1 Inca.
Ok(;i,I(;il, .MV TAXIDKKMISI', setting our MK.N
"lUNUl"' -TO WORK.

AT TlIK I'KKI'ARATION OF SOME SKINS
President Roosevelt remarks ver\ rie^htly, in his j)reface
to Wallihan's Camera S//o/s at lU^ (,'a;/n\ that it would
l)(; e.xtremcK ridiculous il p(M)pl(' who could not themscK'es
face; the hardships and tatijûe of shootinn
expctlitions,
or who lack('(l the training' essential, were to decorate
their rooms with rare trophic^s not securetl b\' themselves.
iManv p(;()ple, howe\er, would seem not to realise this.
20
^ Z.
Z r
2 w
o
o
> s
[wÛbmim,'.- kswestttk.
-^
limiting by proxyin the persons of guides or Askaris
unfortunately plays too big a role in Kast Africa. The

"
sportsman
"
then describes his own adventures, relying
on information supplied by the natives and adducing the
trophies in his possession cis documentary evidence.
We are still very much in the dark over many biological
questions regarding our own wild animals, and we lack really
good photographs ot most of the animals of our country
in their natural surroundings. Here is a wide field tor
artistic endeavour, and it would be a matter for great
satisfaction it it were cultivated as soon as possible. The
same is true still more ot wild beasts in foreign lands.
Even the slightest item of original observation is really
valuable. Photographs taken in complete freedom, how-
ever, are biological documents ot the highest importance
in the opinion of my friends Professor Matschie and
Dr. Luclwig Heck, and in that of Wilhelm Bolsche, who
has referred to my pictures in most gratifying terms in his
work M'eltblick. I am tempted here (if only to encourage
other sportsmen to combine photography with shooting in
the same way) to quote the words in which yet another
zoological authority. Professor Lambert, of Stuttgart, has
alluded to my work in this field.
"
These pictures," he
declares.
"
are of the greatest importance. In them, the
wild animals of Africa will live on long after they have
been sacrificed to the needs of advancing civilisation."
t>
It was in 1896 that I had my first opportunity of getting
to know the velt of the interior of AfVica
;
and it was
25
Wîth I'lashlight and Ritic
^
then the great desire arose in me in some manner or other
to seize on all these wonderful phenomena from the animal
workl, and to make them common propertx and accessible
to all. This desire
orrew in me side bv side with the
conviction that there was here a wide field for valuable
work to be accomplished without delay
;
ior the East
African fauna was rapidly disappearing" before the continued
MV rilOlOUKAl'lUC EiMir.Ml.M
advance; of civilisation. lUit good adxice was hard to
get. The facultv ot depicting the; animal world with
the artist's pencil was denied me ; 1 ])ossessed, oiiK- in a
small measure, the abilitv to tk'scribe in tolerable clearnt;ss
this beautitul, \irgin, prime\al world. .Since the (la\"s
when the untorlunate Richard kxihin was seized wah a
malignant lever on llie tar I'pemb.i Lake in 1SS4, ami
26
-^
since those of Kuhncrt, who was for a short time at
Kih'manjaro, no artist has had an oi)portunity of famiharising
himself with the animal world of West Africa. The artist
or painter, however, who attempts to put l)efore the eyes
of the public the wonders of the animal kingdom of inmost
Africa would undoubtedly be received with incredulity.
How could those accustomed to the zooloiîcal conditions
of over-populated Europe believe such an animal kingdom
possible ?
The only feasible and desirable records seemed to be
trustworthy photographs, which could not deceive. Here
were, however, many difficulties lo be overcome with l)ut
limited means. In the mutual exchange of my ideas with
Ludwig Heck, who was never tired of strengthening me
in my resolutions, we always came back to this point.
We always said to ourselves that a way must be found
to render the highly developed technique of photography
serviceable for the object I had in viewfor work
in the wilderness. What a seductive aimto put on a
photographic plate thcjse wikl herds in such marvellously
picturesque assemblageunique and rare inhabitants ot
the jungle, little known, if known at all !
The only way to achieve this object was to work
hard for long and weary years. We always seemed
to be encountering new
difficulties.
Occasionally our
flashlight experiments f died ;
the explosive compound
smashed our apparatus, so much so that the iron parts
of it, which were nearly a third of an inch thick, were
torn and bent. Some hindrance always seemed to be
cropping up and thwarting our plans. vSo we studied
27
With Flash]
io-ht and Rifle
^
and planned, and after a vast amount of preparatory
IIIK Kl'l i;i 1
()|-
rilK FLASHLIGHT
lahour I started out a second time, extensixely ('([uipped,
for K(|uatorial Africa.
28
*^
I spent a whole year there acquiring experience,
and failures and trials taught me daily something new.
Again, on my return to Europe, lengthy experiments
were made. This time Kommerzienrat Goerz, proprietor
of the well-known optician's establishment in Friedenau,
placed at our disposal one of his laboratories to further
this scientific work. Owing to his kindness we found it
possible to devise more suitable apparatus for photograph-
ing by night, and thus I was enabled to reproduce on
the plate the most secret haljits of animal life.
After this I started afresh for Africa with an extensive
equipment. This time 1 was accompanied by my triend
Dr. Kiinster, and set out from Tanga for the interior
with a party of
130
people. Things proved very different
in practice from what we had worked out in theory.
Hard days of disillusionment, aggravated by the difficulties
of the climate, fell to our lot. Afier three months'
suffering from acute heart disease and from malaria, 1
was obliged to throw up the whole expedition and to
find my way home. At that time the doctors thought
it more than questionable whether I should ever reach
home alive, so much had the malaria, in conjunction
with the heart trouble, pulled me down. But these
troubles also were overcome : my tough constitution
withstood all assaults.
Afterwards I recommenced my studies, turning my
experiences to account, and for the fourth time, after
experiencing many disappointments, I started out to try
to achieve, at least partially, the purpose on which I
had set my heart. In a tropical country that is constantly
29
With Mashli-ht and Rifle
*^
l)ein^- tabooed tor private individuals in a country where
the climate is so unfavourable to the Europeanthere are
many hindrances and difficulties to overcome. A naturalist
travelling- on his own account encounters almost insu|)erable
obstacles.
A passport which would have ensured th(^ holder
thereof respectful treatm(;nt in any other part of the world
was of no avail here on German territory U) save us trom
Ioul;- hours of Customs vexations in the hot rays ot a
l)urning sun. I exj)erienced later in the year i H99 a
still greater annoyance.
With infinite trouble I had secreth' made my plans
to explore on English territory the distant and \'irgin
land Korromoeyo, lying round about RudoU Lake. I had
obtained the permission from the P^n^lish Government
by means of the kind intercession of inlluential friends
;
and I had provided the necessary credentials. Then
suddenly, just as I was aboLit to start from Kilimanjaro,
the permission, aftt-r all my long })reparations, was
withheld.
.According to rumour, some influential iMiglish
gentlemen had been refused permission to travel in
German East Africa. What wonder, then, that like to
like should be repaid ! All my pkms were nipped in the
bud.
I)Ut, in spite of all, [ would not have missed all th('se
hardships and difficulties!not e\en the hours, the days,
and th(; weeks which Dr. Kiinsterwho had accompanied
me on m\' third expedition as friend and physician
and 1 passed during my illness on the borders ol the

30
Instantaneous Pli()t();^nn)lis of Wild IJfe
silent Riifu Ri\LT. Were it not for his zealous nursing,
and that of the staff-physician, Dr. Groothuten, as
well as of my friend Captain Merker, I should have
died.
But I look upon those days of suffering- and strenuous
work, in that fir-oH' wilderness as the right inauguration
for my project.
OUR FRIENDS THK STORKS WINTERING IN MASAI-NYIKA
W
III
The Minds of Animals
II A r Jjrc'hm has ])Ut on record so admirably in
t(dlin|4' of his sojourn in the Sudan, concerning'
the way in which his ieatherc^d and lour-footed friends
there (hs|)la\ed their trust in him and teehuL;' ot comrade-
ship with liim in times of ihness or chstress, 1 also am
able to n'ive
as my experience durini^- my sojourn in
Equatorial Africa.
An\- oik; who makes his wa\- through that unexplored
and unfamiliar re<rion not bent solcK' on makinu^
monc^y, but lin^criiiL;- liere ;md there and gi\ in.^' himscll
tim(; for the ])urpose
will hnd so much to win his sym-

pathies in th(; intellio(:nce ol the animals, so much to
fascinate; him in tlie stud\- of their life, that he will not
often catch himselt yearning lor the civilised existence ol
home. A thousand (juestions call f)r answering-, a
thousand
problems await solution, but the obser\er who
would cop(; with them must hast(;n, lor many members
of the African fauna are doomed to spe(Ml\- destruction
at the- hands of th(- invacU^r. And Ik- must he. ahh- to
enter int(j the soul and heart ol tht; indi\ idual animal
he \v(nild study, comini^ to th(' task ssinpathetically and
with a desire to understand and aj)i)rc;ciate.
No one wonders novv;ida\s at the wa\ in which the
Indian elephant, born in the wilderness and captured in
maturity, enters in a few weeks into triendlw if dependent,
relations with man, and learns to be an excellent instrument
in his hands.
1 am indel)ted to the Prince of Pless tor the inforn'iation
that the "mahouts" or kc'epers ol the Indian ekqjhants,
understand about a hundn-d distinct utteranceswords,
practicalK us<-d Ijy the ekqjhants, and that th(,'y, in turn,
may be said to tollow ev('ry word usee' by the
"
mahouts."
The weaker br.iin oives way natural!)' to the stronger,
with animals as with oursehês. l)Ut we fmd a numbc:r
of species amoni^ them which conu; (juickK into t;ntirely
unselfish relationship with men.
kOr nearly tw('nt\' )-ears no one had succeeded in
bringing a )()ung African rhinoceros alive to k.urope.
It s(jemed to me that the; cause of so many of the
young animals pining away when brought home without
a mother must Wi- in the neglect of what I may call a
spiritLial need. In all cases the mothers had been killed.
In the case of my young rhinoceros, 1 replaced the
mother by a she-goat. After a few days the young
"
rhino
"
hati made such friends with her, without being-
suckled Ijy her, that he followed her about everywhere,
and even now, in captivity, is not to be partetl from her
and the kid she has since produced.
VOL. I. T,^
3
With I-lashli-iU ami Rifle ^
The massive voiinq' rhinoceros consorting' with these
two h.ast Alrican ôals is a taii'ious sii^ht ! The
pubHcthat is to sa)-, the piil )h'c w hicl") IreciiuMits oiir
Zoological ("lardcns on a Sinula\- tlocs not know what to
make ol thorn. " Look, chiKh'cn," xoii ma\' hoar pater-
"
I'Al'lMA," MV VOUNC K 111 NOCK UOS, AND IlKK M KSSM A TK. 1 1 1 K GdA l".
TIMS COAl' Sill 1, KKKl'S IIKR (OMrANV IN lllli IIKKLIN ZOOLOCICAL
(;aui)Kns
lamihas remark ;
"
look at the; rhinoceros and the poor
little goats. Isn't it sad? lie will oat them up."
It does not enter the gixxl nian's head that an iinseltish
feeling (A Iriendship, a cr\ in^ need ol companionship,
can hnd a place in the- heart ol this uncouth deni/en ol
the wilderness. \ ou will look in \ain lor an\- under-
standing of the great thick-skinned e.xile in the minds c)l
the thousands ol human \isilors who imagme di'-inseKe
,
(|uite wrongly, so inlmiteK' his superior.
34
-)
1)UL this (lictiini of our patf-rfamilias is oftf-n surpassed
by that of the visitor vvIkj, scciiiL^ ahove the caiê th(^
words
"
I'.ast African Rhinoceros," jumps at once to the
conchisifjn that it is a case of two small rhinoc(,'roses with
their old mothei- ! I here is no reason lor this observer
to sujjpose that a young rhinoceros does n(Jt look like
a goat !
Whoever may douht the truth of this should con\'ince
himself In' (|uestioning the ke(_:per of the rhinoceros in the
Zoological ("iardens in Ijerlin.
\^)U will generally gather from books that the*
rhinoceros is a dull and uninteliig(mt animal. iJull and
uinntelligent he is undoubtedly from a merely human
standpoint ; but he should, ol course, lê regarded in quitct
another light, and would then be; found to })e gifted with a
s|}ecially directed intelligence; of a very highly developed
kind. These animals cannot, of course, make deductions
and draw conclusions frcjm th(;ir ]>ast (experiences like men,
who inherit these intell(;ctual treasures fVom remote ages,
transmitted in an enriched form from one generation to
another by means of the gift of speech.
Ikit, on the other hand, if a century ago every
rhinoceros had been endowed m(-rtdy with the intelligence
of an average civilised man, and thus endowed had been
the pr(;y of reckless unsparing sportsmen, not a single
one of ih.em would now be; ali\'e. in just the same way
must it be accounted for something that elephants have
mastered so important a piece of knowledge during th<;
last few decades as how to save themselves from the
deadly fire of modern rifles. It is a great mistake t<;
35
With Flashlic-ht aiul Rifle
attempt t(^ j'^'tlg(? animjils' l^raiiis by our own. We h.ive
to remember that maiu' animals haxe senses which we
are without, and that other senses which we ha\e in
common are much mort: liighly developed in them than
in ourselves.
I can only say that this young rhinoceros attached
himsell to me in a xcrv tew weeks, and got to dis-
MV AlAK.MIDI'S MADE <;RKA1' KKIENDS WITH OUR COOK
tiiiguish (juite clcârK' l)etween th(; large number ol men
who came into toucli with him, Ix-aring himsell (juite
difl(M'entl\ with diflcrciu indixitluals, just as Ik; still singles
me out Irom all the thousands who approach him nc^w
in the (jardens.
It a zoologist wer(^ to ask me to explain the incredible
toj)ographical instinct ot rhinoceroses, 1 should leplv that
these animals are enabled, out ot the; treasure ot expt'rience
;6
'-^
TliL' Minds of Aniinals
and knowledcre stored up in llicir brains, to recofrnise in
detail tlic topography of tlie \('lt. and to find their way
with ease al)Out the surronnchn!^" country.
Herein H('s the explanation of thf- tact that I was abl(!
very frequently to take up a rliinoceros track which l(;d me
in the driest S(;ason in a direct easterly- course after t'our
hoin's to a dried-up ditch which led due south to a small
pool which still held water. I ha\e noticed this kind
of thing hundnuls ot times in the \icinit\- of th(; velt,
where only intermittent showers of rain fill th(,' pools
temporarilv with water. How helpk-ssK' and hopelessly
lost does the educated man h-el himself to he in that
wilderness! In what a masterl\- and wonderful manner
does the rhinoceros lind his wa\' !
\ he friendship between my rhinoceros and the two
goats was founded on an absoIuteK' unselfish basis. It
arose from purely spiritual needs. Ol this 1 am positive.
Many other animals in this distant Idack countr\- were
to us a real source ot enjcjyment and consolation. Take,
for example, my young elephant, who lox'ed me with child-
like simplicit), till I untortunatelx' lost him for want of
a foster-mother : also my tamci lâboon, who used to be
alm(jst mad with joy when he saw me, a mere speck
on the horizon, returning to the CcUiip from one of my
excursionshis sight is infinitely keener than ours.
From earliest times we have heard tell of an unusually
wise bird that our ancestors nicknamed the
"
philosopher."
This is the marabou-stork, specimens ol which I have
come across whose wisd(jm and fondness tor human
companionship would scarcely be credited.
37
\Vith Fla.shli-ht ;iiul RiHc
-*
Storks and maralôiits, which pcrhajis have li\-ed a
man's litctimc or more in ihe distant \-elt, ha\e attached
themselv(.;s to me in the triendHest manner, albeit cauc^ht
after many chtticuhies and l)y strategy. A specimen, well
on in \ears, which I brou'-ht with me to Herlin still singles
MY lAME )iIRI)S USED TO WANDER IN AND OUT ALL OVER
THE CAMP
me out from all the other visitors by peculiar marks of
affection !
Ot course it means manv a hard struggle, and it is
not easy to win th(^ triendship ot such old and peculiarly
obstinate birds. I'Or wc(;ks and months one; luust irv.d
them b\- force with ])i(:c(s of mc:at bc'tore thc\' make up
their minds to feed thems(;lves. One must teiul them
oneself, wait on them constantK", and occup\' oiK^sell with
their needs.
'1
hen. one da)', (|Liilc suddenl}-, all mistrust
-^
and fear are overcome, and one is rejjaid a thousandfold
for all one's trouble by making a genuine friend of the bird.
It must be remembered that I am not speaking of
young birds reared by men from infancy, but of birds
caught perhaps at the age of thirt\' or forty years, or even
older. For marabous attain a very ''reat aofe, like lar"-e
ravens or vultures, one of which livêd in captivity under
favourable conditions for a hundred years. My marabous
moved about in the camj) tree and unrestrained. They
built their nests, and did not try to fly away. They greeted
me on my return with joytul cacklings
; they planted them-
selves close to my tent as sentinels, and caressed me with
their powerful and dangerous bills. For a long time my
black cook had taken on the duty of feeding them, and
their aftcction tor me was not at all the result of my giving
them dainties, but of my just and intelligent conc(,'ption
of their habits.
I could write a great deal more about the sagacious
deeds of these birds. I must, however, restrict myself,
and will only mention that Dr. Ludwig Heck, to whom
thousands of wild animals were attached, could not help
remarking, on the steamer near Naples, the aftection my
marabous showed me.
"
There are more things in heaven and earth than are
dreamt of in our philosophy," Dr. Heck wrote at that
time in an essay on his own observations. Hamlet's
phrase often recurs to me, also, in this connection. I am
convinced by what I have myself seen ot animals that
their minds are highly developed, though we have been
unable to discover how they work.
39
With Flashlieht and Riflei
-^
Is it, then, so ciithcLilt to watch with SNiiipathctlc e\cs
th(' tracxccly that is to-day htMni; untoldcd
? I speak of
the annihilation of a powcrkil and niij^hty race that has
clone hurt to no man of the African elephant, an animal
that, \vhene\er and wherever tam(;d, evinces tor
man the
most li\-eh' s\mpath\\
ilere, as in many oth(-r realms ot" natur.il science, there
are tintortuncael)- great difticulties that can onh' ije over-
come with much labour. Wdien we hecome fulU- alive
to th(,' importance ot the matter, it ma\ I)e too l,it<; to
subject man)- ot th( hi^hl\- dexdoped kinds of animals
to careful stud\' ; lor they ma\ ha\'e been e.\t<-rminated on
om- planet and struck otV the roll ot' life. I am alluding
now to the intmite ditti(ailt\' that every man will (-ntounter
when he undertakes the stud\ of foreign races and their
40
")
The Minds of Aninials
peculiar habits, if he wishes thoroui^hlv to investigate in
a truly critical s|)irit their |)s\ cholouical emotions. Only
he who has tcjr many, many years li\-e(l in the midst of a
foreign people and has given himself up to his task with
heartf(dt zeal, and who possesses an innate aptitude for
the sul)ject, can undertake such a work,
' -
It appears that certain kinds ot animals remain, as a
whole, unchanged tor long pericjds of tim('. It also seems
to me that the mind acts according to certain inherit(,'d
tendencies ;
this is calk-d instinct. When carefully ex-
amined, however, it will he found that these so-called
instincts resolve themselves often into more or less
deliberate actions, although it may be that th(;se actions
are committed within very narrow limits and in accordance
with sharply defined rul(;s. I call as witnesses those
thousands and thcjusands of dog-o\\n(^rs and sportsmen
who are convinced ot the tact that their own animals,
which have been with them in man\ a tight corner, under-
stand them and love them. This may seem to others, in
niany cases, hard to untlerstand, and ajjpear at times
exaggerated. These lack the long and sympathetic study
of the finest differences of the anima! minds in question
-
'I'liere are more tilings in lieaven and eartti . . .
F.ITA MOKC.IX.I : A STRANGE EFFECT AS OF A T.ONG TINE OF lil.UISl! WATEK-Sl'OUTS
ON THE HORIZON
IV
Masai-Nyika
WITH
what an ever chanoinL; Ijcaiity did the Masai-
Nyika break upon our view ! J lie mountain
ranges as \iewed from the \elt seemed ahiiost near
enough to be touchetb in spite of their distance and
vastness. The clear, dustless atmosi)here deceived our
eyesight.
In tlie old days this never-ending \'elt, with its
inhabitants, seemed to the newcomer to Ix? an ins()lul)le
conundrum. But to-day. alter millions and millions of
footsteps have been imprinted on \elt antl on mountain, in
swamp and m forest, the wanderer has mastered its speech,
thus Imding new .md rich plcasui'es in iIk; illimitabU; solitude.
The; velt does not indeed betraN' its secrets wholesale.
Those who wouUl uni'axcl them must be prepared to search
and studw The\' will succeed onl\' b\- the sweat ot their
brow ;
and the\' must, abo\"e all. be (earless ol consc(|U(MUX'S.
Thirst, hunger, and th'- dread ot malai'ia ha\e to be taceci
in the long run, whether willmglx' or not.
42
C. G. Schillings, phot.
SCENE ON THE RUFU RIVER
-^
Masai-Nyikci
So it is not ])rcsumption when the sportsman or the
explorer, who has tlone all this, says to hinis('ir that Ik; has
acquired a certain rii^ht to interpret what he has se'-n and
strue^gled with. No one c(juld possibly do this without
takini^ v\\Y^\\ hiinsell endless labour and trouble.
The velt is a book ditficult to deci|die-r ; actually we
find the various tracks and trails of the animal world
I LOOK OUT OVER NVIKA
recorded as though with a pencil in the loose, moving sand
of the vc^lt, in clammy clay, and in swamps : a book which
is always full c^f charm, and in the study of which not a
single weary hour w(juld be sjxmu.
And there, where the giants of the animal kingdom
have left imprints of their tremendous strength on trees
and brushwood, in swanijjs and marshes, we Imd, as it
were, [junctuation-marks to its pages.
45
With Flashlight and Rifle
^w^
Right and left on our path, trees of vast strength
are to be seen broken like l)its of straw, showing where
a herd of elephants ha\-e made their way. Large holes in
the ground are come upon, which have been made by the
elephants in the wet season, and whicli remain visible tor
a vear or more. There is not a little danger ot tailing into
these, lêcause of the thick grass. Wherever the explorer
sets his foot he always finds something new, something
tull of meaning.
Idle rhinoceros, too, leaves his mark. Vov many miles
long tracks, which cross and recross, are tbund leading to
watering-places. These tracks are especially noticeable
in the vicinity of the pools and streams, and gradually
get lost in the distance. And like the elephant,
the rhinoceros levies toll upon the- shrubs and thorn-
bushes.
The East African wilderness varies in its tormation.
It is sometimes Ikit, sometimes undulating, or sharply
broken by more or less high hills, steep rocks, mounds, and
inclines. In the volcanic region of the great mountain
Kilimanjaro a whole range of mountains rises troni the
plateau. The highest point of Kilimanjaro, the Kibo
peak, reaches over 6,000 metres. This peak is perpetually
covered with snow and ice, whilst Mawenzi, which comes
next to it in height, is only covered intermittentlw Its
summit, which rises sharpl\- in the air, is connected with
Kibo i)\- a ridge
5,000
metres high. Less than sixty years
ago, when the missionary Rebmann brought the tirst news
of this glacier-world under the e(juatorial sun, the learned
declared it to be a product of his imagination. Ice and
46
.'/
-Tl
Masai-Nyika
snow at the Equator ! Nowadays we are more exactly
intormecl about the "genesis" ot" these great volcanoes
IVotessor Hans IMe\er has done much
1)\-
his wonderful
explorations to o|)en up the matter. It is chielly from his
works that we derive our inh)rmation as to the Lêolo^rical
conditions ot this district.
The formation (jt the district is the outcome of volcanic
A 'IVriCAI. KIT OK SUCCULENT VELT VEGETATION IN 'ITIE KAIiN'V
SEASON. C.lK.I/J.rM.I COIH/'XO/niiS IN THE lOKECROUNU
causes, and my friend Merker justly observes that this
is peculiarly remarkable on Kilimanjaro, Meru, and OI
Doinyo I'Eng ai. In the neighbourhood of the last, which
is an active volcano, hill after hill is fountl between the
steep descent of the Mutic-k Plateau and the Gilei and
Timbati Moimtains. each of which has the remains of a
crater. The whole scenery is of the kind we are familiar
with in photographs of the moon.
VOL. I,
49 4
^
Some two days' journey distant froni Kilimanjaro
rises the neighbourinL;- sinister-looking- Mount Meru, nearly
5,000
metres hioh, and still turthctr awa\', in the direction
of the X'ictoria Xyanza, several separate hills and volcanoes
are ranged. In the midst ot this world of mountains there
extends betore us in the bright sunshine an immeasurable
plateau, the
"
High Velts," at an elevation of some
thousands ot feet above the level ot the sea. According to
the season-whether in the JMasika, the season of
hea\'y rain, or the drought
-Nyika is to be seen garbed

in a green shimmer of young grass and adorned tor miles
by separate rain-water streams like silver threads, or looking
brown and grim under a desert ot decayed vegetation. In
the latter case our eyes find resting-places here and there
in the valleys in which acacias, the ever-green I erminalia,
or other tlowers and shruljs, tind moist ground wherel)\' to
preserve their treshness. It would be difhcult toi' any but
a botanist to describe the character ot this plant world.
Professor Volkens has done so, in his work on Kilimanjaro,
in a masterly manner.
Later we come across vast open spaces tlooded in
rainv seasons, Ijut in the time ot drought covered with
a white, salt\' incrustation which onl\- permits ot the
sparsest vegetable lite-, with now and again patches ot
green or sun-scorched grass. We may tmd acacia-bushes,
which stretch for immeasurable? distances, or thorn-trees
that look like fruit-trees, and indeed cause the name ot
"
truit gardens
"
to be gi\c-n to the \elt where they
grow. The acacia sometimes has the appearance ot a
tree, sometimes, especiall\' when \'oung, ot a bush. Other
dO
.^
-)
Masai-Nyika
bushes and shrubs of various kinds spring up amidst the
grass which, after the rainy season, grows as high as a
man
;
and there is often an undergrowth of thorny plants
of all kinds.
Many kinds of euphorbias give the whole a tropical
aspect.
P)Ut shrul^s and thorn-bushes of rare kinds
grey-green
A BIT OF THli SUCCULENT VELT W 11 H ft KI-\ .IL .[\THA MALVIFOLIA
GREAT HEAVY BOULDERS UPON WHICH WILD GROWTHS SPRING
Ul' IN THE RAINY SEASON
clumps many feet across, seemingly lying loose on the
ground
go to form another style of velt vegetation.

During the rainy season they shoot out prickles and
creepers, whilst during the drought they appear
absolutely dead.
A certain group of plants called succulents, peculiarly
adapted to the climate of the velt, which live through
53
With Mashli*'ht and Ritic ^
several years of c]roui{ht, is to be foiiiicl in oreat
abuntlance.
In the \\ika one constantly comes across large white-
ant lieaps, s(;\cral teet high and of considerable width.
During the night the tin\ l)iiilders arc; untiringly acti\e
in raising and Ijuilding their fortresses, which are very
strongly put together. At th(; approac-h of the rain\- season
the ants, which 1)\ this time are wingc 1, arisen from the
ground in sw<u"ms to set out on their long wedding journey
in the air to la\- the foundations of new colonics ('ls(;where.
Most ot them know pertectlv how to use their little white-
pinions, although it is the first and only time in their lives-
that they rise from the dark depths ot the ground in the
damp evening atn.osphere. Some, howexcr, flutter to
the ground in a piteous ])light, with their wings broken.
They will ne\-er undertake the striven-for journey. lUit
what does it matter, since there are myriads left to fulfil
their vocation ?
Here and there the steppes are adorned with the
well-known monkey-l)read tree {. Id/a/isoiini di<î/ii/e).
Covered with a shining bright grey l)ark, this tree often'
attains a circumference of manv yards, and, in spite of
its grotes(|ueness, charms us with Us primcwal appear-
ance. 1 he trax'eller soon learns to \ ahie it. for often
rich stores of water lie hi<lden in the hollow Hunk stores
that ha\-e Ijeen supplied by the rainy season
which
ma\- be the onl\- water to be found in the district for
se\eral da\s' iournev,'.
.Sometimes one comes across deep raxdnc^s and gullies
that cut lhr(!ugh tlu; landscape. For months and \ ears
54
-^
Masai-X)ik:i
they remain hard and dry, when suddenly a nii^htv fall
ot rain transtorms them into rushing torrents, which the
caravan will most probably find an insuperable obstacle
to its progress.
When these desert regions lie in bright and beautiful
sunlight, and the eye can see a vast stretch of country,
A BIT OF THE SO-CALLED THORNY "FRUIT GARDEN" VELT
the traveller is seized with a great sense ot freedom,
and a longing to explore and investigate.
Even the experienced eye is easily deceived with
regard to distance in this riot of dazzling light. Thus
I found that, where Oskar Iâumann pointed out the
Kiniarok Lake in the Nyika, there was only barren desert,
and I had to retrace my steps hastily, in order to save
my people and myself from perishing ot thirst. . . . But
55
at the time of the Masika the coLintry round about would
be covered with water for miles.
It is not difficult to travel in the Masai-Nyika tluring
the rainy season when water is abundant, apart from the
simple difficulty of finding one's way between the thorns
and the bushes and extricating oneself from the long
rank grass, often as high as a man. It is very different
A WHITE-ANT HILL ON THE \1CLT NEAR THE COAST
durinof the drouyfht. Unless one has reh'aljle knowK^dge
beforehand, one is never sure where the next drinkiiig-
place will be found. i^\en if infoi-mation is ol)taine(l
with regard to some sj)Ot where water was found only
a short time lu-fore, it is not to be relied on, tor in the
fiery breatli of lh(^ sun and the wind ot" tin; plains ii will
evaporate in a few da\s ! \\\t have ottc-n been obliged
to travel back more thcUi twenty miles to find water, and
56
'
^
Masai-Nyika
this with bearers who have carried burdens weiLrhino-
60 lb. on their heads since the early niorninL;" ; or we have
been obliged to make a so-called
"
Telckesa " march,
following a very old and practical method. Alter midday
the caravan decam{)S and journeys towards its destination
until the evening-. At the approach of darkness the
camp is pitched at a spot where there is no water. In
A TllOKX-BUSII OX THE VELT
all probability the day has been hot, the burden has lain
heavily on our heads, and a sudden whirlwind has made
the sand of the plain dance and Hy in all directions ; but
every man squats down by his burden, so as to be ready
to start again in the early morning, or even by moonlight
if the wav lies clear, and so as to reach the lonsêd-for
drinking-place as qtiickly as possible. \'ery often it is
not until the evening that this can be done.
11
With I'lashliîit and Rifle
^
Under ordinary conditions carriers will nc\cr throw up
the sponge; their traditions forhid them to do this. I have
often known them to tall beneath a heav\- load, hut I hrive
scarcely ever known them abandon it to ô and seek tor
water. On the contrary, it is the custom {i/as/z/n) for those
who arrive first at the camp to carry the replenished cala-
bash back to revive their friends {rafiki) lett behind, it
maybe over an hour's journey away. In the generous dis-
triluition of tbod among themselves the carriers are most
brotherly and helpful to one another. And under what-
ever conditions they find themselves, wet or dry, the blacks
know better than an)' how to tind the Ijest spots on the velt,
or to discover hidden sources of water, to spy out the rare
berrv-bearing shruljs, to find wood tcjr fuel where ap-
parentl)' no wood is to be seen, to light their camp-tires
cjuickly, and to contrive sheltered nooks for themselves
out of their own cloths and wraps. They know, too, how
to keejj off vermin by certain herbs, whose strong smell
our European nerves can hardly stand.
Alfred l)rehm once said of the Tundra, the Asiatic
counterpart of Masai- Nyika, after he had experienced many
hardships there:
"
I shall never go l)ack to the Tundra!"
1 also ha\c a great dread ol" the Nyika. No northerner
will ever li\c' there tor long.
Yet lh(xse who have learnt to know it are apt to hear
it callino; to \.\\vw\ aijain and ai^'ain !
THE LITTLE ARAB DIIOWS WHICH BROUGHT US TO ZANZIBAR
V
To Kilimanjaro with Prince Lowenstein
1"^HE mml-sttiiimav J-)//7'or7v//cis/cr broiii^ht us to Tano"a
in the first days of February. For the fourth
time I set foot upon the East Coast of Africa
;
for the
third time I set out from it tor Germany's highest
mountain, the Qrioantic ice-covered and snow-clad volcano,
Kilimanjaro.
Prince Johannes Lchvenstein-Rosenberg and I had
taken seven mules on board at Naples in the expectation
that these wirv beasts, accustomed in Southern Italy to
every kind of hardship, would be admirably fitted t(^r our
riding. The transport was carried out all right, but the
mules unfortunately got the Acarus mange on tht; way.
A doga
"
Great Dane
"
which had been despatched
from Hamburg to Dar-es-Salaam tor scientific purposes,,
and which had been inoculated experimentally against
infection by the tsetse-tiy, had given them the disease.
Being familiar with the treatment of this kind of mange, I
took the dog in hand when on board ;
but, in spite of all
59
With ^lashli^^-ht ciiid Ritic
-^
my efforts, the nuilcs became infected after the\- had lost
their winter coats ot loni^' hair, with very damaging effects
upon their skin. So for several weeks we liad the task
of subjecting the rather obstinate and troublesome beasts
twice daily to a thorough good washa process finallv
crowned by success.
Thanks to mv previous ex|)eriences and to our relations
--s^
ONCK MOKE 1 SAW LAl'K (1 1: ARDAFU 1 l!l,l' c iK K MK, UU IS IRETCHKD l.IKK A
RESTING LION. IT WAS THE EIGHTH IIME I HAD VOYAGED THIS WAY
with the officials of the German East African Compan)-.
our caraxan of
1
70 bearers, Askaris and others, under
the supervision ot mv tri(;d and trust\' headman, Mniam-
))ara Mattar, was organised in a lew days, and the railway
took us to Korogwe, at that time its terminus.
This saved us a wearisome two-days' march along the
coast. We made; our way ()\-er Mombo, where the
experimental cotton-plantations had unfortunately been
60
-)
destroyed by the heavy rains, and where we were genially
entertained by Herr X'eith, the very triendl\- and helpful
manager of the plantations
; then across Masinde, leaving
the caravan road upon the right
;
and hnally across
Mkomasi, now greatly swollen, and along the Ruki River
towards our provisional destination, Kilimanjaro.
Rain had been tailing in unusual cjuantities. and we
found the vegetable world in great luxuriance. It was
my seventh journey through this district, but it was only
the second time that I had tound the vegetation in this
state ; I had generally known it in the dry season.
Far and wide the land was now covered with grass ; the
remarkable succLilent plants were in lull lite, and the
grotesque monkey-bread trees adorned with leaves. Butter-
tlies and hordes of other insects were to be seen in every
Llirection.
It would be hard for a newcomer to realise that all
this organic life must disappear in a very short time, and
that the velt would spread out round us a barren, withered
plain.
As the result of the rains, the health of the Europeans
was, as usual, very bad. All the resident officials ot
the German East African Company had been obliged,
turn by turn, to go to the hospital. The temperature
reached
32
Celsius in the shade, never tailing below
21 at night, when the south-easterly wind blew per-
sistently.
We purchased large stores ot provisions, sent about
eighty donkey-loads of maize on ahead, and continued
our march for some days up-stream. The animal world,
6;
^
finding food and drink cNcrywherc now, was scattered
over the whole region.
Prince Lowenslein hrouglit down some Grant's
gazelles {(jaze//a i^riiiiih), Ijut our chief interest was centred
in the immense number of st(jrks {Cii-oi/ia a//n?), which
were preparing to set forth on their flight to I",uro])e,
I'KINCK jDllA.NiNES l.i )\V KNS'lEIN ('1 TIIIC RK.lIl) AM) IHK AUTHOR
and were now Iving in wait for the locusts. Rising high
in the air in tlocks ot thousands, these storks went
through th(; most wondcrhil cxoluiions.
1 he weaver-l)irds, wliic-h here ti.\ their hanging nests
upon the trees in great numhers. were also extraordinarily
full of life just, now, and their nests full of eggs and
young. Wdhle the old hirds fed thcii- N'oung only a few
64
-^
To KiliiiKinjaro with 1^-ince Lowenstein
days out of the shell with Ic^custs, the slightly bigg-er
ones tound their nourishment in ripe grass-seeds.
The weaver-bird which I myself discovered in iSqq
{P/oi'cns sc/n//m_osi) was now mating ; and the prince
collected a number of specimens of this handsome bird, of
which the niales when old are coloured a beautifully
gleaming gold, and which always builds its nest right
over the water, either in bushes or among reeds.
A female ostrich which I shot, and of which I jjre-
sented the contents of the stomach to the Berlin Museum,
had been eating nothing but grass-seed in enormous
quantities and had produced an o.^^^^ out of season.
But for this one
^^g
the ovaries were completely
inactive. The natives told me that when the grass
grows so suddenly ostriches lay single eggs not in-
frequently, out ot the breeding-season, when straying on
the velt.
We moved our camp down-stream for some days, and,
while Prince Lciwenstein had the good luck to bring
down a tine rhinoceros running close to me, we suddenly
came upon a herd of buffaloes out in the open on the
same day-more than sixty of themenjoying their siesta
in the shade of some acacia-trees, side by side with
water-buck {Codns
aff.
cllipsipryniniis) and Grant's gazelles
{Gazcila grant
i).
Most unfortunately I did not succeed in photographing
them, either standing still or running ; I had not got
my apparatus yet into complete working order, and the
light, moreover, was unfavourable.
Out of this herd the prince and I shot one bull and
VOL. I.
65
5
Wîth riashlio-ht and Rifle ^
one cow. Our joy was Intense over this piece of rare
luck, and we camjjed near the river in order to undertake
the preparation of the skins. I)y puttin^^ forth all our
efforts we succeeded, in spite of the burnino^ sun. in
making- really valuable zoological specimens of them, and
thus saving them for science. The cow was pregnant,
the young being ot a dark coftee-colour. We were able
to treat its skin successfully also. These operations called
forth the best efforts of every one in the caravan ; and it
was a matter for great .satisfaction that they were crowned
with success.
Here I may give the measurements of the l)ull. The
length of the skin from the niLizzle was
4
metres
;
the
greatest girth, round the belh'. 3'6o ; the skull weighed
25
kilos; that ot the cow, 15.
As rain set in, we had to salt the skins. The animals
were, as usual, covered with ticks [Khipncplialits appcu-
diculatns), those pests of the African buffalo.
So, by good luck, I held at last seen a herd of buffaloes
by daylight out in the open ! Until then I had never
beheld a buffilo except in thickets or among reeds.
We reflected mournfully on th(; time when, before the
devastations ot the rindc-rpest, such a sight was to be
encountered diily in th(;se regions of East Africa.
Two days later the Prince brought down a male
giraffe, but we did not succeed in preparing the skin. Likt'
all males, it had five projections from its forehead. Its
measurements were as follows: Length of line from nose
to the longest of these forehead projtictions, SS centimetres;
length of ])rojections, 22 centimetres
;
circumference of
66
M
'2
-^
head above the eyes, i metre 6 centimetres ; circumference
of the projections at their bases,
25
centimetres, up above,
22 centimetres. Weight of head, with about ;ô centi-
metres ot neck attached,
40 kilos.
During the next tew days we made several excursions
on the velt, in the course of which I got some guinea-
fowl and a corncrake (Cre.v crex), so well known in
STORKS TAKING TO FLIGHT
our meadows at home, and also came upon a great
number ot giraffe-tracks.
Upon the little island in the river were to be found
the nests of mire-drums {^Biibulciis ibis) and ot herons
of other kinds, whose eggs I was able to get. Here
also were still larger colonies of my weaver- bird [P/occns
Si/ii/Ziiigsi). A golden cuckoo [C/irysocoayx citpreus), had
chosen the nest of one of these birds for liatching her
69
AX'ith riashli-ht and Rifle
-^
egcrs, and her young l)irds had (ejected their foster-
companions into the river, therein to be drowned !
Having by this time famih'arised myself with the
telephoto apj)aratus, I succeeded in taking a number of ex-
cellent photographs of fringe-eared antelopes {O/y.v (a/Zol/s).
This entailed a very interesting but fatiguing pursuit,
as the antelopes, whose young ones had put in an
appearance only a few weeks before, were very sin .
In the course of an expedition together one; da)"
Prince Lowenstein and I were suddenly surprised bv a
discharge of guns, which causc-d us to tire off ours, so
as not to run further into danger. The discharge came
from the Askaris of a heliograph detachment, which was
on its way coastwards trom Kilimanjaro, and which,
having lett the caravan-track, was relying tor provisions
upon the big game they got en roiilc.
Most of our peoj)le soon went l)ack with great stores
of maize which we had laitl in at Ruroto for the pro-
visioning ot our caravan, and as zebras were to be met
with as well as antelopes, ostriches, and other big game.
we proceeded slowly upstream in order to give the
Prince his wished-tbr chance of sport, while I busied
myself with m\- photography.
'Ihe heat atlected us more and more. The grass
dried up, and the ground split in the ri\-erd)ed from the
dryn(;ss. Locusts of \arious kinds belonging to the
genera ScJustoccrca and Pac/iylyliis made their appearance
in immense quantities, marabous lying in wait tor them
in long rows on the velt, otten with storks to keep
th(!m c()m[)an)-,
70
-)
As we made our way through the hi^h grass, the long-
caravan starting up clouds of locusts at every step, a
hundred or more hawks of small size came round us
from every direction, seizing the insects with their beaks
and eating them in full flight. These were the beautiful
night-hawk and a graceful species of kestrel hawk
{Cerc/iiicis z'cs/)crfnnis and Cerehueis iicui/uainii). and it
DURING MARCH THE MIRE-DRUMS AND THE BLACK-HEADED HERON WERE
HAl'CHING THEIR EGGS ON THE ISLETS OF THE RUFU RIVER
was beautiful to see them winoîna' their wav throuo^h the
air, sometimes coming to within a few teet ot us in their
eager pursuit.
Suddenly, iust
as I was about to get on my mule,
the Prince and I ciught sight of three lions disappearing
in a thicket of thorns. There was no possibility of a shot
then, so we pitched camp in the neighbourhood with a
71
-^
view to L;"etting at them later. This, untortunatel) , we
(lid not succeed in doing. Our halt, however, gave us
a wonderful opportunity for ornithological research in
this river-side region.
'
Shortly before sundown a Cape stone-curlew {CEdic-
iicnnis rapeJi sis) llys past over the dark waters of the
stream with whirring wings and a curiously shrill whistle,
which sounds like Vee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee ! getting
quicker and sharjjer with each repetition, the last of all
being so shrill and piercing that it impresses itselt un-
forgettably upon the ear. The bird is breeding just now,
and only a few minutes before sundown Ijut then all the
oft(mer and more strenuouslyit gives out its song ot joy
and love over this mournful river-side, troni sandbank
to sandbank. It knows well how to keep out ol the
way of its dreaded neighbour the crocodile, as does
also the Egyptian goose [C/inni/opcx woypfunits) now
sitting on the sandbank.
.Suddenly there emerges in mid-stream, silently anti
only just perceptibly, th(' head of a crocodile more than
four yards in length. The goose has espied him, and.
raising herself, gives out a quick cry of warning. The
crocodile remains motionless, but the goose keei)s her
weather eye ojx-n.
Kingfishers [Ccjy/c nia/is) make iis(; of this twilight
hour for diving into the water and snatchmg at the small
fish. The wat(T splashes up in the light of tin; setting
sun, and drops tall Irom the h'athers ot the; bird, whi(:h
takes up its place again upon a dr\ branch above the
stream, reach lo pounce down again next moment. Xow
72
-^
riit past a number ot those very remarkable birds aptly
termed clapper-bills [^-liiasionnis hxiuelligenis).
Ibises and herons alight from their slow tlii^hts
upon neighl)ouring islands ; the sun has gone below the
horizon, and a species of goat-sucker [Caprim/i/ons fossei)
begins its monotonous song hard by our camp. Far oft'
the velt is reddened by a fire. Darkness comes on
DARTERS, WinI THEIR SNAKE-LIKE .NECKS. WERE ON THE WAICH. WE
FOUND THEIR BLUISH EGGS, COVERED BY WHITE CHALKY STUPT", IN
THE ACACIA-BUSHES ON THE ISLANDS
quickly. The camp-fires flame up. and African camp-
life is to be witnessed in all its romance. Then follow
often hours of photographic work and experiment in the
stifling atmosphere of a hermetically closed tent. After
which, when fever is not on us, sleep demands its turn,
and the weary body finds in slumber new stores of
strength for the efforts of the coming day.
75
At a distance of some miles from the camp 1 found
a large pond in the bed of a dried-up river. Put upon
the alert by seeing a vociferous sea-eagle [Ha/iaefus
vocifcr\ I found in the pool great quantities of fish, which
were doomed to destruction by the unexpectedly quick
drying up of the stream. They had left it at spawning-
time, and been cut off My men took over three hundred
kilos of much-needed fish this day, and the news of
their big haul gave much joy in the canip.
By this pond a pair of Egyptian geese had hatched
their eg-o-s. The voune birds that still lived were about
three weeks old ; others had been swallowed by two small
crocodiles, which were caught by my men when they
were drawing in the fish. In one of these crocodiles,
only about a yard in length, one of the goslings was
found almost w^hole and entire !
Next day I was to come near meeting the same
fate as this young gosling. Crossing the river in a fragile
boat, two blacks and I got entangled in a thicket, lost an
oar, and with it all control of our course. Next mcjment
we were being swept along as swift as an arrow by the
current in mid-stream.
Below was a deep, quiet i)Oo],
in which a great
nuniljer (jf Ijig crocodiles la\- in wait tor their prey.
Fortunately our boat came suddenly upon a rock and
capsized. We owed our salvation to tlie fact that both
mv men and nnself were accustomed to the water, and
that we wen- all of tall stature. This enabled us,
standing upon the rocks in the water, to hold on to the
Li])lurned boat, without, however, l)eing able to move away,
76
-^
To Kilimanjaro with Prince Lowcnstcin
cis the deep rushing- water on each side of us made this
impossible.
All this happened quite close to our camj). As quick
as lightning, our soldiers and carriers were aroused and
the former opened fire from their Mauser ritles in order
to keep the crocodiles from attacking us.
While the bullets whizzed round our heads, Prince
HERONS HAD MADE THEIR HOME IN THE BKAN'CHES OF THE TREES
OVERHANGING THE STREAM
Lowenstein, without losing a moment, jumped into the river
to try and save us. This action on his part deserves the
warmest praise, though of course it was not possible for
him to secure our safety by himself Our rescue needed
the combined efforts of a larQe number of our men, who,
roped together, drew near to us and brought us to land
under the continued fire of the Askaris. However, we
owed our rescue from a very tight corner chiefiy to the
11
^
initiative of the IVInce. In such moments one gets to
know iincl appreciate one's comrades belter tlian one might
in years cjf companionship at home.
We gave up all hope' ol coming again upon the lions
we had observed. When we sighttxl them they had just
been tearing a hen-ostrich to pieces (as I found the day
after), but they did not return to its carcase.
My
ornithological collection had been ajjpreciably
expanding, and now included a consideraljle numlêr of
prepared skins and eggs. Slowly following the course
of the stream, we gratlually drew closer to Kilimanjaro.
Now, towards the end of March, the approaching
rainy season the
"
Masika mkubwa
"-
o'ave sio^ns of
its coming. We came in tor a tremendous storm one
night, which deluged our camp in a few minutes and
filled our tent with water, The thunder crashed above
us, the atmosphere; was charged with electricitw No
one who has not cx'ix'rienced a tropical storm in the
desert can form any impression ol this marxcllous
phenomenon.
A
series of h)rc(;d marches over the now sodden marsh-
land brought us to the Kahe district, a small oasis
of cultivation in the midst ol the v(,'lt at the; lc:)Ot of
i\ ilimanjaro.
M\- old fri(;nd of former y(;ars, the chic;!, had been
murdered. His successor did not seem to me to ha\e
much authoritw
On arrixing at the station of Moshi on ivilimanjaro,
we found that \w\ Iricnd Captain Mcrker, who received
us most corelially, was just on the point ol going back to
78
^
To Kilimanjaro with l^rince Lowenstein
Europe on leave after seven years' unint('rriij)tecl residence.
One needs a rare degree of energy t(j survive seven
years' residence in the unhealthy climate of East Africa
without a brtâk !
The rains now came on and kept us at Moshi.
Prince Lowenstein, who is an ardent climber and who^
A BIG HAUL : MY MEN RETURNING TO CAMP LADEN Wmi SEVERAL
HUNDREDWEIGHT OF FISH
had purposed making his way up to the heights of
Kilimanjaro tor collecting purposes, suddenly received
news which obliged him to alter his plans and depart for
South Atrica. He went off to the coast with Captain
Merker, and 1 pursued my journey alone.
The departure of the Prince deprived me of a first-
rate comrade. The loss came home to me doubly because
many hardships and difficulties had taught me to appreciate-
79
With Mashli-iit and Rifle
-i
a true and sympathetic companion in ^ôod times and had,
a man with his heart in the right place, and with a facuk\'
for coping with the hardships oi Hte in the wilderness nt^t
easily equalled.
Unfortunately a number of deaths had occurred among
the asses at Moshi, which to my mind is just as unhealth\'
as any other such place in Iâst Africa. The Greek
merchant Meimarides, who livês there, had lost more than
a hundred of his native Masai asses. This tlid n.ot surprise
me very much, as I had long known that domestic animals
were apt to sicken in this neighbourhood. Assesespecially
the superior breed of Muscat asses and mulessoon die
there, lasting only two or three years under the most favour-
able circumstances ; horned animals are kept by the
Wadshagga in closed sheds by stall-feeding, cattle allowed
to graze in the o|)en inxariably dying very quickly.
This stall-feeding is not due to fear of the Masai, but
to the knowledge that the animals can only l:)e kept alive
in th(;se sheds of the Wadshagga, which smoke protects
from the gad Hies.
It was interesting to me to find here at the begiiming
of April the species of gen(;t {(iciiclia siia/ic/ica) which 1
myself had discovered. One of these black genets was
killed at night by a shepherd just as it was about to lall
on a kid belonging to my herd ol goats. I his black
colouring is not infreciuenth' met with among carnivora
in East Africa.
It is rei)orted
from Abyssinia that it has long been
a practice of the Negus to bestow a black leopanl's skin
80
-^
as a mark of rare distinction upon persons whom he
wishes to honour. It would seem that the black leopard
is sometimes to be met with in these regionsa counter-
part to the black leopard ot the Malay countries so well
known in our Zoological Gardens.
Similarly the serval was known in its black variety
to the Kilimanjaro people, and I niyself had succeeded
WE HAD TO TAKE SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS WHEN WE WENT AFTER
THE TIMIIi ORYX ANTELOPES
in bagging specimens. Lions have never been seen
with entirely black skins, though they have been known
to have black manes. The black genets were new
to zoologists when I found them at Moshi in
April
1903.
I found two young Coke's hartebeest
{Bubalis cokei) and a young zebra in the possession
of the Moshi station. Unfortunately it proved impossible
VOL. I. 81 6
With J'hi^hli-ht and Riric
to hrinL;' them ii|), as was the: case also with a numhcr of
other animals iJi'ocured tor the station b}' the nati\'es, who
were under orcl(_Ts to hand o\'er the Noiin;^' ot all animals
taken by them.
Captain Merker had three splendid s])ecimens of tht:
white-tailed iruereza [Co/oluis tiuâ/ns) ('auL^ht tor me b)-
natives. We wanted to see whether I could not brin^-
them back to Eurojje alive. Unfortunately 1 did not
succeed in this, dd.e iûereza which I myself got hold of
in 1900.
a male, and wh.ich I presented to the Zoological
Gardens at Berlin, is still the only living specimen in
Europe.
At last, after continual down[)ours, there came a really
tine day soon after the departure of the Prince and Captain
Merker, and I availed myself ot it to set forth from
Moshi on m\" march to the Njiri swamps, intending to
pitch my camp b\- the Himo Ri\-er.
On the same tlay the nati\es told me of two large
bulbelephants which had been observed for some days
past in the neighbourhood of the station. I did not like
to interfere in anv way with the elephantdiunt which
the acting commandant of the static^n hael at once
orofanised ; but 1 should have been Ljlad to seize the
opportunit)' both of photographing the ek:phants in such
bright, sunny weather, anil also ot s(^curing one of them
fbr a museum. This could onl\' be done in the: neighbour-
hood of a station.
.So l)ig an undertaking would fail
out in the open tor lack ot tacililies. I 'ntortunately
l)oth elephants were shot in such a wax (as was also
an immense bull-elephant, which tell to tlu; ritle ot
82
p'
i() Kilimanjaro with Prince Lowcnstcin
a Greek dealer) that the skins cotild ntJt be- prepared tor
zooloo'ical piii'j)()ses.
The Governor. Count Gotzen, has now, it is verv
gratityino- to state, started a preserve for elephants within
the conhnes of the station, in response to representations
made to him by Captain Merker and myself ; so it is
to be hoped that, instead of being decimated as they
VULTURES ON THE WING
have been of late, they will find a haven of refuge in
this district. This is all the more satisfactory in that
it is only near the station that regular elephant-hunts
are practicable. Out in the velt there is, of course, no
means of controllinL>" the shootinof ot hUj; ofame. It is
well that the station officials should set a good example.
Stringent rules regarding big-game shooting are in force
in l^ritish East Africa in th(^ neighbourhood of the Uganda
83
With Flash li<^hl cind Rifle
^
Railway, with the result that G^rcat herds of wild animals
may be seen (|uite near the railwa)- lines.
On this day, to my delight, 1 succeeded in getting
some good pictures of zebras and hartebeest antelopes,
taken at a distance. I was the more pleased because, owing
to the complete lack of control over the shooting by Askaris
in the neighbourhood of Moshi. the whok^ district had
been practically denuded of wild lite In this Moshi
region, where one ot the first c:ommandants, Ib-rr xon
Fdtz, had killed as many as sixty rhinocer()S(;s, nowadays
even a single rhinoceros is seldom sec-n.
You no longer see h(.'rds of a hundred zebras, such
as Proft;ssor lians Meyer found lu-re years ago. it is
not to the: rilles of sportsmen, howc'ver, that thc\- have
fLllcn. Thcv mainlv owe their destruction to the un-
checked shooting of the black soldiers, who had the
ammunition stones at their disposal. In 1896 I myself
c.une \'er\ near to being shot by these gentry.
The fable about "slaughterings" by sportsmen
esjiecially
hjiglish sportsmen -being the cause of the
disappearance* of the fauna in lands like East Africa se(;ms
impossible to root out of people's minds.
In German Iâst Africa, and in other unhealthy and
fever-infested
countries, \ c;ry few sportsmen, good or bad,
have been at work up to the i)resent.
The great
<-xpense of sporting expeditions is (enough in itself to
keej) them away.
But millions of bullets from the rifles of Europeans
of all descriptions, of Askaris, and, last but not least, of
the nativf;s, have been whistling ov('r the fields of German
84
-^
To Kilimanjaro with Prince Lowcnstein
East Africa tor the last twenty-five years. 1 know of
one case in which a detachment of^ Askaris shot down
twelve elei)hants at one go. What countless thousands
of wild animals have hvAtn destroyed by cattle-dealers
and other travellers of all kinds ! What thousands
must l)e put down to the account of the so-called Ostrich
Farming Company of Kilimanjaro, the former directors
v-^'^^r-'
With Flashlight and Ritic
-*
there. This eiUerprising man h;L 1 reared an imposinir
stock ot birds in one year, and liad achi('\-cd much
more in this short period than the ( )strich harm-
ing" Company, which. o^vinL4 '^'^ had manaL^XMnt'iit, has
no profits to sliow tor all tliese \cars. with larL;c means
at their disposal.
A loni^ march brought our caravan next to the; Rombo
plantation, the scene of the murder of Dr. Lent and
Dr. Kretschmer in
1894.
How long will it be before
numbers ot other such calamities, here and ever\\vhere
in our colonies, bring it home to us that it is only
possible to establish a civilised administration, in our
sense of the term, over such regicjns, when we can sup-
port it l)v an adequate number ot troops and police,
maintained in every corner ot it at a correspondingly
enormous expense ?
From Rombo we proceeded through dense banana
groves, by narrow shady paths, to Useri, where the Mangi
(chief) Mambua generously |)rovick?d me with beans, and
where we had to strike camp in the middle ot a banana
plantation.
This Useri district, with Its winding, intricate, densely
shaded ])aths and banana-plantations, is still littk; known.
Its inhabitants are shy and retiring, and water is so scanty
here that the\- can only get it Irom the banana stalks.
More long marches followed now. We crossed the
Ngare-Rongai (of which the waic^r was icy cold and most
excell(;nt), and ])resentl\' I got to the Xjiri swamj)s Ijy
way of the watering-place Marago- Kanga.
These swamps a.rc; called Xgare-( )'.Ssiram 1)\ tlie Masai,
86
-^.
lo I\ilim;iii];ii-() with Prince Lowcnstein
because ihe lesser kudu iSlrcpsiceros iniberbis), in their
languacê, o'ssiram, us<j(l to tr('f|uent them.
I had he(-n the first luinjpc-an to (h-scribe these
marshes and their surrounchn^s in i<S99, th(; year of the
rising-. In spite ot the unhealthiness of the reL(i(jn I
pitched my camp here lor a lcn,L(thy stay, so that I mic^ht
be abl(' t(j take plenty ot photographs ol' animals,
and make a careful study of th(:: vvh(;le nei^^hbourhocjd.
()nl\' the \\<'stern Xjiri marshes have as yet been described
thoroughly in the works of the Austrian Count W'icken-
burg-
; they are, ho\ve\-er, by no means of the extent
and importanc(; indicated upon the maps hitherto executed,
though naturall\- dieir extent is much greater in the wet
season than in tlie dry. 'I'hey seem to me U) ha\e been
formerly more extensi\(' than they are now, as is the
case with m(.st ol the otlier marshes and inkmd seas
throu'j'hout I'.ast Africa.
89
K(;vrriA\ cJiiKsE o.\ tiik swami'
VI
By the Njiri Lakes
THE
time of the great rains came to an end that year
as quickly and suddenly as it had set in. In the
course of three weeks immense expanses of water had
spread over the parched velt, and |)0()ls and lakes
had filled. The scorched and blackened soil had become
covered as thouLj^h l)y maîc with rich green, d rees and
bushes had been awakened into lite out ot their winter
sleep, and swollen streams took the place, tor a briet period,
of empty river-beds.
In the deep valley to the west ol Kihmanj.iro, the
lowest declivities ot which torm the west and east Xjiri
swamps, the masses ol water coming together tormed one
f{reat lake.
bor we-eks the greater portion of" the animal world
had roamed at large over the watered and gniss-grow ii
ste[jpes. The remotest regions had b(;en made accessible
t(j man and beast. bdcphanls, rhinoceroses, and antelopes
wandered (_',v(.-r\\vher(', so scattered in everv direction that
90
-^
By the Njiri Lakes
it was hard for the native hunter to l)ao'
much g-amc
But
with starthng rapidity all this ephenK-ral \'(JL(etati()n withered.
The waters dried up, the: crreen faded away, and once aoain
the aninials went hack to the oases which thev make
their winter cjuarters durinf^ the k'n^- periods ot' drought.
The swampdrequentino- birds found a feast spread out for
them, however, upon the Njiri Lakes, now slowly subsiding"
IN IHE RAINY SKASOX THE VELT WAS FLOODED
and leaving behind them a wealth of floating and seed-
bearing plants.
Lnmense flocks of geese and ducks covered the surface
of the lakes. On the banks were clustered thousands of
o;nus and zebras
; and, come hither from the furthest
limits of the velt, rhinoceroses found their way into
their accustomed drinking-places among the reeds
;
while
waterbuck. hartebeests, gazelles, and a few buffaloes had
91
With riashli-iit and Ritic
-^
returned to the vicinity of the swamps, or actually to th("
swamps themselves. It was fascinating tor a sportsman
fascinatinpf even for a mere observerto be able aoain
to see and study these animals and their ways. But
like conscientious warders of the wilds, myriads of te\'er-
Ijrinîn^' mosquitoes lurked among the reeds and thickets
ot papyrus.
However, fever need not frighten the sportsman and
n.A.MINGOKS (IN 1 1 1 K WING I'KKSKNI A SI TKKli sl'Ki TACLK, 1 1 1 Kl K UO>K-
III KD 1 EATHKKs (ON IK ASTING liKAU 1 U TLLV WITH IIIK HI.I'K OK
THE SKV
observer in th()S(t regions. Me is aware; that h(;re, far
awa\' \rum human habitations, the moscjuitoes are less
dangerous, less harmful than in inhabitcxl districts or near
caravan routers, where th(' slightest uncleanliness gives the
tever-germs their chance. So I moved m\ camp into
th(; midst of th(; treeless and bushless |)],iin, salt-
92
->
By the Njiri Lakes
encrusted and olitterinq" in its whiteness, surrounded
by the sedoy kikes and kigoons, leaving behind me
everything I coukl do without, especially the asses and
cattle, which would have been Hy-bitten to death. Wood
for burning and fresh water had to be fetched by day.
The ground was only covered here and there by scanty
grass growing in plots, broken by patches of quite bare
soil. The sand was blown into dunedike hills by the
wind, and small isolated ponds, quite without vegetation,
lay scattered all round the camp.
I'rom the reeds ot the regular marshes u|)on the; l^rink
of which the camp-tents were pitched, clouds of tlies
swarmed every night in search of their prey. Hundrc-ds ot
them were to be found in the tent itself, and were not (*asy
to scare away. These flies, and the ibises enlivening
the neighbouring air with their soft calk are unfailing
accessories to this lonelv life u[)on the marshes.
Photographic work, here particularly troublesome,
begins in the evening and entails the wearing of clothes
more suited to the Arctic regions. One's body thus saved
from the stints of the bloodthirst\' insects, one has to
protect one's face and hands as best one may. Even so,
one must be prepared to be stimg dozens of times in the
course of an evening.
My blacks, although stretched out at their ease in the
smoke of the smouldering camp-fire, were not able to close
an eye during the night. During the day they made up
for this by sleeping in the blazing sunshine upon some
bare sandy spot.
In such circumstances carpc diciii is a good motto.
93
Whh Flashlii;-ht and Rifle
9^
But for all disadvantages there was ample compensation in
the wonderful opportunities one had lor observâtion during
the daytime. In places where the receding water had
allow c-d fresh grass to spring uj), were deep holes tlug out
bv the natives to serve as hiding-places in which thc^y
crouched, and from which they took their toll with poisoned
arrows tVom the herds ot Q-nus and /t-bras C(jnu'nQr down
-^
By the Njiri Lakes
seen, and the wild animals came down to quench their thirst
in no way disturbed by my presence. For days together
1 occupied myselt exclusively with phcjto^raphy, (getting
any numljer of pictures and so managing that hundreds
and hundreds of gnus and zebras hung round my camp
almost like tame deer. Here thev grazed along with tlocks
of the beautiful crested cranes and Egyptian geese :
.^7'r^-
'4
X
~
CORMORANTS (/'//.J /-.JCA'cCOA'.J-V .U-RIC-I XiS, G.M.) DRVINi; THEIR FKAl'HERS
IX 'i-HE SUN
hundreds ot Thomson's gazelle grazed like sheep among
them, and wherever the eve turned it saw the rough, dark,
strongly marked forms of the old gnu-lnills as they grazed
apart, cut oft from the herds.
For mil(\s there are no shallows in these lakes.
Where currents issuing from the velt flow to the regular
marshes, the water reached up to our waists. Thickets of
reeds border the banks far and wide, and the water is lull
VOL. I.
97 7
With I'la^hli-lU and Kilie
>.
of th(- European floatini,^ plant Potanwyeton, first dis-
covered
1)\-
myself in (jcrman {'.ast Africa
; fut onl\- the
seed-pods are to he seen, hard) p(-rcc];tihle ahove the
surface. Often I and my me^n wandered for miles over
this world ot water, seeinu^ \vherev(T w(; lo()k<-d the
hcautiful 'jrcAxX. white ei^ret, th': Mack-and-white sacred
ihises, hlack-hcâdcd weaver-hirds, th(; small white mire-
drums, and hundreds and thousands (jf I'^L^yptian iêese
and i^reat hlack-an(Uu hite sptirred-geese
; while in the
far distance flocks of heautilul llamingoes flashed aljout
on the hanks
\ he duck known as Nyrocii capcusis, many other kintls
of ducks, beautiful whydah-hirds, watcrhens, grebes, long-
leiL;_L(ed jdcjvers
[
//iiiimilopits uniianlopui-) and countless
other kinds of birds mo\c(l about b(-lore our eves,
while every now and again some sph-ndid \'ociferous
sea-eagle would swing past above us, emitting its shrill
whistle. On the banks plovers llew hither arid thither
stragglers perhaps from flocks of these winter guests

from the far North ; while the white-winged black
tern {IJydrochcluloit /ciuoplcra) swo;)pe(l down upon the
water.
Now, howcn-er, our ga/e is arrctstfxl l)\' the sight of a
bird which is not often seen, and to which our presence-
is a matte-r of \er\' keen Jinxiety. This is the bcâutilul
avocet, black and white ( l\Ciiirvn-ostra iwocctlaY a lard
which used once to nest on the (brman se,i-coast, but
is now to be seen theiê no more. 1 his is th(; first
time I have found it breeding in Oerman I'.ast Africa.
It has brought up its \oung up'on these salt and alkaliiKt
9S
^ P)y the Xjiri Lakes
marshes anc] its })(:arinL( is ve-ry curious and intcre-stinn/
when it knows them or its nest to Ijtt in danLTf^r.
With ]i\('ly, constantly rei^-ated cri(^s it flirts hii^h above
our heads hither and thither, drops d(nvn to th(' water,
stoops its head down on to the surface, and in that position
goes from one cluster of weeds to another, and then
as far out into the open as th(; depth of wat(-r permits.
Thus it infillibly betrays the jxjsition of its youn^^. Vêry
interesting it is then to se.t^
these swilt-winc/ed black-and-
white birds, full of anxiet}- for their ofTsprinL,^ flit from the
sand to the cloudless sky or on to the dirtv-,c^rey water,
made muddy by the flocks of living things. The.- way
in, which their long legs hang down adds to th(t f]uaint-
ness of their appearance. Xow the sharp tones of the
avocet, have produced comnKJtion in the entire world
of birds and a beautiful spur-winged lapwing (//c^//(9/'/e^?7/i'
specio<.us) decides t(j make (jff
What a wealth of dazzling light, of' majf-stic isolation,
of boundless distance and endless '"pace !
X umbers of ycjung axocets not set able to fly w(:; now
see running along inland to save themselves, almost hiding
thcjir black-and-white feathers as they scamper ovc-r the
grrjund with outstretched n('cks and beaks ! How white
th(; land here under its coating of salt, as though covered
by newly fallen snow I Where the broad gleaming ponds
merge in the deeper waters (jf the permanent marshes,
anrl clusters r^f reeds stand up at first sparsely, but
gradually becom(j denser and denser, we see every inch
of water covered by birds. Among the reeds the notes
of small warblers and the curious little marsh-hens
lOI
With Flashli-ht and kiilc
-^
{^Li})nwcorax niger) are to Ix- heard chirpino- away, the
quarrelsome
crested coot i^hîilica ci'islata) \viii_n-s its
wav over the surlace, nunilxTs ot moorhens [(nil/iuii/a
c/i/oropus),
single dwart waterhens [Ôrtygoiiiclra pitsil/a
ohscura) and the long-leg'êd jiarra {.lc/o/>/n//is 17/ rwainis)
displax- themseK'es hetore our eyes.
1 he sun hangs hea\il\' over the ex])anse of water,
covered bv its carpet ol plants, and the atmosphere is
stifling.
These plants are delusixe in their islanddike
aspect, and it is with dithciilty that we make our way
through them cautiously step by step. Here and there,
upon islands upon which acaciadnishes grow, flocks ot
cormorants have settled and are drying their feathers
with their wdngs outstretched ; but these enemies ot flsh,
backed up by all the other members ot the world ot
beasts and birds, have never been able to decimate the; in-
habitcUits of these lakes which swarm with lish Wdierever
we tLU'n our steps, we see in tront ot us little eddies and
whirlpools which tell us of t'ish pursuing their pre\-.
'1
hrow a line, and in halt' an hour you liaxe caught such
a !uimber of fish weighing live pounds and more that
tour m(;n will And it difficult to carr\ the burden back
to camp.
Up to the arms in water, hidden by the reeds, it is
very enjoxable to remain here watching the birds. It it
were not lor the
mos(|uiloes and another kind ol small
flv, wdiich creeps into the eyes and nose and ears and
stings viciously, one could remain thus occupied tor da\s
together.
A W(jnderl"ull\ beaulil'ul liule bird glides sutldenl)' on
102
^
'M
I
")
By the Njiri Lakes
to tht^ water. Is it a young parra ? No. apparently
not
;
and to my delight I recognise for the first time
the dwarf parra {^Microparra
africaiia capensis).
The extraordinarily long feet of these tiny birds
make it intelligible how they manage to run over the
surface of the water and with them they are enabled
TROPICAL VEGKTATION NEAR THE COAST
to Utilise as Itjotholds the smallest morsels oi Hoating
vegetation.
Round us go whistling and twittering countless numbers
ot small warblers, now coming towards us inr|uisiti\ely,
then Hying right away. Suddenly a shrew-mouse makes
its appearance right at our feet in the midst of this watery
worldthat tiny beast of prey with a bite so terrible for
its size
; and by way of contrast to this pigmy there
resounds the tremendous roar of the greatest of all the
With Flashlight and Riiic
-^
inhabitants of this neighljourhooch the hij)i)()|)t)tanuis. To
be sure, it is not always that one is lett in such complete
tranrjuillit\- in these hours ot observation.
The neio'hbourhood was, I knew, free from crocodiles
;
which is a curious fact, as the permanent marshes contain
fresh drinkable water and it is rmly the [jeriodical floods
that are salty.
At the beginning of m\- stay 1 was making my way
Wl h, I I'l.iN 1 \\ I I I I I . i ! 1 1 1 i
through one of these temporar\- lakes when, suddenl)',
while 1 was still some distance Irom the bank, thert; was
a \iolent commotion in the waicr jusL in h-unt ot me.
Waves l)roke in e\-er\- direction and m\- men lU-d l)ack in
the greatest confusion, leaxing me in the lurch and calling
out
"
Mamba ! Maml)a !
"
1 m\ self thought 1 saw two cr()codilc;s making lor me,
I o6
9^ By the Njiri Lakes
and, iKJt knowing how many others there might be to
deal with, I also took to (light.
As may be imagined, flight was no easy thing, either
for my men or for m_\self, waist-deep in water. When we
got to a shallower part I tried to rally my mc-n, but failed
completely, so great was their alarm. On the bank,
however, I took counsel with some of my Masai, and
WE MARCHED FOR IIOUK Alll'.K lliiTk IHROL'GH 'lllE INUNHAIEU SWAMPS
presently came to the conclusion that it was not crocodiles
that had h'ightened us, but huge snakes. Again I
approached the spot where we had encountereil them, and
by dint of much exertion succeeded in killing three
pythonstor such they wereof extraordinary size.
1 hev had been alter the eofo^s of the marsh-birds and the
birds themselves.
Here it was ver\' enjoyable to take up one's position of
107
With Mashlio-ht and Rifle
an evening on the small islands of these lakes. Lying
tlat on the groiincl I \v;itched and listened to the birds of
all kinds that thtted and Huttered all round me. There
was an added spice ot suspense in the iJOssil)ilitv always
of a hijjpopotamus coming upon one suddenlv--a very
ugly customer to meet in such surroundings. During the
day they kept always in the deeper waters of the marsh.
VULTURES
but at sunset thev would sometimes come to these shallower
lakes.
It the twilight far too l)riet, alas I in the tr()[)ics
l)r()vid(xl rich enjoyment, dawn, hastening up, ottered the

most enchanting pictures ot the !nagnilu"ent plo\'ers.
Their wondertulK- picturesque flight and their lixcK' call
are things no ti'aNclUn' can forget. The da\ s passed
awa\' thus in stud\'ing the birds and taking phc^to-
graphs. Hunting tor a time was put asielc\ 1 had no
mind for it, so tascinated was 1 by these scenes which
I have tried to describe,
1 08
-5
By the Njiri Lakes
Often during the nights there were also new and
exciting matters to hold our attention. One dark,
cloudy night it would ])e lions that provided our lullaby
;
another night perhaps it would be a rhinoceros or two.
The sight ot these gigantic brutes standing out in the
moonshine on the glistening snow-white velt is still
vivid in my memory. ... In the tar distance the
glacier-bound Kaiser Wilhelm peak of stupendous Kili-
manjaro soared above our heads in lonely majesty, as
seen throuQ-h the Hood of moonbeams.
I I I
\ LJLTURES AM MARABOUS 1-K ATl'.KN ISI NCi lOGF/IHER
VII
Evening on the Marshes
E"^\'ENING
on the marshes In lujualorial Africa is a
> marvellous tiling". To the northerner the sudden
disappearance
of the sun below the horizon is an ever
new surprise.
With the coming of night, thousands ot glow-worms
the l\imurri-nnirri of the natives
make their appearance,

and grasshoppers mingle thc-ir chorus with the curiously
wooden, monotonous croaking ot the trogs.
Then there is th(; Ijuzzing ot the moscjuitoes alsc^ which
intest these localities in myriads, swarming otit ot the
papyrus-beds in their bloodthirstv search tor prey. It
would not be possil;)le to r(_-main here at all without
some; {protection again^^t their attacks. The mostjuito-nets
we ha\e with us enable us to hokl to our posts, though,
we do not esca|)(; some; \er\ pamtul slings through our
clothes.
Livelier and busier tlie\ become ;
tlieir bu/zing, louder
and Inuder, minglmg now with the \-()ices of the marsh-
birds, which are most active during the mght. '1 lierc- is
1 12
->
a quick succession of curious twittcrlnos. It is a blue
water-hen that joins in the general chorus. During the
daytime also its mysterious notes may be heard. "It
is conversing- with the hsh," one of my men tells me,
and the others back up his opinion. There is, of course,
no truth in this, but these bird-calls are certainlv full
of the character of the swamp. The circumstance that
BEAUTIFULLY COLOURED KINGFISHERS WERE LOOKING OUT FOR THE
SMALL FISH IN THE LAKES
a fish gives out a somewhat similar sound when caught
causes the natives to have this notion about an under-
standing between fish and bird.
Now there is a sudden outbreak of many voices,
from the hoarse croaking of the night-heron {Nyciifora.v
leuconolus) to the monotonous song of the little
warblers, and the loud warning cry of the waterfowl.
My camp-fires flicker in the distance, the pale crescent
VOL. I. 1 1 :; 8
of the moon comes out from behind the clouds, and there
resounds and reverberates throughout the marsliy wilder-
ness a voice of which the Bible makes mentionso
Brehm r(;minds usas one of the mightiest voices of
animals in days of old.
"
And when Rehoboth lifts up
his \oice. . .
."
Yes, when Rehoboth lifts up his voice,
the whole world seems to tremljle. The sound is so tre-
mendous that its effect the first time vou hear it is startlinor
in the extreme.
At long intervals the old bull hippopotamus thunders
out in this way over his kingdom, and the effect is
magicalall the more so for the mournful aspect of the
landscape. It means that he is emerging trom his trodden,
almost tunnelled paths and haunts, and betaking himselt
to some spot up on the dry land to graze.
Shortly before sunset yet another fascinating picture,
full of life, is offered to our gaze. Hundreds of thousands
of finch-like birds and weavers fly hot-haste to the
swamp for their evening drink, before betaking themselves
for the night to the security of the papyrus-thickets.
Hither they have hurried in wave-like throngs, rising and
falling, keeping a serpentine course along the level
of the pa|)yruslooking indeed like some monstrous
serpent seen afir oft^ in the; twilight. A kind of mighty
humming noise accom])anies their llight, so strong and
loud that the stranger is a[)t to be frightened by it at first.
It is extraordinary how exactly they keep to certain
distinct courses in thc-ir llight every evening.
On pre\'i()us occasions I had Ixên struck by the \\a\'
in which the indi\itkial bii'ds kept together in their
]
14
-
Hvcnini;" on the Marshes
compact (locksI was now almost convinct^cl that they
have signs impcrccptil)!!- to human eyes and ears, by which
they communicate with each other and are enabled to
carry out like autf^matd all the elaliorate evolutions which
their leader in these flights shows them he thinks necessary.
Countless pigeons of various kinds now appear upon
the water, flitting to and tro nervously and cautiously.
After drinking thc^y also betake themselves to the swamp
for their night's rest. Then come great Hocks of guinea-
A LARt;E FLOCK OF GUINEA-FOWL I'F,KCHED OX A TREE NEAR .NtE
fowl. Settling on a tree close by, they are silhouetted
sharply against the \-iolet-hued horizon.
Yet another picture follows. A tlock of tall crested
cranes [Balcai'ica rcoûloruui gibbericeps), standing out like
ghosts against the indescribably beautiful tints of the
equatorial sunset, draws near with slowly flapping wings
to seek secure sleeping-places on the small islands in the
swamp. Evening after evening these beautiful birds come
here at exactly the same minute. A creaking noise like
117
that of unoilcd wheels accompanies tht-ir tllc^ht. It is one
ot the strangest sounds I have ever heard gi\en forth
by birds, and may often be noticed on a clear moonlight
night for hours together. Now they have settled down
on the tree-branches for their night's rest, and their
imposing outlines form a super!) accessory to the
ornithological nnse-eu-schic.
The darkness grows apace, once the sun has set.
Great flocks of geese and ducks have already taken Bight,
CKIiSTED CRANES WINGED THEIR WAY TO IHEIR .SECI'KE NIGHT-
RESORTS~THE ACACIA-TREES ON I H E ISLANDS IN THE SWAMl'S
but Strange sounds l)(-tray the presence still of manv
feathered inmates of the marsh, and the whi/zing of the
numerous night-hcn-ons is now more audibK; than ever.
n we are in luck, we shall j)erhaps hear now a long-
drawn, reverljcrating roar. The king of beasts is gc;tting
read\- tor the chase and lor a tew minutes his mighty
voice lends to the trojjical (;vening its greatest magic.
\\'here\er th(' r\v turns it sees the gleaming lights
of the lire-tlies swaying hither and thither, u[) and down,
I 18
-^
like fairy lanterns emitting their bright, clear radiance
over the otherwise jet-black marshland. Deep stillness
alternates with the varied sounds from all the innumer-
able throats.
It is time to return to camp. One of the striped
hyaenas, that seem but now to come to life, is howling
somewhere near. Two jackals answer back. On our
road, straight in front of us, almost at our feet, starts
up some wild creature, only to disappear in terrified
flight among the reeds. From the panting sounds given
forth we are able to recognise a reedbuck {Cervicapra).
Through the marshwater welling up round our feetour
path leads out of the night and the wilderness to the
security of our camp, with its numerous fires flashing out
like beacons to show us the way home.
119
OLD BUI.1.S Sl'AM) APART FROM TlIK IIKKDS OF t'.NUS AS SKNTKIES
VIII
Bv the Stream
THE
extraordinary luimljcr ami xarictv ct animals
that assembk' durinL( the season ot droui^ht in the
nci^hhourhood ot the drinkinL^-places defies all description.
If the\' should he disturbed, or have reason to suspect
an enenn whether man or beast these? wild herds
ininu;diatel\' seek another drinkinL;-j)lace, shunning perhaps
a certain one by night, to sec-k it out next day at noon.
I shall nc^ver forget the immense assemblies of tropical
animals which I observed whilst on my fourth expedition
in East Ah'ica during the autumn of
1903.
I en(am])cd in the neighbourhood ot a stream that
nieand(;re(l between stec'p rocks and alter a tc;w miles
suddenly dried up. During its course between these sharp
ja-ecipices it was barely accc^ssible to the wild animals, but
there were countless trodden passes which I disco\ered,
all leading to the stream. Numbers of lions roamed
among the thorn-bushes, tall grass, and reeds which
flourished round about the river. At the ptant where it
had commenced to dry up there were considerable tracts
I 20
-^
By the Stream
of swampy ground covered with sedye-weed. These reedy
marshes afforded resting-places during the day to both
Hons and rhinoceroses, but at night the bed of the stream
was ahve with thirsty animals of all kinds, as well as the
prey they were pursuing.
Early in the morning large coveys of sand-grouse lead
the procession of thirsty animals from the arid velt.
These gorgeous birds are represented by three beautifully
coloured species {Pfcrocks o-uttura/is, dccoratus, and
exustus). During the daytime they frequent the driest
parts of the Nyika.
With the swiftness of an arrow the first kind fly to-
the water after sunrise, their coveys numbering about
thirty or more. With lively and far-reaching cries which
sound like gle-gle-gle-la-gak-gle-gle-gle-la-gak, the beautiful
birds fly quickly past. Iheir mcumer ot tlying resembles
that of the woodcock.
Ouickly and suddenly they descend to the water.
With the large flights of these sand-grouse single speci-
mens of the Ptcroclcs exustus often come too. These
latter have lancet-shaped tail-feathers, and are smaller
altogether. The Pt. guttui-alis reach the groimd before
arrivino- at the water, and then run to it. The smallest
kind, the Pt. dccoi-atus. on the contrary, mostly swoop
straight down on to the water. They satisfy their thirst
in a quick and hurried manner, and soon rise in the air
to regain their resting-places. Sand-grouse are not really
trustful birds, and at the approach of man they rise with
a clatter of" wings and fly away.
Every morning this same glorious spectacle takes place
123
A\"ith riashllo-ht and Rifle
-^
at the same spot. Noiselessly the strange umbretta [Scopus
muhretta) makes its appearance. It never fails to put in
an appearance at every large pool or clrinking-placc. This
bird builds its extraordinarily large nest, composed of
three compartments, always tairly close to the water, in
the torkdike branches ot an acacia. Here it lavs three
white eggs. We were constantly coming across this bird
by the pools and lakes and river-sides as we journeyed.
AlthouL>h we once robbed a bird of two e"'>'s it did not
seem inclined to forsake its nest. Sometimes it fhes up
from almost beneath one's feet to find its wav in a
crouching attitude to some gnarled liranch in the \icinitv of
the water, reminding one of the night-heron in its manner.
Single specimens of the Egyptian goose {C/iciialopex
(Cgyptiacus) are to be seen scattered about in every
direction. Vultures and marabous keep to special resorts
of their own.
Here and there we saw marvellously coloured shrikes,
and amongst them the great grey shrike {Dryoscopns
funchi's), in large numbers. Idiese birds associate and
sing in pairs. The male will begin a harmonious note, to
be answered so exactly b) his spouse that it gives the
imj)ression of one l)ird singing. d he song of these
beautiful l)irds sounds like the chiming of glass Ix-lls
among the thick river-side growth ; wlhlo from the summit
of an acacia-tree comes the quainth' jubilant note of the
shrike-like tschagra {7\/ip/i0ii/is sc'iic\oa/ns) d\x)-ri-a\',
I'oo-ri-ay, d oo-ri-av !
d he imi)alla antelopes
[^
Jipyccros iuclai)ipiti) are
almost the onl\ mammals that \isit the water during
'-M
By the Stream
WITH A HEAVY FLATriNG OF WINGS THK IIUSTARI) RISES FOR
ANOTHER SHORT FLIGHT IN THE AIR
the day, the other and larger species coming to drink at
night time.
The native hunters make good use of these drinking-
pkices, and put together shelters of reeds and undergrowth
from which they shoot their poisoned arrows at the wild
125
With Flashlieht and Rifle
-*
herds. The impalla antelopes are fond of eating the
fresh grass sprouting chietly in the little hollows near the
water. About this season of the year one finds herds of
froni fiky to a hundred heads of both sexes. Later the
pregnant females betake th(Miiselves to the dense under-
wood and high grass, there to give birth to their young.
At the approach of man the impallas take to flight
in a series of the most wonderful leaps and bounds. They
sometimes jump as high as three yards above the ground.
Their cries when alarmed remind one of those of our
roebucks. Both sexes give out the same kind of crv.
Towards evening we come upon some of Kiell's
dwarf antelopes {Uladoqiia kirki). Their colouring blends
to such an extent with their surroundings that the eye
needs long training before it can make them out. I
iiiiyself, in spite of my experience with the fauna of the
North of Europe, could not see one of these dwarf ante-
lopes in the l)rushwood, not more than twenty paces
from where I stood, although a black pointed him out.
These beautiful creatures live, singly or in twos or threes,
in the midst cl prickly brushwood, a few bounds bringing
them into safety in their inaccessible retreat.
One of my greatest pleasures was to observe the hal)its
and customs of these animals in their hiding-places when-
ever I could get well into hiding for the purpose. With
their fine sensitive snouts snifhng attentiveK' on all sides
hither and thither, these larg(,'-t,'\ed, gracious creatures
present a wonderful sight tor the animal-lover.
'1
he same may be said of Xcumann's sleinbok
i^Raphiccros nciniiainn), which fre(]ucMUs similar places
I 26
-^
By thd Stream
in the sonicvvhat more
oijen grass velt, and, owing to
its brown colouring, is more easily seen than some of
the other small antelopes.
As the sun sinks further and further in the west the
neighbourhood is more and niore enli\'ened by the arrivals
from the animal world. My above-mentioned friends, the
wise storks, have, in company with vultures of various
\ULTURES
sorts, alighted on the branches of high trees close at
hand. Here and there also an ecgle puts in an appear-
ance. Long chains of guinea-fowd run into the under-
wood
; in the glow of the evening sun the wonderfully
coloured "rollers" tly busily here and there. They have
to complete their hunt f)r insects before night sets in.
The clear song of the little w-ood francolins {Fraiu-o-
/lints graiili) makes itselt heard, with now and again
127
the hoarse cry of the rarer Hildebrandt's francolin
[Framo/in/is hiidebi'audti).
Loud and clear, by contrast, sounds the call of
the
common large golden francolin i^Ptcniistcs Icncosccpus
iufuscatiis) from the velt.
Over the neio^hbouring; chain of undulatino^ hills, from
which many beaten passes lead to the watering-places,
come groups of zebras, under the leadership of an ex-
perienced old stallion. They have stopped grazing, and
approach the drinking-place warib', seeking out a spot
on the stream which is sheltered trom the wind, and
then slowly and carefulb' assuring themselves by nose
and eyes that no enemy lies hidden. The leaders give
a quick look round, then their burning thirst overcomes
their fears, and with long gulj)s they begin to drink.
Feeling themselves safe, the last members ot the herd
come u}), and the bed of the stream is crowded with about
a hundred of these grand creaturesan incomparaljle scene.
Sometimes in their company, sometimes a little later
in separate- herds, come the white-bearded gULis {^ConuocJKctcs
albojiibalus). These also come across long tracts Ironi
the velt. Now and again small companies of Thomson's
gazelle {^Gazc/hi //loii/soiii) show themselves. The sun
sinks further and further to rest.
1die last ra\ s of the sun setting on a misty horizon
light u]) th(! charming and striking scene that I have so
often gazed upon. .Some ot' the zebras begin to |)aw the
water with their front hoofs
;
another pressing up too
near a gnu, the latter with a shake of its head pushes
it on one side, but without hurling.
128
VOL. I.
^. By the Stream
Two grotesque secretary-birds and a thirsty bustard
had sought out the water long before the arrival of the
zebra herds and then Hown heavily away. Now the dead
branches of mighty hg-trees are btisieged by numbers
ot vultures
;
their dark forms silhouetted against the Hamine
red evening sky.
Zebras and gnus have now quenched their thirst,
A PAIR OF LARGE VULTURES BUILT THEIR NEST NEAR MY CAMP
when from the hills comes a breeze. It touches me gently
as I stand. The leader of the herd utters a loud call ; in
the same moment the water splashes high in the air, and
with a noise as of thunder the whole herd gains the river-
bank. Covered with a cloud of dust they clatter wildly
over the velt. their peculiar neigh growing fainter and
fainter in the distance.
brom different points of the velt an answering
131
-*
neioh shows that several other herds of these beautiful
animals are in the neii^hbourhoocl. Away thev o'alloj)
over the hard ground of the velt to a distant place of
refuo'e. Darkness has now set in and oblio'es me to
relinquish my post ot observation.
As I return to the camp the darkness of night has
fallen. It is not long, however, before it is (juite clear,
and a most beautiful moon shines magically over the
sleeping steppes. Jackals give out their querulous call
and the hyctna's unlovely laugh is to be heard.
Now I hear the impallas whinnying. A leoj)ard roars
not far from the camp. I'hen tor several minutes all is
still again. Once more the neighing of the zebras is
heard as they resume their wild scamper ; but at present
we wait in \ain for the most thrilling concert that human
ear can wish tor. It is scarcely ever to be heard before
midnight.
By the tracks and trails I had discovered I knew that
at least thirty lions must have taken up their nightly
quarters somewh('re in the neighl)ourhoc)d. Owing to
the nature ot the ground and the very thick undergrowth
in this region I had not yet had an encounter with the
king of beasts. lUit I waited patiently, for I wanted
more than tht; passing view the hunter considers himself
lucky to get. It was my intention to photograph Mis
Majesty at night time. To do this I liad to wait patiently
and learn the customs and liaunts ot the anintals in this
spot.
It was not without rc;ason that the herds of wild
beast roamed round and al)out during the night, I knew
'32
-^
By the Stream
that the hartebeests, and perhaps also the shy oryx and
huge elands, had come to the water. But all these
animals feared their arch-enemy, the lion, who lay hiding
amont>' the reeds in waitinof for their arrival.
The rays of the moon glimmered softly, retlecting
here and there the white blocks of quartz that were to
be found among the rocks in the vicinity of the camp.
More and more aniniated became the life and movement
of the animal crowds in the neighbourhood of the stream
;
I seemed to have a forebodingI might almost say I
felt what was about to happen. There ! What was that ?
We were not deceived. It was the earth-shaking, inde-
scribably impressive roar of the lion ! y\lmost immediately
several other lions join in the chorus! As if reverberating
from the very bowels ot the earth the mighty sound
swells stronger and fuller, sinking at last into a weird
low rumble that strikes the soul of nicUi with terror.
He who has listened night after night, as I have,
in a fragile tent to whole herds ot lions roaring with all
the power of their great lungs, will not flil to admit that
it is an experience not easily surpassed !
For one moment the whole night-world seemed to
listen to the voice of its lord
; then, all around, one
heard again the sound of animals betaking themselves
in terror to the velt. Later, tortured by thirst, they
returned once more to the stream to fmd some other
drinking-place.
I have never seen more than seven lions together.
Here by the river I could tell by the sound that there were
as many, for they gave their grand nightly concert f>om
-^
quite different directions. Free from the every-day levelling
intiuences of the outer world, experiencing such things on
a tropical moonlit nighta night almost as bright as
dayit is not difficult to imagine tiie lite of our ancestors,
the troglodytes of the ice-world, who must have had the
same experience every night !
Thus the lonely man in a little camp spins out his
thoughts ;
the win.gs of fancy carry him home
;
he sinks
imperceptibly from consciousness into sleep and dreams.
But it is not for long ;
loud roars soon waken him again.
This time the roaring sounds threateningly near
;
black sleepy figures take courage and poke the camp-
fires into a blaze. Those who are taking their rest by the
confines of the camp come in to find greater safety,
and the watchful Askari doubles his attention. . . . Next
morning, only a few steps from the spot where some
carriers had slumbered, we find the imprints of huge
paws. Had I not ordered a thorn-hedge to be piled
up on this side of the campwho knows what would
have happened ?
I was lucky in having such a number of lions near my
camp, but 1 had to use all my wits to persuade them
to come within reasonable distance ot my apparatus at
night time. My attempts were at first without satis-
factorv results, until at last I hit ui)on a niethod that
brought me to the desired goal.
As my photographs indicate, lions when possiljle creep
along the ground towards their prey. Further, it appc:ars
that the lioness is always the aggressive party. The
])ictures give only single lions, but in reality there
134
~
-^
P>y the Stream
were several otliers in close proximity. They had
gradually surrounded their prey and approached it from
different sides.
The illustration in which a lion and lioness are makinof
an attack together was unluckily spoilt by myself whilst
"developing," but it was put all right at home. In the
desert after many months a laconic telegram reached me
from home with the word
"
Saved !
"
There may seem to be something gruesome about
sacrificing oxen and donkeys in this way
;
but they
would otherwise fall victinis probably to the tsetse fiy
a
horribly painful death ; whereas lions kill very quickly and
surely ;
they just give one bite in the neck, and do not
torture their prey. I can vouch for this myself from
having witnessed the sight repeatedly from my thorny
hiding-place. Death was instantaneous in every case
;
and
so stealthily does the lion creep up to its prey that it is
only at the last moment that the latter tries to break away.
Deep stillness lies over the velt, in the dark night
;
a gentle rustling is heard now and again in the thick
foliage and branches. Suddenly a roaring, mighty some-
thing strikes the ear and a heavy thud follows as the prey
is captured. There are never more than a tew scratches
to be found on the booty ; a crunching bite in the neck
is always the cause cjf death. Many men killed in this
manner have never even uttered a cry. Many other
witnesses bear me out in this.
It is impossible to describe the joy with which we
watched, some nights later, the forms of the great world
of booty and rapine appear truly and accurately mirrored
AX'ith Mashlight and Rifle
-.
on the little glass plate. Even the not too intellig-ent
nigsers were overioved, and tor a long while it was
the subject of their talk at the camp-hre.
I never once came within range or sight of a lion by
day at that time. As soon as I laid my snares for them,
however, 1 succeeded in bagging quite a number, including
one unbroken series of seven big-maned specimens.
Some lions look with disdain on oxen ; they approach
until within a few paces, but keep night after night to
their accustomed preythe wild herds of the velt.
Days and we(,;ks pass thus until rain-clouds appear
on the distant horizon, and, as with one str()k(^ the
mighty concourse ot animal life at the |)ools \-anishes.
Their fine instinct tells them that rain-pools and fresh
gr.iss are now to be found on the \elt.
CANDKI-AIiRA ICU I'HORIil A TREES
IX
The African Elephant
OU
R knowlcd!:^^ ot the ways iA the African elephant
is v(;ry scanty. Wa know that from the days
of Scij)io man hecân to break him in to service Hke
liis Indian cousin, but tliere is little t'^ be learnt about
him tlurin^' the int(*rv(;nini4 centuries, beyond that he
continued to tlourish in his hundrc-ds and thousands all
over the \'ast rcL^dons in whicdi he d\\(dt. So it was until,
with the arri\'al of the I*Lur(Jijean traders, ivory bt;came
all at once a mu(di-cov(^ted ai'ticlc 1 he supply of
elephants' tusks appeared inexhaustibh^ In the west of
Africa, especiall\-, there wctc undoubtedK' lar^'e tr<'asure-
stores of i\'or\', accumulated by natixc chiefs.
'1
he
inv(!ntion of thf- modern rille made the slauL^htering of
(dephants an (.-asy matt('r. It would be difhcult to calculate
th(:: tremendcjus numbers of elephants that were killed.
The natives, seeing' the âin to be g'ot, tocjk [jart zealously
in the annihilation with their primitive weapons.
141
W'ith Flashlight and Rifle
-^
Immense quantities of ivory have been exported \n
recent years. In the last ten years the Antwerp ivory
market has taken on an averag-e the tusks of
18,500
elephants yearly ; from 1S8S to 1902 it took
3,212,700 kilos
of ivory, each tusk weighing on an average about 8^ kilos
;
nearly the whole was taken from the Congo district. It
is just the same with regard to the other ivory-markets
in the world, and the above figures give a very true, it
sad. picture of the destruction of the noble animal. Soon,
when the e]ej)hants are all destroved, dealers will put
up prices, and then ivory will l.)ecome an article of fashion,
obtainable only at a fancy figure.
All these elephants are killed merely on account of
their ivory. It does not say much for the highly developed
science of our day that it has not been able to produce
a substitute. Fortunately the Indian ele|)hant has a
happier fate in store, tor the females carry but little
ivory, and even the bulls do not grow very large tusks
compared with those of their African cousins. The female
elephants in Africa have tusks weighing from 10 lb.
to
30
lb. each-sometimes, but very seldom, as much as
40
lb. The males have extraordinarih large tusks. But
they vary very much in size, and an average of about
half a hundr(?dweight would come near the truth. At
any rale, the English oHicers in I>ritish I'.ast Africa
considered a tusk wcigliing ()n(; and a hall huiidrcxlweight
a suitable' wc(lding-pres(;nt lor the Prince ot Wales.
This was tar Irom being a record weight. In 1S98
some nati\'e lumtcrs shot a \'ery old bull witli tusks weigh-
ing together mere than
450
11). I'oth tusks were tor sale in
142
-^
the Zanzibar market. Unfortunately I was unable to
procure them tor a museum at home, although I had
been commissioned to offer a large sum for them. They
were sent to America, and niy repeated efforts to obtain
them only resulted in a wire demandino- 21,000 marks.
Later one of these tusks found its way to the British
Museum in London. I think I may safely say that these
A WONDERFUL ELEPHANT-TUSK. ON K OF A I'AIK WEIGHING TOGETHER
MORE THAN 45O POUNDS. THE ELEPHANT, A VERY OLD ONE, WAS.
KILLED NEAR KILIMANJARO IN 1899
were the largest tusks seen anywhere in Africa for
some time. They made a great sensation among the
commercial world of the East African coast. No such
tusks had eyer been seen there. The accompanying illus-
tration shows the size of one of the pair.
This reminds me that unfortunately up to the present:
time not a single museum in the world has secured one
yOL. I.
145
10
of these huge African mak: elephants, tor reasons I
have stated in another [)]ace.
Tusks weighing over lOO pounds are not often met
with. The size of the tusks does not always depend on
the age and size of the elephant : it depends more
on the race, although even single tamilies have tusks
varving in size. It seems also that in South Africa the
tusks are not as large as in Equatorial Africa.
So far as we know, the weight and size of the heaviest
and longest elephant-tusks as known, in the- whole world
are as follows
^
:
Weight.
11).
African Ele[)hant
{Elcplias iifriar/ii/s)
247
226h
'75
1
109
Indian lilepliant
|
106
[E/t'fi/nts //laxi/iiiis) I 100
Length,
ft.^
-)
The .\frir;in I'^lcphnnt
nuinh':r of shots
\\ity or more- -to kill a lar^;': old ImiII.

It is a well-known fact, too, that wh<!r(;as, in districts where
nature is lavoiirahle to them, elephants have souii'l and
undamaged tusks, in hilly nei^hhourhof^ds they are olt'-n
broken. There are various th'-ori'-s to acc^nu for this.
It is douhtless caused chiefly
\jy
the way in wliich they
tear u]> the roots of trees. I'olIowiiiL^ herds in narrow
passes, I have often com(,- iijjon lariê nutnhers of ])\'^
pieces of tusks hroken off in steep and ro(k\ places. I
have pj'eserved several such pieces in my collection.
'i he eleph;uit uses his tusks with i^reat skill in tearini.^
off the hark from trees. He chews this h;irk or sucks
out til'; sap and then throws it away. Ih: chiefly attacks
trees of which ]](t can detach the hark with f^nr* j^rod
of his tusk without stopjjin^'. 1 could often f(;llow the
track (jf the herds for i]iiles hy the hc\\) of these marks
on the tre(;-trunks. It set me thinking of Rohinson
(Jrusoe, who rec(jrds the same tiling. Oiv: olte'i fjnds,
too, smaller trees which have heen fjuite tr<Klden down
(jr snapjjed in two. 1 fancy that the rending ofT of the
hark and th'*. hreakini; 'jf the trees hel]js lo fle\'elop
the tusks, a];art Irom the exercise fjhtained hy the f)^htin;(
of the hulls amonL^st themselves. In some cas(is the
hranches of the trees seemed to he hroken off without
any desire for forKl on the ]jart (jf the animal which made
the onslau'^'iu.
The tracks of the ele]>hants are often extraordinarily
deej; in the
"
Masika
"
the rainy season. In the dry
sand ()\ the velt during the, drought one can tell
whether the track is a recent one or not hy the foot-
147
With Flashlio-ht and Rifle ^
prints being- sharply defined or somewhat blurred. The
bulls are recognised by the long and narrow tracks of the
hind feet. Those of the cows are more round and uniform.
I have assured myself of the tact that in West Africa
the food of elephants consists exclusixcly of the branches,
bark, and fruit of trees, and of all kinds ot grasses. Pro-
fessor Volckens, who on several occasions examined
the elephants' dung in the Kilimanjaro district (some
6,000 and
9,000
feet high), found traces of Ihtuicuni
and Cypcrits as well as sedge-grasses. All the best
authorities on this matter are of the same opinion as
myself.
On the other hand, I have often found that the elephant
eats man\' kinds of "bow-string" hemp {Sauscz'iei'ci
cyliiidricii). but that he drops the chewed stalks, which
are bleached l:)y the sun and can be seen tor a great distance
around on the velt. These chewed bundles, ot which I have
some specimens in mv collection, are ot a large size. It
seems that a certain quantity ot this hem[) gets retained
in the stomach in the same way as in that known hemp-
eater, the lesser kudu {Sfrcpsiceros iuibcrlus). It must
be remembered that this hemp has a great power of
retaining water, and in the very arid velt it is tor the
elephant a much-need(;d aid.
The usual abode ot the elej)hant in East E(|uatorial
Atrica is not, as might b(^ imagined, the cool and shady
virgin torests, Init rather thosc^ ])lac('s where he knows
himself less likely to be tollowed : in the wooded districts
in the rainy season, and at other times in the tall grass
or by the reed-grown river-side and in the thick under-
14S
-)
growth which is found on a certain level on the mountain-
side, and which lorms a shady and inaccessible retreat.
These districts which are patronised by the elephant are
generally at such a height as secures them rain more
or less during the whole of the year. They are distin-
guished by the word '' sitdnoô'^ in the Masai and Wando-
robo districts. From these the elephant often roams
far afield durin-'' the rainy season. The cunninaf old bulls,
at any rate, only leave the great mountain forests, at
this time impenetrable. These districts are often of such
an impassable nature that they can only be explored
by means of the tracks trodden by the elephants and
rhinoceroses. While our thick-skinned friend knows how
to traverse with ease these luxuriant tracts, man has
to make his way slowly and with much trouble. When
wounded or ferocious elephants are in pursuit, the hunter's
flight is hindered at every step, whilst the elephant and
rhinoceros easily overcome all these obstacles, and may
be very dangerous to the hunter.
The haunts of the elephant are usually confined within
restricted areas, and as in regions where he is hunted
he only emerges from them at night time, it often
happens that Europeans pass many years without obtain-
ing a sight of him. The former commander of a tort in
the Kilimanjaro district told me that, in spite of numerous
expeditions he made, it was seven years before he saw
an elephant. Most Europeans have had similar ex-
periences, whatever may be said to the contrary. Even
careful observers have been misled in estimating the
number of elephants in certain districts by the fact that
149
^
the same animals are constantly reappearing. Elephants
are very active, climb mountains easily, and keep
continually on the move.
Thus Hans Meyer, in his wonderful work The Kili-
iiiandjaro, talks of the abundance of elephants on this
mountain and of the large quantities of ivory to be secured
there. He said this at a time when elephant-shooting
was a monopoly of traders and the supply was already
nearly exhausted. By
"
exhausted
"
I mean in this case a
reduction to about a thousand heads in the whole district
of Kilimanjaroan immensely vast region, bounded on
one side by a line which, beginning at the English
boundary, skirts Nguruman, Eyasi Lake, and Umbugwe
until it reaches English territory again by way of the
Pare Mountains. In this territory there was a supply ot
many thousands of elephants some years ago. To-day
not more than 250 or
300
elephants could l)e found.
I am able to state this for a fact with the greatest
confidence, and have therefore never been able to under-
stand why the insane custom was introduced of compelling
the native chiefs, by way of punishment, to deliver a
certain amount of ivory to the officials ot the Govern-
ment. It would seem almost as though they wished to
induce the natives to destroy the tew remaining elephants.
In South Africa the authorities have since, 1S30
succeeded in retaining" some large herds ol eK;|)hants in
Cape Colony, in th(* Zit/i Kamma and Ivnysna forests.
Should this, then, ])e im])Ossibk; In the case ot natural
elei)hant-haunts like the forests of IvIIImanjaro ?
One must l)ear in mind that tlie largest j)ortion of
150
-)
the mountain is enveloped in rain-clouds, and could
never be colonised by either natives or Europeans, while
the possibilities of existence for Europeans there, as all
over East Africa, seem up to the present day to be nil.
In former days an elephant-hunt was very different
from what it is now. A tew mounted men would fasten
"fundi," armed natives rEKMITTED TO HUNT BIG GAME. THESE GENTRY
HAD BEEN AFTER ELEPHANTS AND RHINOCEROSES. THEY CAME TO ME
TO BEG FOR POWDER, HAVING RUN SHORT, BUT THEY HAD TO DO
WITHOUT !
on the heels of the herd, and when the elephants bore
down upon them other riders would divert them from
the object of the attack. By these methods whole herds
were often destroyed.
The elephant has now almost disappeared from South
Africa, with the exception of a few small herds in very
unhealthy spots and a number of protected individuals in
With Flashli-ht :iik1 Rifle
^
the neighbourhood of Ccipe Town. To the former ueahh of
elephants in East Africci the accounts of the bbicks testify.
It is l)ut a short while since these blacks travelled in
caravans, consisting of hundreds of men, laden with quan-
tities of exchanoe o-oods to barter for ivorv. In (lerman
East Africa these caravans started from Pangani, the
emporiuni of the slave traffic, to travel to Masailand by
way of Arusha Chini and Arusha ju. Eor a year or more
they journeyed through the country between the coast and
Lake X'ictoria, exchanging" their wares for ivory, which
they derived chietly from the Wandorobo, an offshoot of
the Masai. Later, however, having their attention drawn
to the value- of ivory, the ]\Iasai-El Moran themselves
went in for elephant-hunting, and sold the co\eted article
to coast caravans. The coast-people passed their nights
in camps surrounded by thorn-hedges, by which they
protected themselves against the attacks ot the Masai
warriors, who often sought to plunder them. Great
bartering and haggling went on by day. Patience was
needed for this kind ol trading, for it oftc^n took days
and even weeks to buy a lew tusks. At last the
caravan would be laden with ivory, and would return to
the coast to deliver up hundi'eds of tusks. Man\' pre-
cautions had to be taken. Oscar Paumann informs us
that no caravan dared take a tusk oxer a bcuilield, lor
that would be unlucky. Many ol those who wciu with
the caravan succumbetl to the latigues ol the journey,
or lost their li\-es in lighting against the Masai. PA'ery
man was armed with a muz/le-loader. These cara\-ans
were organised l)y Arabs or Indians on the coast, who
152
^ The African Elephant
paid their men in advance, but kept the lion's share of
the profits for themselves.
Thus was the desert scoured in all directions, with
the result that by the end of last century it was denuded
entirely of ivory and elephants. The transport of ivory
was undertaken in combination with the slave-trade,
slaves being- made to carry the valuable goods to the
coast on their shoulders. And the chief purpose of all
this was to provide the billiard-players of the world
with material for their balls
-the beautiful soft ivory

obtained from the Atrican female elephant
!
Nowadays the conditions are quite different. Smaller
caravans, fitted out tor this trade, still travel over the
country ; but very tew larger expeditions of this kind
are undertaken by the blacks, now that they would be
obliged to penetrate very far into the interior. Some
years ago I came across one such caravan comprising
about four hundred men. Their goal was the country
between Lake Rudolf and the Nile, a district then very
little known, but which still hides a large store ot
elephants. I was naturally much astonished to find this
company in possession of breech-loaders. The leader
informed me with pride that tbr monthsnay, years
the caravan had lived entirely on the flesh of wild

animals, and that no bullet left their Mausers in vain !
Soon the ivory-trade will be a thing of the past.
Already the European visitor laughs incredulously when
he is told how matters stood tbrmerly. It is easier for
me to realise it, remembering as I do the vast numbers
of rhinoceroses I have come across, and comparing them
153
With FlashliL^ht and Rifle
-^
with the elephants, whose t'ate they will undoubtedly
shareand that indeed niore quickly now, for the value
of their horns is increasing.
The way in which the
"
Tembo." as the Waswahili
call the elephant, adapts himself to the altered conditions
of to-day is very remarkal)le. According to the accounts
of reliable witnesses, in days long gone by the elephant
hardly feared man at all.
In the rainy season the elephants tlisperse over the
green, well-w"atered plains, whilst during the drought they
hide in thick, inaccessible places. In South Africa the
few remaining herds live in this manner. The hnding ot
a new elephant-track is not a guarantee to the hunter
that he will reach the herd. Elephants move with great
swiftness, in many cases outstripping a fast runner, until
the next bit of cover, the next marsh or hill, or until they
reach some spot a tremendous distance away. When a
herd becomes suspicious, it is possible to follow it tor
hours through the Nyika without being able to discover
of how many individuals it is composed. One animal steps
in almost exactly the same footprints as the other, and
this is done until they teei sater, when the\ walk turther
apart. Elephants can go lor a long time, too, without
resting, and change their haimts so quicklv that it is
impossible to catch them up. Ihey have an extra-
ordinary facLilt)' lor loretelling rain when it is still some
days oti. They disappear suddenly, and remain in the
neighbourhood of the pools on the jjlaiiis until these
dry up or other animals couk; to disturb them. I will
leave it to others to decide whether the\" arc^ caj)able oi
154
-*>
deducing tilings correctly from past obscrvciti(jns and
recurring experiences, thus learning to know when and
where to find water.
It goes without saying that one comes now and again
upon elephants suddenly, sometimes even right in one's
path. Indeed, I have observed that certain cunning*
beasts, finding themselves disturbed by the hunters in
their own quarters, often take refuge in the proximity of
native colonies, and hide there for days and weeks, knowing
well by experience that this would be the last place in
which they would be looked for. In this way a Greek
trader of ten years' experience trapped, in the vicinity of
Moshi, a bull which had been there tor days, and had
been pointed out to him by natives.
It is interesting to notice how the sporting fever has
seized those Europeans who at home would hardly touch
a gun, yet here have had no peace until they have joined
with others to try the effects of their small-bore rifies
on the great beasts, and then have immortalised them-
selves as skilful elephant-hunters by being photographed
on the spot.
It is just in the neighbourhood of the stations and of
the railways that it is possible to protect the remains ot
the animal fauna. If protection is not adopted there, how
can we expect to exercise any control over either European
or native away in the heart of the desert ? It has happened
that whole parties of Askaris under European leadership
have together opened fire on elephant-herds. Lately these
conditions have been changed, because in place ot the
vague and confused directions of earlier years the Governor,
155
^
Count Gotzen, has instituted special rules and regulations,
which secure the immunity of the elephants in the neigh-
bourhood of the Moshi station.
This is a matter for rejoicing, and will, it is to be
hoped, do away with the existing abuses, upon which
Dr. Ludwig Heck comments severely in his book The
Aniuuil Kingdoiu
;
and will put an end to those
"tall stories" of elephantdiunting, \\hich he holds up
to ridicule.
It this is sad information about the disappearance of
the African elephant, it is a fitting conclusion to the
"
elaborate
"
fables of those persons who tell us in the
sporting papers that they propose to go for the rhinoceroses
and hippopotamuses when they return to the colony. Un-
fortunately, such persons are more numerous than might
be supposed. For instance, I heard the remark made
that German East Africa could only develop commercially
when all the wild animals were destroyed. Germans
must indeed learn how to colonise ! I admit this oijenl)-,
without shame !
The rate at which ele])hants move, especialK when
attacked or Heeing, is extraordinary. They go at a quick
trot, and not at a gallo]). This trot is perfectly noiseless
in the rainy season, and enables the mighlx Ix-asts to travel
at night time in an almost ghostly manner, like the
rhinoceros and llu; hi])popolamus. In the (lr\- season,
however, the mo\ing herd makes a thundering noise on
the hard ground. Idephants climb steep mountains, and,
lik(' the rhinoceros, tread deep i)aths
among the rocks of
the highest j)eaks. They go over the steepest ranges, and
156
-:
come down in a half-sitting posture, as if they were
tobogganingvery much as we have seen them in hippo-
dromes and circuses at home. One must have seen how
a thirty-seven-year-old gigantic Indian male elephant gets
through the tiny door of a special railway truck to
From a pJiotograph procured by tlic anther at 1 anga.
A CARAVAX LOAD OF EIGHTY LARGE AND HUNDREDS OF SMALL ELEPHANT-
TUSKS, BROUGHT BY A TRADING CARAVAN TO THE COAST
understand how skilfully these heavy creatures know how
to move about.
According to my experience, the elephant's method
of attack is to approach very swiftly with widely flapping
ears, and with a piercing, trumpet-like cry. On two
occasions, howevêr, no sound was made. Trustworthy
natives, whom I had known for many years, have related
how in some cases the elephant has seized hold ot the
black ivory-hunter, thrown him down, and bored him
157
with his tusks. Once an old bull ripjjcd a hunter to pieces
by putting its toot on the man's head, and slashing his body
with its tusk as if it had been using a knife. There are many
similar stories told ot fatalities with elephants; one of the
saddest was the death of Prince Rusjxili in Somaliland.
When flight is necessary, it is best made sideways
;
for the elephant makes his attack, as a rule, straight in
front of him. This is all the more to be recommended
because it is by an extraordinaril\- developed sense of
smell that the elephant finds his way, and not by his weak
eyes. His hearing also is excellent. Observers who
doubt this fact do not know that in most cases the elephant
is aware of the approach of an enemy solely by his sense
of smell long before his hearing can come into activity
;
also that elephants are so accustomed to the noise of the
snapping of branches, when they are in the herd, that they
would not notice the sounds made by a hunter. Solitarv
elephants, however, are agitated by the slightest suspicious
rustle. From some vantage-point I have often watched
these animals in the valley beneath, and have had
excellent opportunities of noticing how, with the help of
their trunks lifted high over their heads, they were able
to recognise the ever-changing breezes ot the hillside,
and to watch over their own satety and that ot the herd.
Personally 1 am (|uite convincc;d that either the
animals have a sense unknown to us, or that, l)y a (juite
unsuspected highly de\eloped acuteness ot" known senses,
they are able to understand one another to some t;xtent.
Moreover, the)' have; a much keeiu-r and surer susc(;pti-
bility to sound than m,m.
15S
-^
Once I found two elephants keepinp^ conipany with an
old male giraffe. For about eight days I was able to watch
the three triends together. The services they rendered
one another for their mutual safety were quite patent, and
proved completely the theory that the elephant depends
for safety on his sense of smell and the giraffe on his
hearing. As far as I know, this is the first cited case of
the elephant and giraffe making friends, whilst the English
hunter, A. H. Neumann, found elephants and Grevv's
zebras and Grant's gazelles together, as he tells us in his
admirable book Ji/cphaiit Hnutino- in Juist Kguatorial
Africa. I do not consider it merely a matter of chance
that the elephant prefers to stay in the mountainous districts,
for the direction of the wind varies according to the sun's
altitude, and he is dependent f )r his safety on his sense of
smell. When the elephant thinks himself secure, or by
night, his movements are quite free and easy, Ijut during
the day, and in places where danger lurks, he is very shy
and careful. Moving noiselessly, remaining the whole day
in a small space, standing for hours under the shadow of
the trees, he makes no sound except the unavoidable noises
of digestion. Should an elephant utter a cry it would be a
sure sign of approaching danger. But he cannot avoid the
noises made by his digestive organs, for, of course, the
enormous quantitiesof branches and leaves whichare required
to sustain such an immense body can hardly be expected
to work noiselessly in that mighty laboratoryhis stomach !
This tact is valuable to the hunter, for it enables him
to discover the whereabouts of single elephants.
Another reason which influences the elephant in his
159
With Flashlight and Ritic
^^
choice of a refuge is the arrival ot parasites, especially
the Oestriden of the genus Coholldia. which annoy anti
tease him exceedingly, and to be rid of which he retires
helplessly into the jungle.
The blacks say that when the elephant tliscovers a
man-track he tests it with his trunk, even if it be hours
old, and then for safety's sake takes himself miles away
from his momentary resting-place. This does not seem
improbable when one considers the habit these animals
have of taking up earth and sand with their trunk. I
have not been able to prove this statement tor myselt,
l)ut know it to be true that the slightest suspicion causes
them to seek safety in flight.
I remember once getting a bird's-eye view of a whole
herd suddenlv takino- to
tliorht as the leading cow reached
a track which had been trodden by myself and some
blacks two days earlier.
The extraordinary skill with which elei)hants draw
conclusions from unfortunate experiences has been
known for a long while. Even the cleverest trainer
could not succeed in making an elephant moLint again
on a stage of which he had once broken through the
boards. In the same way a wild elephant avoids tor a
lifetime a place* where he has discovered a pit-hole.
It appears that in the Masai iiighlands several small
herds are in the habit of grouping ihcMUsclves together
in larger ones about the month oi" Octobt-r. Ikit everv
herd keeps independent.
At this time, too. the herds which arc composed ot
middle-aged bulls join these bands. I'he larger herds
1 60
--*>
The African P21cphaiit
also make a division of sexes ; especially when the
elephants settle down under the trees during- the day.
Lately the herds in Masai-land, which have been so
much thinned, have not been able to keep up so strictly
the order and division into separate age-classes as when
there was a good supply of elephants.
It is a much-debated question whether the old bulls
which go about alone or in couples attach themselves at
times to the herds tor breeding purposes. Personally I
do not believe this, but am of opinion that the stronger
herd-bulls with tusks weighing about
50
lb. are those
which are the principal propagators, whilst in most cases
the quite old solitary bulls are more or less incapable
specimens of their kind.
It is a remarkable fact that an elephant calf whose
mother is dead is immediately adopted and cared tor by
other cows, but, of course, only if it is lîg enough to
join in an escape. This fact, which I am positive of.
testifies to the close social union in which the herds live
and to their strongly developed family feeling.
The lactation period extends itself over several years,
as is the case with rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses.
As with the Indian elephant, the time of gestation lasts
about twenty-two months. I do not think that the females
are capable of conception before the age of fifteen years,
while the males develop their generative power some-
what earlier. At twenty-five a male elephant has reached
his prime, although he sometimes attains a very great age.
I repeatedly tound small herds composed of what
appeared to be very old lemales with sucklings and five
VOL. I. 161 II
^
or six young calves of the most varied sizes. I am
inclined to believe, in common with the natives, that the
younger beasts are all brothers and sisters, and ofts[)ring
of the old females, and, I believe also, that a female
elephant under favourable circumstances is capable of
conceiving every six or seven years.
Although one very seldom fmds ticks in their skins,
elephants are greatly given to rolling themselves in the
mire, bestrewing themselves with sand and earth, and
rubbing their skin r.gainst trees, the so-called "sign-
post
"
trees. From this caus(.', like rhinoceroses, they
are often variously coloured, according to the colour of
the earth of the locality. In the highland woods, through
which they wander nightly, one finds hundreds of trees
against which they have rubbed their bodies. Such
rubbing-places indicate the size of the animals. On
lulv 23rd, IQ03, I found such a mark
15
ft. high.
Crooked trees are used by preference, so that the elephant
can lean against them slantino--wise and with rdl his weight.
If elephants come upon open places in the forest, or go
away into the plains, they make use of the same strong-
trees over and over again, until the l)ark is conn)letely
worn away. Many gigantic trees bear witness to the
fact of their having bt-en thus visited nightly during the
course of some hundrc-d years.
The thirst for ixory has for many \ears been the
cause of the tV)rmation of armed iKM'des in German Iâst
Africa. These hordes (Mthcr pursiu; the elephants with
powder and shot on their own account or are hired by
native agents. They often tra\-el through wide disiricts,
1 62
-^
clearing the place entirely of elephants. They are
exceptionally well armed with ritles, and are accustomed
to hunt large elephants in bands of three or more.
They hunt them in their customary refugesin the
dense jungle, and only fire when quite close. They take
flight after a few shots, as the animal often makes a
rush towards the dense clouds of smoke. Often they
follow the wounded beasts for several days. Every
rifleman marks his own particular shot with a peculiar
sign in order that it may be ascertained who gave the
death-wound.
These so-called
"
trustworthy Fundi," as they were
euphemistically christened some years ago, know how to
keep their secrets, and always give rosy reports to the-
authorities with regard to their doings. They always
report upon a number of herds of which they know. As
to the destruction of these herds, they are as innocent as-
new-born children! In reality they play a shameful part.
Only he who tracks them for years is aware of their tricks
and artifices. There is no doLfl;)t about the fact thrit they
are exterminating the elephants in the same way as, in the
middle of the last century, the musket-armed negro-traders
were commissioned by white men to destroy every trace
of elephant and rhinoceros. These hunters wear amulets,
to which they trust for protection ;
and in firm belief in
their magic spell they often approach elephants without
tear. Naturally this gives them a certain advantage over
the cautious European.
After killing a number of elephants (fortified always
by their witchcraft) they give themselves out as qualified
i6^
^
hunters, cLIkI organise shooting" expeditions, but keep in
the backi^Tound, having' learnt wisdom by unfortunate
experiences. It is noteworthy that in the neighbourhood
especially known to iin;, they never dared to takci any
women when the hunt promised to be a very successful
one. Ihey are accustomed on ajjproaching the elephants
to take off nearh' every particle ot clothing", and caretully
rub the- whole bodv, especiallv undc;r th(; armpits, with
earth. In this the\" follow the exam])l(; of the prey
they pursue. There is no doubt that the ek-phant and
rhinoceros wallow in the mire, and ])ut sand on their
bodies, for the same reason that the Masai jjeople rub
themselves with ochre and grease, namely, to keep off
parasites. These hunters possess a large store of
knowledge about the habits of the animals they hunt, Ixit
it is exceedingly difficult to get them \.o disclose any ot
their secrets. This they will only do when one manages
to be regarded as their colleague. Otherwise they prefer
to give currency to the most incredible fables.
About the year iSg6 the nati\'e "political agent" ot
the station at Moshi, who hailed from Kavirondo, and
was named Schundi. unfortunately had the monopoly of
the elephant- shooting in th(; Kilimanjaro. His people
traversed the whole district in large bands. 'I"he less
practised and trustworthy people of th(; company provided
the caravans with wild game of all kinds, the best shots
devoting themsel\(;s to the (dephants. At some springs
I found dozens and dozens ot rhinoceroses, murdered
by these
"
Makua." I'hey also succeeded in destroying
numbers of giraffes, much scnight after on account of their
164
'*^
hides. The same reports were heard about other parts of
the country at the same time. Happily these abuses have
in a great measure been remedied by the wise restrictions
instituted by the Governor, Count Gcitzcn.
It is worthy of remark that the elephant, when at
large, appears scarcely ever to lie down. If there are
exceptions to this rule. I believe it to bi,- those cases
WE HAD TO OVERTURN THK ELEI'HANl' IN ORDER TO KEMO\ E HIS SKIN
where the animals have been shot and an- ill. Ele-
phant-hunters have a superstition that whoever meets an
elephant lying down will soon die. I cannot sa\ if these
conditions are the same in countries where the elephant
is not so much sought after as on the Masai plains.
Pitfalls, formerly common in the Kilimanjaro dis-
trict, but not so often met with nowadays, are often
avoided with much skill by the elephant. Still, as they
165
^
are cunnini^-ly covered and well placed, they often fulfil
their aim. These traps do more than anything else to
drive away all manner of game, especially elephants.
The Wandorobo, especial))' the Wakamba, shoot the
elephants with poisoned arrows. The wounded beasts
have often to be followed for days. The animals are
verv seldom lost, as the natives are very clever at fmding
the dead bodies, guided by the vultures and marabous.
Some Wandorobo races are wont to use poisoned spears,
though onl\' j:)oisoned arrows are used in the neighbour-
hood of the Kilimanjaro. Twice whilst tollowing herds
which had just been chased by tht! Wakamba 1 have
found broken arrow-shafts.
There can be no doubt that the African elephant can
be tamed in the same way as his Indian cousin. Still,
I agree with English authorities, that in Equatorial
Africa such tamed elephants would be useless, as in the
dry season there are no visible means of sustenance on
the plains. In any case, the conditions are so totally
different in the two countries that it is impossible to th'aw
any conclusion irom what is done in India as to the em-
ployment of the elephant in West Africa. The taming,
in the hands ot t;xpcTt natives from India, ought to
present no insuperal)le difficulties, althougli our keepers
have ol^served that the Indian elephant is easier to handle
than the African. I^xperimcnts of this kinck howexer,
would need a great deal ol capital, and would ha\e to be
undertaken speedily, in view of the rapid disappearance
of the elephant.
W'hat a change can come about in lilllc more llian
i66
-'^
71ic African Iilcphant
fifty years ! Fifty years ago elephants and rhinoceroses
were still to be found in the districts now called German
South-West Africa ; earlier, both animals were to be found
in great numbers up to the coasts by Walfisch Bay.
"
In those times," wrote the famous hunter W, Cotton
Osvvell :
"
Vardon was the most enthusiastic rhinoceros-
hunter ; he filled his waggon with horns as I did mine
with ivorv ; he used to shoot tour or five every day."
Those were the times when Oswell and others month
after month and da\- at\er day decimated the elephant-
herds in S(juth Africa, and when the Boers penetrated
farther and farther into the heart of the country and
eft'ected such a destruction of game as only can be
realised by those who, like myself, have had opportunities
of forming a mental picture of the condition ot things in
the primeval forests.
What happened fifty years ago in South Africa is
now happening under the Equator ;
about that there is
no doubt. Nowadays we unfortunately see black hunters
in the German Cameroons slaughtering elephants with
breech-loaders and with the sanction of the Government.
We can but delay the work of annihilation ; we cannot
stop it. The day is not far distant when it will be asked :
''Quid novi ex Africa?''
And the reply will be: "The
last Africcm elephant has been killed."
167
A i-l.,IA.\l \1IA\ (Jl Ivl l.IMA.NJARO
X
Elephant'Hunting
F(
)1\. inoiuhs I had hccii trying' in xaiii to
f^ct
sonic
good |)hoi()!^ra])hs ot clcjjhaiUs with niy t'^lophoto
lens, and also to get liold ot a young elephant aHve.
]\ly nian\' (hsappoiiitnKMits were more than made up lor,
however, one; Sepieniher morning. I rouhled apparently
l)y the poisoned arrows discharged at them hy the
Wakamha, a large herd ol elephants had made their
way down from the mountains and paid a \isit dui'ing the
night to the stream Ijy my cam]). 'I'he\' had destroyed
the scares, tashioned out ol sh(;cts ol white [)aper. which
I had ]cSi on the water with a view to frightening the
animals avva\- to other drinking- places, where 1 could
photograph them conv<:ni('ntly.
With the c:xception ol lions, I had lound thai all
animals lought sh\' ol these scares, hut in the hri^hl
moonlight the)' seem, on th<' contrarx', to ha\'(; attracted
the (dephants ;
lor, to m\- astonishment, I lound th.it my
i08
^ Hlephant-I Iiintin^^
nocturnal visitors had taken ])Oss(;ssi()n of them, pulled
them t(j jjieces, and staniijed th'-.in under-tool in the
mire. Tliis ljor(' (jut what I had often h('ard Irom native
hunters ahmit the af(gressive character ol the eh-phants
of this part of Africa at night.
The herd had crossed and recrossed the stn%im
several times and had then corner up al)f)ut thr(.'e hundred
yards towards the camp, ddiough I lelt almost (<rtain
th(.'y must hav(! iône hack to the security ol tJKtir moun-
tains, I lulknved their tracks as usual, just to s(m: what
I could make (jf them. To my surprise 1 lound, after
alxnit half an hour, that they had sudde-nly lorme-d
themselves in a more or less distinct line and set out in
the direction ol th(; desc-rt.
This suL;L;ested two possibilities. Mith<'r, after drinking
their fill, they had started lor the nc-xt watering-place,
two days' journ(;y awayand this sf-eiiK-d to me the more
likely alternativeor else they were taking up their (|uarters
for a day ux two on the dr\- plains, so as to keej) out
ot reach (T the Wakamba and their arnjws. In (either
case I had to look sharp. Returning to the camp, i
got ready lor the march in a very h^w minutes, and set
out with some of ni) best men and ab(jut lorty carriers.
I saw that they brought with th(-m in their calabashes
as much water as they could carry and a
goful supply
of rojje. It was clear from the tracks that there were
young elephants in the herd, and I made up my mind
to direct all my efforts tcjwards capturing one ol these,
though I fully realised the danger involved in the attempt,
considering the number <;f animals I had to deal with, and
169
-^
that I would probal)ly have to conduct my operations out
in the open. We reckoned the herd as numbering about
twenty in all. of which a number were very large females.
The bulls were distinguishable by the long and compara-
tively narrow shape ot their hind-feet.
Before us, in any case, was a march of several hours.
It was worth while to make every effort to catch up the
elephants before sunset, probably resting under some
cluster of trees upon the velt. We should then have
to spend the night out on the desert
witliout any
fresh supply of water, of coursereturning next day to
camp.
Alter iollowing the tracks tor about an hour, we iound
that there must be more than twenty elephants in the
herd, for here and there, wdien they had come to difficult
placescertain dried-up river-beds, tor instancethey had
made their way out of them one by one, some to the
right, others to the lett, and this enabled us to reckon
up their numbers more precisely. Here and there as
we went I found <i bundle of chewed bowstring hemp,
out ot which the sap had Ijeen sucked, and a piece ol
chewed bark torn trom a tree by the elephants' tusks.
But the herd had evidently made no halt, and had con-
tinued on their way without loitering to eat.
The sun was scorching, and it was necessary to put
out all our energy, and to place our trustiest mcMi in the
rear in order to keej) the long cokimn together at the
rate at which we had to go. There was sometliing \ery
fascinating in this almost sik;nt march of ours ovc;r the
glistening plains hour alter hour, our c;yes fixed upon
I 70
---^
Elephant-Hunting
the tracks, a whispered word exchanged between us now
and again. Though he may not count upon getting at
his quarry for six or eight hours, yet every hour in such
cases as this intensifies the hunter's suspense. Perhaps
the elephants, feeling themselves safe, will have stopped
to feed. In that case it will be possible to get at them
by midday! There are always such |)()ssibilities. In
^J^M^-M^'--^'^'"-^'
V.
^^mi\P?^'' '-r''" :
-'A-
'
'iiiv-
ORGEICH, MY TAXIDEKMIsr, AM) ALL THE CARRIERS AT WORK PREPARLXG
AN ELEPHANT-SKIN
our case, however, this did not hap[)en, and the herd
kept on its way. Hour after hour goes by, the arid,
barren desert, without a sign of life on it, unrolling
itselt" monotonously before us in its unchanging linehill
after hill rising before us in the distance only to disappear
again behind us as we move on and on. The dreariness
and loneliness of Nyika combine with the intense heat
to sap the energy of even the most strenuous
;
but we
171
-^
move forward like autoiiiatous, adding thousand after
thousand of footsteps to the thousands we have left
behind.
Suddenly our eyes note a black speck rising in the
vicinity of a group of lofty acacia-trees. My excellent
field-glass discloses to us that it is a bull criraffe which
has taken up this solitary position. Nearer and nearer
we come to him, until, eyeing us curiously and anxiously,
he takes to flight and ambles away unmolested.
We have now to get over an unusually deep river-ljed,
dried up since the rains. Reaching the oj)posite l)ank
at the head of my men, I suddenly espy in front of me,
about sixty steps away, a dark mass under a rather tall
salvadora-bush. At once I sink noiselessly on my knee,
my men doing the like, acting in unison like clockwork.
At the same moment a number of twittering rhinoceros-
birds fiy away from the dark mass to a l)ush hard by,
while the mass itself, in which we now recognise a
rhinoceros, quickly assumes a sitting position, and a young
rhinoceros appears suddenly beside it, as though out of
the ground. At a sign from me, my camera, always kept
in readiness, passes into my hands fVom the hands of
the bearer told off to carry it. Unluckily, just at this
moment the sun goes behind some clouds. After a few
minutes of anxious suspense, however, 1 am able to take
a photograph, and then my rifle rings out Hke the crack
of a whip
;
it is worth while to get hold alive of that
much-sought-after prey, a young living rhinoceros. While
the mothcT goes raging aljout in a circle, snorting and
si)ittin<>", in a cloud of dust, lookintjf for its toe, I "et
1 72
"9^
Elcphaiit-Iluntini
my chance of laying' her low with a second bullet, givnng
the word at the same moment in a low voice to my men
to spread themselves out, on hands and feet, over the
Qfround in order to catch the vouno: one. But the little
animal proves itself too strong and dangerous. It makes
for the men nearest to it, and they take to their heels.
My own eftbrts fail too, and oft" it goes with its tail
raised high in the air.
Much disappointed at seeing the little beast disappear
over the velt, I find myself wishing again for a good
horsea very vain wish in these regionsso that I could
q:o after it and catch it. Failina:
'-^^
horse, there is no
way of getting hold of it, so, leaving three men behind
us to convey to camp the big horns of the old rhinoc-
eros, we must proceed again on our chase after the
elephants.
Hour after hour now passes without further break. At
last, towards four o'clock in the afternoon, all hope is almost
lost, and I begin to feel sure that the elephants, which
have kept in a bee-line all the time, have gone right
ahead to the next drinking-place.
We halt for a brief space. The countenances of my
men denote exhaustion and discouragement. Their
thoughts are of the fieshpots of the well-watered camp.
As so often happens, however, their simple dispositions
are untroubled by some of the circumstances of the
situation that are most vexing to me. We hold a small
o
"
council of war," with the result that we decide to go
on for a few more hours and then spend the night upon
the velt.
With Flashlight and Rifle >
I nolice now two sinall owls of a rare species
iÎîsorJiina capensis) not yet included in my ornithological
collection, and 1 am tempted to bring them down with
mv llintlock, which 1 have always handy. By this
time I haxê myself given up all hope of getting at the
elephantswe have a long streak ot the rising ccjuntry
ahead ot us in view. This calls down on me the re|)roach
of my trusty old Almasi, who regards the owl as a bird
of evil omen, the killing ot which will bring us mistt)rtune.
And the prophecythough I laughed at it at the; time
came very near tulhlmc^nl.

In the course ot the next halt-hour m\' chief guide
and I ijecame aware of a strong scent (A elephants,
and almost immediately afterwards we espied, about a
mile and a quarter ahead ot us, on a hill, clearly de-
tined in the bright tropical light, two dark groups ot
elephants cjuietly at rest. It was again a case tor quick
action.
Most of my men would ha\e to remain behind
while- the three most trusty of theni and two Masai and
myself went on near the elephants. Much to m\- anxiety,
the very slight ])reeze until then ])]()\\ing behind us
became stronger, and I had almost given up hope as I
lay concealed in the grass, when, suddenly changing
round, it began to come towards us Irom the elephants.
The i^lains were here very bare,
witii little on them
except withered acacias. I succeeded,
however, in getting
to within two hundred paces of the; elephants, and in taking-
several ])hotogra|)hs of them at this distance. I had to
exercise rill my will-power to hold the camera steady, but
174
-
Elephant-Hunting
1 did so, and although the light was not very favourable,
the results were a success.
My field-glass showed me that the elephants were
ranged in two great groupsmales (me side, females the
other
;
pressing close up to their mothers were three young-
elephants, keeping as quiet as the old ones. The only
movement they all made was a fiap|)ing t(3 and fro of
THE ENTIRE HERD OF ELEPHANTS. OVER TWENTY IN ALL, HAD TACKED
THEMSELVES TOGETHER UNDER 'IHE MIMOSA-TREES. ONE STRONG
BULL FACED ME, DISTLAVING HIS LONG WHITE TUSKS
their heavy ears. Most of them stood with their heads
turned towards mein the direction of the wind therefore,
and thus protecting themselves from the wind as much
as possible. The absolute stillness of the huge mass
of monsters had something about it at once impressive
and uncanny.
The nature of the ground seemed to forbid all hope
^75
^
of photogniphini^" the c'l(j[->h;ints again in the act of taking
flight, so I packed away my camera carefull\- in its case
in exi)ectati()n of exciting events to come. Then I
took ii[) niy rifle and, as a nearer ai)proach could not
be made for kick ot cover, shot the largest hull elejjhant
that was nearest to me high up on tht- trunk. 1 had lired
kneeling. The elephant showed that he was hit by taking
three or four steps forward, swinging up his trunk, and
moving his great ears about like a fan. Simultaneously the
whole mass of elephants l)egan to show signs ot animation.
I was reminded of the disturbing of a bee-hive or of an
ants' nest by the way in which, with surprising quickness,
they all, old and young, swarmed out of their resting-
place, spreading out their ears and swinging or rolling
up their trunks, as they searched all round them tor their
enemy. From my kneeling position (m\- men were lying
flat on the ground beside me) 1 now scmt two mor(; bullets
at the elephant I had already shot
;
then the whole herd,
led by an old cow with trunk rolled up, set off suddenly in
full fli''"ht, as though at a word of command, and not in
the direction of the velt. as I had expected, or for the
hills behind iIkmii, but sideways to the right.
It was a real delightthe grand spectacle of these five-
and-twenty elephants a hundrcxl and titty yards oft' charging
past me! On they went with extraordinary speedalmost
without a sound, in spite ot their tremendous weight.
ddT(; wounded bull c^lephant was a little to one side,
nearer me. and iumj)ing up I was able to g(;t another
bullet into his shoulder. INly shot, however, had this
result, that the whoh; herd suddenl)' stopped, with the
176
-^
Elephant- Hunting
young- ones in the middle, and stood still a moment
looking round for their hidden foe.
Here I should recall the fact that, as I have mentioned
betore, most ot the older elephants in East Africa have
in one way or another made acquaintance with powder
and shot. I had l)een thoughtless enough to jump up,
the wind veered round again that moment a little, and the
.MIMOSA-TREES BROKEN HOWN bV ELEl'HAMS
elephants had spotted me. In another second the whole
herd, led by two old cows, were coming tull tilt in my
direction. I came tc^ the conclusion at once that I was
done for ! However, with a rapidity I find it hard now
to realise, I fired oft' six shots with my second rille at
the elephants leading, and then fiew to one side ; my
men, who had already started oft, and who had called
to me to do so, g-oinpf in the same direction. I recall now
VOL. I.
177
12
-^
quite clearl)- that I experienced at this moment no fcêling
of anxiety, but merely one ot intense susjjense antl curiosity
as to what my fate would l)e. A thousand thouo^hts
seemed to llash simultaneously through m\ mind and
then make way for a sort ol a|)aih(;tic s(mse ot resignation,
coupled with the r<!l]cction that the elei)hants were well
within their rights in wreaking \engeance upon their
attackers !
In front ot me ran mv men, who had thrown everything
aside, and as I ran, clasping my rille in nu' right hand,
I Iclt instinctively tor cartridges in the lelt-hand pocket
ot mv breeches, sa\ing to myself as I did so thai a few
more bullets more or less counted for nothing against
so great a number of animals.
We had fled to one- side, as I hav(; mentioned, because
this is the way to esca])e a charging (elephant, owing to
his defective eyesight, just as 1 felt that they must be
upon us, I heard in the- midst of tlu; miiflled thunder of
their stamp(;de a terrilde trumpeting, and in the same
moment one of m\' men, n(n\' far ahead, called out to me :
"The) are running awa\, master!"
'iiirning round 1 fmd that the bull 1 shoL h.is fallen
to th(* ground, and that all the others haxc taken flight
to tin; sid(' in the direction in whicii tlic\- had originalU'
started. Seeing this, m\ Ijest men luirr\ uj), and I
succeed in getting a bullet into the shoulder ol a xcry
larg(; but apparentK ailing cow, which is bringing up the
reartor, there being now no longer any danger of death,
m\ anxiet}' to get hold of a young elephant has come
back to me. l)etore 1 could reload, the entire! herd
17S
-^
Hlcphant-liunting
was out of rant4(', aiul 1 could hut marvel at tht; rate
they went at. I turned now to the talleii hull, not ycA
quite dead. In a tew moments my camera was in position,
and I was ahle to take se\'eral ])hoto^Taphs of the animal.
'Ilu-re was now no time to lose. While I saw that all
the others of my party came up, I oâve orders tor the head
ot the elephant to he skinned and his teeth Lôt out ; and
then chose six of the stroniêst of my men to continue the
hunt with me. 'Vhit others 1 ordered to remain near
the dead elephant and next day to carry the skin of its
head and its teeth to camp, regretting much that, owing
to the distance and the scanty number of my men, it
was not practicable to prepare the entire skin.
The small amount (jf water now available I required
for mv six tollovvers, and I set out a few momcMits later
somewhat too hurriedly, tor all the ropes were lett behind,
an oversight we had to pay dearly tor the same day.
We followed now on the new elephant-tracks. J)oth
the cows that had bec-n shot bled protusely, but
ke|it on their way with the others, and alter pursuing
th(jm tor about an hour and a half 1 came upon them all
again shortly betore sunset, grouped in an imposing
mass, the males and temales apart as betore, underneath
acacia-trees, on a part of the velt offering j:)ractically
no cover. Mcjtionless, Ijut for the swinging ot their ears
to and tro, they stood thert-
-a great solid, impressive mass,

cohjured a reddishd^rown by their mud-baths and sand-
baths. In the glow of the sunset they presented just
the same picture they had in the morning.
I was able to get to within 150 paces of them ;
on this
179
With flashlight and Rifle
^
occasion, however, I had to exert all m\- aiithoritx to
prevent mv carriers from ninnini)^ away. I, too, lost
nerve tor a single moment, but recovered myself, and,
after I had examined the animals individually with
my glass, 1 found that twc^ of the largest cows, which
had each a calf and which stood out by themselves, had
been badly hit. I gave them another bullet each, but
this time from a lying position, taught wisdom by my
experience in the morning. By a violent tlap|)ing ot" their
ears they gave signs that the shots had grazed their
shoulders. To my great satisfaction in one respect,
but much to my disappointment in another, my shots
had the result that the Inilk of the herd took fh'ght to
the left, whik; the two wounded cows, without making
any other sign, made off to the right. At a very slow,
shambling sort of trot they disappeared in a depression
of the ground, followed bv their young ones. After
the rest of the herd, including three other \oung ones,
had got out of sight I followêd the wounded cows with
my six men, now very tired, and came upon them again
ten ndnut<,-s later, taking not(' that one of them was in
a very bad way and that the young ones, both close on
four )ears old, wen- following the other cow ahead.
Aft('r tiring nearly twcnt\- shots without result from
behind I succeeded in bringing down tn-st the- hindmost
cow 1)V a shot in the ear at six paces, and then the one
in tronl, which had the \oung ones with it. ami which
stood still for a fe-w moments undctidctl, blec;ding
heavil)
.
As usual, the \-oung animals both of them bulls,
1 80
-^
Elephant-Hunting
between live and six feet in height, and with tusks already
ot' the length of a handremained close to their dead
mothers. We at once set about trying to catch them
;
1)ut the bigger of the two went for us so fiercely and
alarmingly that I was obliged to shoot it, just as it had
thrown one ot my men on the ground, and was about
to gore him to death with its tusks. I killed it with a
shot in the head at a distance of only a few feet. Then
A.MilllKK INSl'ANCIi OF A liROKEX Ml MOSA-TKEK
I tackled the second one myselfa very rash proceeding
and in a few^ seconds I managed, thanks to my size, in

securing a hold of it before it became dangerous like the
other, throwing one arm round its neck and grasping one
of its ears with the other hand, yelling out at the same
moment to my men to fasten its legs with ropes. Looking
back on it all to-day, I mar\el that I escaped from the
encounter with my lite.
i8r
The young animal, with its o-reatt-r strength, was a1)le
to drag me about all over the place
; but I clung tight to
him, and, with my considerable weight of 180 pounds, I
succeeded in holding on to him tor over ten minutes.
My men seized hold ot his tail ; but I could not get them
to hold on to his other ear, and it only now came home to
me that all the ropes had been left behind, and that there
was no possibility therefore of tying the animal's legs, as
I had done with another young elephant in the year 1900.
After about a quarter of an hour my strength gave wây
and I let go, and I literally sank clown on the ground
in a state of hopeless collapse, utterly blown and unable
to utter a sound, mv tongue cleaving to the root ot my
mouth.
My men also lay all round me, panting. One is glad
to have such moments over and done with ! All our
trouble and exertions were in vain. We made efforts to
tie his leers with bits ot our clothintj, but this did not
succeed, as he got excited in the process, changing his
mood suddenly as elephants do, and assuming the offensive
vigorously. My men were not to be induced to go near
him now, so, as n(Jthing would have induced me to shoot
him, 1 was relieved presently when he took flight in the
direction in which the herd had (lisap[jeared.
Not to weary the reader further, I will just add that,
tir(;<l to death and utterly tliscouraged, we now lit a tire
in the neighbourhood, and got together some- drv wood in
the dust to keep it burning.
But our torturing thirst W(juld not let us sleep. it
became so terril:)]e that at last we had to make our way
182
-l
Elephant-lluntin!
in the darkness to the lôdy ol the last-killed elei)hant, in
order to n|)en its stomach and drink the indescribably
stinking liquid inside. Then we lav down agriin in our
camp, suddenly to be awakened at about nine o'clock by
my experienced old
"
Fundi
"
springing up and giving out
the cry, in low tones,
"
Tembo, Bwana ! Tembo !
"
And, sure enough, there were the twenty-one remaining
'^X^
\\^^^l^\^
THE El.El'HAMS, OVER TWENTY IX NUMBER, HAD MADE THEIR WAY
ACROSS THE BED OF A STREAM, NOW DRIED UP
elephants, looking like monstrous ghosts in the moonlight,
moving past us with their noiseless trot in the direction
of the hills they had left !
The elephants were clearly striving to make their way
as quickly as possible to their mountain thickets. My
men had sprung up at once, and exerted
themselves as
quick as lightning to extinguish our small fire by tearing
out the burning pieces of wood, knowing by
experience
i8;
With I'lashlight and Ritic
-^
that elephants, es[)eciaU\ when they have been excited,
are incited to attack by the sioht of a fire.
I niyseh' had in mind a case ot this kind. A niin"il)er
of large elephants had made lor a camp-fire, and tor
nearly a quarter of an hour trampled over it, and over
everything they found near it belonging to the black
hunters. The six men who were encamped beside it
found safisty in fiight.
Naturallv we spent some minutes of keen anxiety
as the elephants passedanxiety due in large measure
to the strange circumstance that the elephants should
have chosen a route so near our camp. Hut the danger
passed, and the siU-nt, illimitable velt lay steeped in
the moonlight. I took the first hours of the watch,
and then, after my men had rested, took m\' turn of
sleep. When 1 woke up suddenly at dawn. I foLmd the
camp-fire almtjst extinguished and the watch snoring
;
it was their snoring that had awakened me. So com-
plettd\- do the results of extreme physical exertion prevail
over all thought or fear ot wild animals !
Now came a ver\- tlifficult and wearying seven-hours'
march over broken ground full of holes made by rodents,
to our distant camp, in scorching sunlight. I am doul)ttul
whether we should ever have reached it but lor our
good fortune in coming u\)on some water after long digging
in a dried-up river-bed. It is not easy to gixc an idea
of the efiect such experiences have upon th.c men who
live through them.
.\rri\-ed safely in camp, I dt;sj)atched some men next
day to bring back the teeth ot" both the cow elephants last
ICS4
^
P^lc|)hant-I luntini^'
killed. 'Vhc larger of the two had onl\- oik- tusk, which
weighed 28 lb. a somewhat consideraMe weight tor a
COWand which was already kir gone through decay.
The ele|)hant would soon have lost this tusk also. My
men found in th(- animal two imn Ijullets such as natives
use, one of which was embedded in the out('r coating
of its stomachan indication ot the great vitality of
elephants.
I long exijerienced very keen regret at the failure ot this
hunt. I had come so near my desired object ot bringing
to Euro]ê the lirst East AtVican elephant from (lerman
or British East Atricaan undertaking no one has yet
achieved, despite the ccmstruction since then ot the great
Uganda Railway in the heart of the higher regions of
the Nile.
This indicates the difhculty of all such enterprises in
a cotmtry in which the presence of the tsetse tly and
other such hindrances prevent the use of camels, horses,
or mounts ot any kind.
Not a single young elephant has been brought
home to our Zoological Gardens from German East
Atrica. The elephant brought home by Herr Dominik,
Ober-lieutenant in th(i colonial police, which had been
captured by a large nuniber of natives, is trom the
Cameroons.
With the help of Askaris who were at his disposal,
and of some elephant-hunters, he succc-eded in killing a
herd of ele|)hants which had been h(;mmed in and watched
day and night, and to capture all the young animalsvery
small specimens. Most of them died, and only one young
With I'hi^hlight and Rifle
^^
bull reached IJerlln, where he has been in the Zoological
Gardens for some years. Herr Dominik has iîven a
lucid account ot his hunt in his book entitled '/'/ic
Ca)uc]-oous, and it was not without a certain tceling ot
en\'\- that I read those interesting j)ages.
How well htted out these colonial police officers
always are tor the carrying" through ot such an expe-
dition, and how scant)' by comparison the resource's of a
private individual! It is to be hoped that the next
attempt ot this kind may be successful, but there seems
little prospect ot^ this just at present.
I)Ut what I regretted, perhaps even more than my
failure to capture thc^ young animal, was my having been
unalde to take a ])hotograph of those five-and-twenty
elephants rushing towards me. Willingly would 1 have
given a finger of my h^md to have l)een able to take a
really good |)ictun/. of those mighty, intûriated animals in
the middle of their onrush.
In December 1900
I had a somewhat similar ex-
perience. After about eight days of fruitless endeavour
upon a part of the velt which was already co\'ered with
green, I came upon a small herd of elephants, out of which,
after killing his mother, I managed to capture a small
bull about a year and a half old. It was only witli the
greatest troubk; that 1 secured himhe had no tusks,
f)rtunately
by
getting right in Iront of him and oxer-
throwing him. and thus gixing my \\'andorol)o an oppor-
tunity of fistcming his hind-legs witli thongs ot leatln'r.
With immense- difficult}- we got the animal back to camp;
but lor lack of eiicnigh milk I did not succeed in keeping
1S6
-m Elephant-Hunting
him alive, thouo-h he seemed to get on all rii^ht on my
treatment of him for the first few days.
He was on the friendliest terms with me within
forty-eight hours, and used to caress my beard and face
with his little trunk in the drollest way. It was a thousand
pities that the animal soon died. Thus ended Ijoth niy
efforts.
Another very serious mishap fell to my lot quite
ELEPHANT SKULL AND BONES
unexpectedly in November
1903.
My caravan was making
a lone cUid difficult nîarch from hill to hill towards the
next drinking-place, and I, as usual, was at the head
of it. After we had been about four hours afoot, I brought
down two female antelopes. While some ot my men were
busy cutting them up, having put down their burden (many
of them, however, were still straggling behind), I went
187
t^
back a hundred paces or so, and tO(jk u}) my position
upon a rock, with a l)lack beside me carrvini^ mv rille.
Lost in thought and humming a tune to mvselt",
I suddenly se(;med to hear something approaching me
from behind I couldn't hear well, however, as there
was a strong wind blowing from the opposite direction.
I turned round and saw, thirty paces off, a huge bull
elephant advancing towards me at full trot, in the
uncannily quick and noiseless fashion of his kind. I rolled
over quickly to one side, as did also mv man, who now
observed the elephant for the first time. I gripped ni) rifie,
saying to myself, however, that it was too late to think of
shooting, antl that next moment we should 1;)(^ crushed
to death.
I also realised suddenly that my rifie was loaded with
lead-headed steel-bullets, which are quite useless with a bull
elephant. In this terrifying moment, the elephant, taking
fright apparently at our sudden appearance almost from
under his feet, gave out a resounding snort, and shaking
his huge ears, swerved oft^ to the left, almost tcuiching us
as he passed.
Up we sprang now, and unloading my rille with all
possible haste I reloaded, and succeeded in getting two
shots into the animal's shoulder from Ix'hind. .After
following it for half an hour and noting from the way
in which his tracks were narrowing that he must have
been l)adly wounded, wc; found liim standing under some;
acacia-trees, and I was able to Ijring him down with two
effective shots in the head before he could make- any
attempt to get at me.
188
1^
->
Elephant-Hunting
It turned out that a small herd to which this elephant
belonged had come down U) the; now sodden velt, and
having got wind of my
i)eoi)]e
had come upon the
advanced guard of the long-drawn-out caravan. Thus
it happened that hv a most curious chance I came upon
the bull in a spot where I should never have expected
to tind an elephant at that time ot year.
Less perilous ])erha[)S, yet iull of excitement in its
own wav, was a hLmt in the course ot which I came upon
a herd in a thicket in a ravine on the side of the Ngaptu
Mountain. I had been going after elephants tor weeks on
the north side of the mount.iin Iruitlessly. One day I had
been unable to resist the temptation ot shooting a rare
kind of thrush [l^nrdiis iiecksiii) on the top of the
mountain. The noise ot my shot resounding through the
ravine was answered almost at once by the loud trumpeting
of an elephant
On another day I was making a nine-hours' march
round one part of the mountain, and although I was
sutlering at the time rather badly trom dysentery, I pressed
forward to the place which, as I had tound out accidentally,
the elephants trequented. I thought it very doubtful
whether they were still to be tound there, but nowadays
one must lose no chance ot any kind ot getting at
elephants in those regions, even when journeys ot days
are entailed. A more or less steady wind enabled me
to approach the herd, and at last I tound myself only
a few paces away from two fairly large bulls. They
were standing, however, in such an unfavourable position
that 1 could not make up my mind to shoot. After
191
With Flashlio-ht :iiul Rifle ^
o
a wait of about three-quarters of an hour, however, they
moved
suddenly and gave me my opportunity, and I
brought down one of them with a shot between ear and
eye. and the other, just as he made for me, with two
shots through the shoulder intc* the heart.
I found afterwards that this herd, which consisted
of about a dozen elephants, had soiight refuge in the
thicket on the mountain, having been startled by my shot
at the tlirush, and that they had been keeping very quiet
uj) there, making no noise whatever beyond what was
caused by the munching of quite small twigs. Thus,
waiting one's chance in the neighbourhood ot a herd of
elephants, the sportsman lives in a continual state ot sus-
pense. One needs to remain absolutely quiet and to
exercise the utmost patience in such circumstances, ready
always to act promptly and with energy when the moment
comes.
Generally speaking I am in favour of small-calibre
rifles, on account of their precision and penetrating force
;
but for elephants and rhinceroses I would recommend the
English "377
express calibre with steel bullets, or else
an
8-
or 4-calibre elephant-rifle when the shooting will be
at close range, as is likely in thickly wooded regions.
In this I agrcM- with most experienced sportsmen, and 1
would rexommend the new-comer esjjecially to use a hcâvy
and safe gun, although they have some grc-at disacKan-
tauês, such as their weight and unwieldiness ami their
uncertainty of aim except at (|Mili- short range, especially
in the case of th(; last-mentioned large-calibre rifles.
Moreover they kick so heaxily that onl\ a strong man
I
92
Elephant-Hunting'
can use them, and with the black powder which is used
they make tremendous clouds ot smoke. The elephant
often takes these clouds or" smoke tor the enemy, but
this may be a source of safety to the sportsman, for he
can slip away to one side, leaving- the infuriated animal
to make lor the smoke.
In huntino; African elephants there are in practice
AFTER MUCH SCRAPING AWAY IN THE BED OF A DRlEli-l 1' ^ÎKEA.M,
WE CAME UPON SOME WATER
only two correct shots. First, the shot froni the side
between ear and eye, so as to get into the brain ; secondly,
the shot lodged in the shoulder, also from the side. From
in front you can get at the brain only by a shot high up-
on the trunk. I would hold out a warnin^:, however,,
against shots which go too high up on the great long
protuberances of the elephant's head, as these are likely tO'
prove very dangerous to the sportsman.
VOL. I.
:ig,s 13
With FlaslilidU and RiHc
"^
A large elephant may sometimes be brought down
by another shot, as tor instance a shot which brcnks a
bone of the leg, but this is onl\- possible at vcm-\- close
range with a rifle of very heavy calibre. I he most
experienced hunters are agreed that the smack of a
heavy-calibre bullet is more
ai)t
to make an elei)hant
take to (light when not mortally wounded than is the
stab of the small calil)re, though this mav be more deadlv
in its after-eflect.
But in the huntino^ of hlgr trame
of this kind, above all
in the case of elephants, luck plays a very conspicuous
ro/f. In several cases the deadly effect of shots I myself
have fired has only showm itself w-hen the animals have
almost come near enough to kill me. ]Many have been
the elephant-hunters who have been killed by the Tembo
they themselves have been hunting
!
The more one comes into touch with African elephants
the more one is on one's gujird. The hunter can never
know what an elephant may not be up to the next moment
a fact with which trainers and keepers ot Zoological
Gardens also have to reckon.
I shall never forget how for days together I waited
on the top of a hill watching elephants, and waiting in
vain f )r the sunshine without whicli I could not get good
photograj)hs of them. As soon as 1 had succeeded in
this th(; moment seemed at last to ha\e come when I
might kill the two bull elephants in question. 1 had had
several templing chances alread\ that 1 had resisted.
Leaving the hills, accompanied bv some ol tlu; most
resolute ol mv men, I crept down 1)\- somc^ narrow
194
^ Elephant-Hunting'
rhinoceros-paths into the sodden jungle, which I reached
in about three-quarters of an hour.
Alter crossing a great number of deep ravines, which
we did with much difficulty, our clothes almost torn off us
and covered all over with mud. we succeeded in getting
near the bulls, which were slowly making for the thickets
up above. Coming upon the tracks of one of these, wê
tollowed them breathlessly, expecting every moment to
come upon him. At last I saw him standing in the
shade of some tall trees. P)Ut so dense was the jungle
that I could not make out very distinctly the reddish
grey body of the animal at the distance of fifty paces or
so and could not count upon hitting him effectively. All
torn and scratched by the thorns, there I waited for
several anxious minutes in suspense. Presently the huge
animal disappears to the left, and. followed by my two
men with my reserve rifles. I make after him to the right,
hoping in this way to come u[jon him suddenly. In front
of him lies a deep ravine, through which we hasten. As
we emerge from it on the other side we hear a o-entle
rustling.
"
Tembo, bwana !
"
(" The elephant, master
")
whispers
one of my men.
"Hapana! N)ama ndogo
!
" (''No, small animal!")
I answer.
That moment the
bier bushes growing amid the tall
grass (more than ten feet high) went asunder right and
left, the slender trunks splitting and cracking as they
came down upon us and forced us on to the ground, and
in another second the elephant rushed past us barely a
195
With Fhishli^'ht and Rifle
-)
foot away, intent on lliLiht, and most fortunateK* paxlng
LIS no attention.
Count Thiele-Winckler tells nie of an exactly similar
incident which occurred in India.
Moments such as these are hard to realise in safety
and comfort here at home. Ijrief though they be, they
live ever afterwards in the memory, and have a charm
all their own. To a])j)reciate their delight to the full a
man must he able to enter into the spirit of th(_' sur-
roundings, and must be sensitive to the marvellous and
majestic scenery in which they are niet with. But not
the most skilled of pens could succeed in bringing home
their magical fiscination to the mind of th(' reader who
has not himself experienced anxthing of the kind. E\en
the man who has gone through them can only recall them
in their details when his memorx" is at its best.
I am apt to look at the elephants in the Zoological
Gardens very differently now, almost with a feeling of
awe and reverence, and I feel ashamed of the foolish
gapers who seek to exercise their wit at th(.' expense of"
the cagetl giant. How they would take to their heels
if they met him in the wilderness and he bore down
upon them !
Two days later, to my great sur|)rise, both the bull
elephants had sought tht-ir fuouritc; haunt again, but at
sunset th('y vanished just as hea\\- masses of clouds
began to come down over the wood, with a wonderfully
impressive effect. 'J hey went in the direction of a thick
girdle of" trees. The wind was fixourable.
196
lilcphant-IIunting
With my feet in indiarubber-soled shoes, and accom-
panied on this occasion (quite exceptionally) by my
European taxidermist, Orgeich, in addition to a few of
my men, I took up the animal's |)ursuit, hoping to get
possession ot its skin, whole or entire, for preparation for
a specimen. Ijathed in sweat, owing to the oppressive
heat ot the thicket, after al)out three-quarters of an hour
THE TUSKS OF BOTH THE ELETHANTS WEIGHED TOGETHER ONLY ABOUT
I20 ENGLISH I'OUNDS
we lost the tracks tor a tew minutes, confused with those
of other animals that must have passed this way during
the nioht. However, we found them again, and tive
minutes later we came to a deep ravine with a pool ot
mud at the bottom of it. To my dismay I saw both
elephants emerge trom this and disappear into the dense
thicket on the opposite slope, about thirty paces away,
and as they forced their way through it I could see the
197
^
trees antl bushes quiverino; this way and that. It was
heartdjreaking ! One instant sooner and both elephants
would have been lying dead in th(,' nuid. Animals
with tusks weighing two hundred pounds ! Ele))hants
such as have hardly fallen to any European hunter in the
whole length and l)readth of Africa !
The wind now going down, and the trees ceasing to
quiver, I slid down the ravine and made m\' way up the
opposite slope, all covered with mud and slime from the
branches through which the elephants had forced their
way, and got up cjn the top just as they entered the
thicket, through which they would probably continue their
flight for some hours.
This sui)position was only too well foimded, as I
discovered alter an indescribably long pursuit without
results. Hardly ever in all my life had I been so covered
in slime and so unrecognisable as after this incident.
And the slime smelt of elephant to an unimaginable
deo-ree !
Forcing my way along in the undergrowth, with my
arms in front of me to jirotect my face, I got into such
a condition of dirt and brcathlessness antl utter disgust
over my failure as I had only once in my lite experienced
before. That was at Mlinstcr, in the "Old West|)halian
"
steeplechase-that most delightful of ;ill (ierman steeple-
chasesas they used to be run over the old difhcult course,
and wh(;n knee-deep in mud I h;id almost won, yet lost!
I leave it to the reader to imagine m\- feelings. i^'or
weeks I had Ijeen after thes<' elephants in th(; hope ot
photographing them. Then came this long pursuit which
198
Elcphant-Huntiiii
had failed so wretchedly! I'^jr now both the animals
had taken themselves off tbr ever so long.
On one other occasion I succeeded in getting near
some huge bull elephants in the bush. I had seen them
from a hill. I stationed some men there, whom I could
discern from time to time through my held-giasses, and
who guided mv steps by waving a small white cloth in
THE YOUNG ELEPHANT DRAGGEH IS Illllll'.k AM 'IllHllEK BETWEEN
THE BODIES OF THE OLD ANIMALS. THEN, AT LAST, IT MADE UP
ITS MIND TO FOLLOW US TO THE CA.MP, WHICH WAS FIVE HOURS'
MARCH AWAY
the direction the elephants were taking in the thicket.
After endless difficulties at last I got near them. In
another moment I must see them. To my delight there
were here some small open spaces in the thicket. But
there was yet another gorge to get over.
Suddenly a number of large doves {Coluinba m^qnairix),
very similar to our own ringdoves, clattered off from
199
With riashlight and Rifle
-*
the shady tops of some vangueria-bushes. As though
spell-bound, we remaiiu-tl where we stood, breathless.
We knew that the- elej)hants would have been put on
their guard by the noise. Twenty more paces to the
left, and we must be able to see over the next bit of
open ground. In front of me, three or four yards ahead,
is the trunk of a dead tree. An active native glides
ahead to it with me behind him, and next moment makes
a sign to me that the elephants are in front. Quick as
lightning he slips aside and lets me take his place, as I
can only see theni from this spot.
There they are, sure enough, a bull right in front of
me. with tusks, weighing i So lb. or 190 lb. apiece, almost
crossing each other, and lêside him another bull with
his back turned towards me. Unable to shoot them as
they stand, I slip down from the tree-trunk and tr\-
cautiously to make a way for myself through the adjacent
bushes
;
but there is a sudden crashing, and the elephants
are gone. Breaking away in different dirc^ctions, they
come together soon, and tor five hours we follow in their
track without seeing them again. Our pursuit of them
has this result only, that our legs were badK' stung by
nettles and other such growths, often mc't witii in these
shady spots. Again all our trouble went tor nothing.
On one occasion m\- c()m[)ani()ns Ccunc in lor very
unfortunate; experiences while wc were in pursuit of a
big herd ol elephants. Starting with onK' m\ most trust-
worthy tollowca's, k)aded onlv with ropes, axes, and other
light utensils, each man carr\ing burdens ot oiiK b lb.
200
-)
PLlephant-Iiuntin!^
or 8 lb. weight, I had set out over a waterless region of
the velt. Thev had all drunk th(Mr fill before starting,
and taken water with them in big \essels. In order to
come up with the herd as soon as possible we had to go
at a quick pace. The ass I had at one time used for
riding had long ago succumbed t(^ the stings of tsetse
flies, so I was afoot myself The heat Ijecame so terrible,
A CURIOUS TRIO TWO liULL ELEPHANTS AND A HULL GIRAEFE. THE
LATTER MAY BE SEEN HIGH UP ON THE LEFT OF THE PHOTO,
WHICH WAS TAKEN AT A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 45O YARDS
however (it was in the month of Novemljer), that at tour
in the afternoon we had to give up the pursuit in order
to get back to the water, as several of my men were quite
knocked up. Two of them refused to move, and wanted,
in the state of apathy into which they had got, to remain
lying down where they were. I had to drive them on
in front of me
;
but even so I managed to get only one
201
With Mashliiîit and Rifle
^
of them to our destination by thej time darkness came on.
The other reniained lyin^y out on the velt.
With difficulty we got to the water late in the night,
chietly by dint of setting fire to the dried-up velt
several times on the way, and thus managing to see
where we were going. Next morning, when succour was
sent to the man left behind, it arrived too late. The
unfortunate fellow had been killed by rhinoceros(;s during-
the night, and then been entirely torn to pieces by lions.
So we gathered from their tracks. His body lay on a
deeply trodden rhinoceros-path.
It should be borne in mind that at this time all my
carriers were good experienced men, carefully selected.
In spite of this, here was a mishap which it was quite
impossible for me to ward off On other occasions it
has often happened that men from my caravan, having
lost their way, have had to sleep out in the
oi)en,
either
up in trees or upon the ground, but without coming to
any harm.
No sportsman who has hurit(-d the elephant much in
Africa has got through without some serious misadven-
tures ; many have been trampled upon and ha\e i)aid
for their boldness with their lives.
The hunting of the African elephant, when undertaken
by oneself and under sportsman-like conditions, is an enter-
prise to which in the long run only a f(.;w men are equal.
IMany elephants have been killed not in this way, but
with the helj) of the Askaris. I have seen photographs
representing a number of young elephants-
quite small,
some of themslaughtered in this way, with a grou[)
202
-*
Elcphant-IIuntiiv^:,^
of the sportsmen in the midst, thus perpetuating' their
valour. Such sportsmen, however, can have no notion
of the wonderful experience of the man who hunts alone.
The natives who take part in the hunt are often of
the belief that after you have killed fifteen elephants
successfully, luck turns against you. From this on
they prefer to devote themselves to the making of
elephant-charms, and let others hunt in their place.
I believe they are not far wrong.
THE PREPARATION OF THIS ELEPHANT-SKULL, AND
THE HIDE OF THE BEAST, LASTED A WEEK
20;
VIEW ON THE N]IKI SWAMI'S DURING THE INUNDATION-
XI
Rhinoceroses
T li 7" HEN you h;i\-e spent a year travelling over Masai-
V
V Nyika, and have thus seen for yourself the
number of rhinoceroses still existing in that region, you
are able to form some notion of the extent to which
elephants must have tlourished on its plains and in its
forests before the days when they began to be hunted
systematically by traders. Rhinoceroses did not ofter the
traders an adequate equi\alent in their horns tor the
trouble and danger of hunting them, so they were not
much troubled about until recently, when the supply ot
elephants began to run short. It is only during the last
few years that their numbers have been decimated.
In the course of the ycâr I spent thcn-e I saw about
six hundred rhinoceroses with my own eyes, and found
the tracks of thousands. It is astonishin": how numerous
the) m'c in this region. Travellers who mereK pass
through the country by tht: caravan-routes would mar\el
if in the dr\- weather the\' found themselves on the top
of a liill 7,oco feet high, and could see the huge crowds
204
\
AS TIIK WIM) WAS COMIN<.;
FROM Tl 1 R IIII.L, AND TKNKW I COt'LD COINT ITOX
ITS xNOT C11AN<;I.\.; AT THAT IIOl'R OV THE HAY, I WAS AHLK TO C.ET WITHIN
lai'TEEN PACES Ol- THE Kill.XOCEKOSES
-i
Rhinoceroses
of these animals in their special hamits. An idea of
their numbers can best be got from the records of certain
well-known travellers.
In the course of thf^- tanious c^xjiloring expedition of
Count Teleki and Herr von Hohnel, which led to the
discovery of Lake Rudolph and Lake Stephanie, these
sportsmen killed
99
rhinoceroses, the flesh of which
had to serve exclusively as food for their mc-n.
According to trustworthy accounts Dr. Kolb killed
150
rhinoceroses before a
"
faru
"
got at him and killed him.
Herr von Bastineller, who accompanied him for a
long time, killed 140.
Herr von Eltz, the first com-
mandant of the Moshi fort, killed about 60 in the
region lying between Moshi and Kahe. In recent years
I have been told by colonial police officers ot records
which have beaten these. A number ot English sports-
men have also brought down great numbers. These
striking figures are more eloquent than long disquisitions.
They give some notion of the immense numbers of rhino-
ceroses there are in German East Africa, and forbid any
attempt at pro})hecy as to when the species will be exter-
minated.
It is a curious thing about rhinoceroses that they often
break into the midst of passing caravans, causing much
alarm and practically inciting the travellers to shoot them
down. What with the perfection of our modern rifies,
and the ample target provided l;)y their own huge bodies,
they are apt in these cases to rush to their own destruction.
Without venturing upon a more precise forecast we may
perhaps conclude that, if the white rhinoceros was wiped
VOL. I.
209 14
With Flashli'-ht and Rifle
out in South Africa in the course of a few decades by
comparativêly primitive weapons, we ought certainly to
see the extinction ot the black rhinoceros in a much
shorter time with the help of the small-calibre long-range
rifle of to-day.
Hunting the rhinoceros, as I imderstand it, when it is
carried out l)y the sportsman alone and in a sportsman-
like manner, must alwa\s be one of the most dangerous
sports possible. It is difficult to decide whether it is most
dangerous to hunt the lion, leopard, buftalo, elephant, or
rhinoceros. Everything depends on the circumstances
and surroundings in which these animals are enc<uintered.
Even when armed with the most trustworthy weapons,
stalking the African rhinoceros must always be an ex-
tremely dangerous undertaking, it it is done, as in my case,
alone and unaccompanied by other "guns." The English
traveller Thomson very graphically describes the feelings of
a hunter when he comes upon rhinoceroses in the grass,
and knows that his lite de})ends entirelv on his skill.
It is a puzzle to me how any one can assert that he
has jumped calmlv to one side when charged bv a rhino-
ceros, and tliat he has then given it the well-known
death-shot through the shoulder. I can say with con-
fidence, from my own experience, that this is absolutely
impossible. A rhinoceros that was realK charging down
on a man would get at his opponent under any circum-
stances and spit him on his horns.
If this does not happen, either the animal has been
killed just at the last moment, or the hunter has managed
to climb a tree, a while-ant hill, or a rock, or els(; the
2IO
-*
Rhinoceroses
animal had not really intended to charg-e but only to
run away, and had unintentionally come in the direction
of the hunter !
In the great expedition which I joined in
1896, not
a single Askari or armed native ever accompanied the
hunt. In this particular the natives were under strict
supervision. I treated my own people in 1899-
1900
'^^

,-!p^f
V
*
REMAINS OK A KHIXOCEROS
without exception in a similar manner ;
only my European
taxidermist occasionally brought down a waterbuck or other
antelope. But I have never been protected by
"
guns
"
on a dangerous hunting expedition.
"
Rely on yourself"
is, in mv opinion, the right motto in this case.
I have heard many strange tales from Askaris who
have carried
gruns
on other occasions, and. wonderful to
relate, it was always the white lord, the
"
bwana kubwa,"
21
1
-^
who delivered the fatal shot and brought down the game.
It is a very different matter, and far more dignified, to go
on a hunting expedition unassisted.
It frequently happens that a rhinoceros scents the
position of several ot the armed natives ; fire is opened
on him. and at the last moment the animal, already
mortally wounded, finds he is incapable of attacking any
of the marksmen, and so rushes snorting past them, to
be finished off sooner or later. Such situations give rise
to the fairy tales of those wonderful sidewise leaps
a
feat of which I could well imagine a toreador to be
capable on the fiat sanded ground of th(i arena, even
when attacked by a rhinoceros, but which I shall never
.see performed by a European unless he has been
practised in bullfights.
I have often heard of men being gored and tossed
into the air by these animals. The list of deaths under
:such circumstances is a long one, and quite a number of
Europeans in the districts traversed by me lost their
lives in this manner.
A few years ago I met an English medical officer
who had been hastily called to a case of serious illness.
Shortly before our meeting one of his Askari, a Sutlanese,
had been gored and tossed by a rhinoceros (which had
been shot at l)y the whole of the littU" caravan). The
.animal's horn had penetrated deep into the unfortunate
man's abdomen. The wound was terrible, and the state
of the patient seemed as hopeless to the doctor as it did
to a mere layman like myself As I intended to tnicani])
for some time nc'ar by, the doctor earnestly entreated me
2 12
->
Rhinoceroses
to take the wounded man into my camp for three days,
as he could not arrange for his transport farther.
So, whether I Hked it or not, I had to undertake the
care of him, with the certainty that a speedy death would
release the man from his agony. To my surprise, he
was still alive the next day, but towards evening his-
agony became so great that his sobs and groans were
almost unbearable. He begged, he entreated, for help
;
and so, although at that time I was only provided with
absolute necessaries, I gave him my whole store of opium,
assuming that he would by this means fmd relief and
never wake again.
But there is no reckoning on the constitution of a
black man. After another twenty-four hours he was still
alive ; and now the effects of my dose of opium began
to show themselves in an alarming manner. Again he
besought me to help him. But 1 was altogether at a
loss. My small stock of medicines, that I might have
employed to count('ract the opium, had been used up long
ago. At last it occurred to me to administer a Ijottle of
salad oil that was still in my possession. I was successful.
The next day the man was taken away, and, as I heard
later, recovered from the terrible injury, contrary to all
expectations.
Similar cases do not always turn out so fortunately,
and frequently t^nd in th(^ death (jf the person in cpiestion.
Sometimes the rhinoceros only tosses his victim once in
the air, at the same time piercing him with his horns.
At other times he returns to his enemy and renews the
attack. I myself have been pressed to the last extremity
2 I ;
With I'lashli-ht and KiIIl
t>
'
^
l)y rhinoceroses, and even when not ;ii such close
(juartcrs
an encounter with ihrni is olicii dangerous aiicl exciting".
M\' llrst cncoiMitcr with the
"
c'lnunx'
"
ol die Masai
l"iai)|)e'ned
lowai'ds e\cninL;, in the middle ol a chari-('(i and
blackened plain, thai had l)e(Mi on lire that vctv daw
Ne\(T shall 1 loi'Lêi ilic iiii|)|-ession made on m(; h\'
this uncouth animal mass, si.MidiiiL^ in its
ru^Llêd clumsiness
in the nudst ol that ;^loom\ Landscape, illuminated
\>y the
slanting' and uncertain im\ s ol the seitiiiL;' sun. W'idi its
head hi^li m the air (the monsler h.id alrea<l\ hecome
avvar(' ol our approach), its nnL;hl\ hoi'ns pointniL^' uj)\vards,
and its jjîoântic outlme showin;.; aLâinsi the y<-A ot the
ev('nine- sk)', it schemed to he merged m the Mack ground
on which It stood.
My heart heat franticalK', and m\ hand was not steady
as, ]),arlially screened hy a thorn hush, hall ol which had
been sp.ired !)\ the lire, I let oil m\ elephant !_;un Iroin
a distance of a hundred paces. At m\' shot the
"
i'arii"
came snortiiiL;' towards me, and it w.is onK at my second
shot, when he was \er\' close indeed, that he turned to
the left, .and, snorting loudl) , look to IIilÎu across the
phiiu. M\
servants seemed to haxc vanished Irom the
lace: ol tin: earth.
The scene was enacted in such a short space o( time,
and made such a powerful imj)ressioii oii me the apparent
Liselessness
ol m\ weapon aL;ainst the ^real animal was
so crushiiiL^, the swiftness and .iîhty ih.ii he h,id displayed
at the last so astoiiishiiiL;- that from ih.it moment the
picture I had had in m\ mind ol this ainmal lor so
many
\ears was totall)' changed.
214
-)
Rhinoceroses
While all this was happening, we had lying in the
camp a man who had twice been thrown into the air by
a rhinoceros the day before, and who was only by a
miracle recovering from his injuries.
Many notions acquired by us at school are soon
dissipated when we find ourselves in Africa. On this
occasion it was brought home to me very effectively that
I had to do with an extraordinarily active and agile
brute, very different from the unwieldy and slow-moving
degenerate rhinoceros one was accustomed to seeing in
the Zoological Gardens. This was to be borne in upon
me by other glimpses of the animals in the distance, and
to be driven in still more by my next encounter with one.
With my fowling-piece in my hand dismounting
from my donkey, which had not yet fallen a victim to the
tsetse fiyI hasten into a gorge thick with tall grass, in
the midst of which I had seen guinea-towl alight.
As usual, they have run away from the spot where
they went in. I follow them quickly, hoping to make
them break cover. Suddenly a brownish-black mass arises.
right in my path and takes up a sitting position for a
second, and my still somewhat unaccustomed eyes recog-
nise the huge proportions of a rhinoceros.
The brain has to work quickly in such moments. I
lie down flat upon the ground. Grunting and snorting^
the rhinoceros rushes past me a foot away, raising clouds
of dust as he goes, towards the caravan, and right past
my friend, Alfred Kaiser.
Kaiser, who had twice been spitted by a rhinoceros,
and had made miraculous recoveries on both occasions-
217
With I'hishlight :iiul RiHc
^
after months upon his back, seems to have exercised a
wonderful fascination for the species. Wherever h(t went,
there rhinoceroses were sure to s[)rinL;- up ! I kit in the
course of his long sojourn among the i)edouins ot Sinai,
he had acquired a stoical habit of calm, and now he lets
the brute dash through the caravan and bluster away into
the tlistance. All he did was to send after it an inde-
scribably strong Arabic oath as it disappeared in a storm
of dust. I had to congratulate myself upon "a narrow
escape"illustrating that English expression once again.
On the same day I saw four other rhinoceroses, among
them a mother with her young. Soon afterwards a deeply
trodden track leading to a rocky pool in the driest part
of the velt tempted me to go in for a night's shooting.
In these regions the nights get very cold. Accompanied
by some of my men, and provided with a lew woollen
coverings, lanterns, etc., I decided to take my stand by
the edge of the gorge. However, we had not taken into
account sufficiently the suddenness with which the sun
sets in these [jarts. We got belated c'7i route, lost our
way, and soon Ibund ourselves plunged in absolute; dark-
ness, with s(jme hours to wait before the appearance of
the moon. Scattered rocks and troublesome; long grass
made it difficult tor us to make; any progress, so there
seenied to be nothing lor it but to turn back to our camp.
That also proved im[)ossibIe, so I decided to wait where
we were; until the moon should appear, at nine o clock,
<md enal)le us to retrace our steps. There we stayed,
therefore, among the; l)its of rock which had cut our knees
and the sharp briars and dense tough grass, prisoners
218
-)
Rhinoccroses
II W A- ''I'lTE A LONG TIME ilKMjKI, I 111, KlilMx l.kL>^ -.1,1 II.KH IimWN
MM
AS SOON AS IT DID SO ITS IMMENSE HORN, A YARD LONG, WAVING
ABOUT IN THE AIR LIKE A BRANCH OF A TREETHE RHINOCEROS-
BIRDS ALIGHTED AGAIN ON ITS BACK
219
With I-la.shli-iit and Ritic
^>
for the nie^ht. Our eyes orowini^ accustomed to the
darkness, we \vc;re able presently to discern the whitish
trunks ami branches ot acaciadjushes.
Alter a long wait, suddenly we heard a (|uick snort.
My men threw to the ground everythini;' they had in
their hands and climbed up two rather tall trees hard
by with indescribabli; aiîlit)'. ()nl\ my rilled)earer, who
carried my hea\y elcphaiit-rille, waited a moment to give
give me the warning,
"
b'aru, l)wana
"
" A rhinoceros,
master!" My hair stood u]) on my head, but I had my
heavy ritle ready in my hand. Now gradually my eyes made
out the shapeless mass of the rhinoceros in the uncertain
radiance cast down from the stars. A lew yards behind
me gaped a deep gorge. Escaj)c; in any direction was
made imp(sil)le b\' the rocks and tiiorn-bushes and grass.
Up on tlu; trees m\" men remaint;d hidden, holding their
breath. A few \ar(ls oil the rhinoceros moved about
snorting. I waited until I could see his horn silhouetted
against the starr\' skw advanced towards the great black
bulk, and lu'cd. d hi; report rang out violently over the
rocky gorge and broke into reverberating echoes. The
kick ol the great rillc hatl sent me l)ack a |)ace, and I
had sunk upon one knee. Ouickly I cocked the lett
second triggerwith guns of such calibre you must not
have both cocked at once, for fear both barrels should
go oft togetherand awaited the animal's coming. Ikit.
snorting and stamping, off he went down the hill in the
darkness. A deep silence fell over the scene again, and
we all waited, motionless, breathless. After a while
we started upon our march back Icj the camp, ni) men
220
-^
Rhinoceroses
shoutinj^" and sing-ing so as to prevent any such encounter
happening to us again.
The following morning we found the rhinoc(*ros
a
big", powerful bull lying dead sixty paces or so from
the spot where I had shot him. The lead-tipped steel
bullet had penetrated his shoulder, and was to be found on
the other side under the skin.
Nocturnal meetings with rhinoceroses are not always
THE RHINOCEROSES GOT UP AND CAME FOR ME FULL TILT
so fortunate in their results
-sometimes they are most

dangerous in these circumstances. As a general rule,
however, when a rhinoceros gets to know of the vicinity
of a man at nio^ht time he L!"ives him a wide berth. This
was to be my own experience on other occasions.
In the upper regions of the watershed between the
Masai country and Victoria Nyanza I had numerous
221
-^
opportunities of obscrvint^ the rhinoceroses, not only in
the wooded parts ot this plateau, but also out on the
open plains, where they were to be seen both singly and
in herds. About this time my repeating rifle began to
get out of order. Nothing is more calculated to make
a man lose his nerve than his weapon's becoming useless
at a critical moment, when his very life depends upon
it. I was therefore much excited one day when I sighted
a pair oi sleeping rhinoceroses out on the Ijare ojjen
velt. In this instance I was lucky enough to kill one
of the animals at the distance of a hundred yards after
an hour's approach to it on all fours in the broiling sun.
The second took to tlight. Becoming gradually used to
their wa\s, I was fortunate also in subsequent encounters
with them.
I may here relate a few episodes from n.iy own ex-
perience illustrating the hal)its of the rhinoceros. They will
serve to give the reader a true picture ot his character. I
shall never forget the day I brought down a very old bull
rhinoceros in British East Africa, not lar from Kibwezi.
It was a very windy morning, and I had just kilkxl a male
Grant's gazelle with only one large hornI had missed it
with my first shot, just as I had done tor it I happened
to look over the j)lain to the left, and observed a great
black mass aljout two hundred yards awa\-. I tht)ught
at first it was the stump of a tree, but looking again a
tew minutes hiu-.r I touiul that it had vanished. My
I'leld-glasses brought home to mc^ the fact that it was a
rhinoceros, for there he was sitting in the animal's favourite
[josition, but now firther away. The very strong wind
222
^
Rhinoceroses
that was blowing" enabled me to approach within fifteen
yards ot him, where a small thorn-bush served as cover
for me. I aimed carefully at his ear, but with a mighty
jerk he wheeled round on his hind-legs, thus affording me
a better aim. My second bullet, discharged at so short a
distance from behind, brought him down. He was killed
on the spot. The appearance of this earth-coloured
monster, so dece[)tively like a tree-stump sticking out of
the storm-swept velt, often comes back to my memory,
especially when I am seized with a fresh longing for
the Masai-Nyika life and the velt calls to me again.
Some years later, when I had made it a rule to shoot
only big specimens, I brought down an extraordinarily
larQê old bull rhinoceros, which had taken to fliafht on
receivinof an ineffective shot on the shoulder, but which made
for me on getting a second shotas rhinoceroses often
do-and fell dead only some ten paces from where I
stood. There was a cow rhinoceros quite near the bull
when I first hit the latter, and both animals charged at
each other head-down, the bull imagining that it was the
cow that had damaged him. The agility and cpjickness
with which the huge Ijeast moved 1 shall never forget.
In the hunting of big game, as in all other dangerous
occupations, confidence grows steadily in proportion to
the perils one has already coped with successfully. Sooner
or later, however, a mishap is certain to be encountered,
and the more experience one has in pursuing lions, buffaloes,
elephants, and rhinoceroses the more careful one becomes.
While stalking kudus once on the shores of the
Jipe
Lake I was startled by the sudden appearance of a
^
rhinoceros, which emerged from a mud-bath on its way
through a thicket and stood all covered by the reddish
mire in the slanting rays of the setting sun. I felt
instinctively that the animal would go tor me, and go
for me he did almost at once, after swaying his great
head about two or three times, sniffing out my exact
position. At this critical moment my rifle went off before
I intended. The bullet went too high, but fortunately was
well enough placed to make the rhinoceros turn aside
just as he had got to me. Springing into a thick thorn-
bush I iust managed to save myself, Ouick as lio-htnincr
it chased one of my men twice round an acacia-bush
hard by, and then disappeared among the thorns.
As my men had taken refuge behind trees and bushes
to left and rightI was accompanied by about ten of
the menI could not attempt another shot at him, so
he escaped.
Next morning I found myself down with a sharp touch
of fever, which kept me in bed for two days, so I was
not able to pursue the animal.
In rhinoceros-hunting it is all important to keep note
carefully of the wind. You can do this ver)" well by
lighting a match. Failing that, the dropping of some
sand will answer the purpose, or holding up a moistened
finger. In addition to noting the direction of the
wind, you have to look carefully to see whether the
rhinoceros has his feathered satellites, the rhinoc(M"os-
birds {Buphaga crythrorJiyucIia) on him or not. WHumi
resting, he often resigns himself to the care of these
small feathered friends ot his, which not mereU' tree him
224
VOL. I.
15
-^
Ivhinoccroses
from parasites, but which, by a sudden outburst of twitter-
ing and a clattering of their wings, warn him of impending
danger. Thus j)ut on the alert, he rises up quickly
or assumes his well-known sitting positicm, ready to take
to thght if need be, but lying down again if there seems
to him to be no enemy near.
If the hunter is favoured by the wind and able to
conceal himself after this first alarm, and the rhinoceros
lies down again, the birdsvarying in number from
a very few to a couple of dozen
settle down again upon

his hospitable body. But the moment they become aware
of your near a[)proach, thev leave it again, arousing the
animal once more. It is a case of a partnership between
an animal with a very keen sense of smell and birtls with
very keen eyes.
To what extent these birds are responsible for a
small wound of about the size of a five-shilling piece, which
I have found on almost all the rhinoceroses I have shot, I
am uncertain. The natives declare that it is caused by
the birds. I have brought home specimens of skins with
these wounds on them, so that they may be investigated.
They are generally on the left side of the paunch. In
anv case, I have found only one rhinoceros without
this
"
dundo," to use the native word. In this respect
rhinoceroses are different from elephants, of which the
skins are smooth and uninjured.
In spite of the activity of these rhinoceros-birds, which
are sometimes helped by ravens, we find the black
rhinoceros infested by great numbers of ticks (some of
theni extraordinarily big), especially in the region of the
227
W'ah I'lashlight and Rillc ^
bclK , which the birds caniiol l^cI at c'.isily. I lia\c (ouml
various species of these parasites upon tlutiu, aiul, aiiionj^
others, . liiiblyouia aiircinii, Anihl. hcbrccinii. Anibl.
deziiDH, anth in \'ery consitleiMble numbers, ncnjiaccnlor
rJiiuoccrolis.
W;ry prol)abl\ the rhinoceros is inleslc-d also b\ anoth(;r
kind ol lick, unknown until <hscover(;d b\ in_\selt. ( )l
all ihese that 1 have; nraned, how(n'er, the Dcrmaccutor
rhiiioccrotis is the only one that is peculiar to the
idiinocei'os.
I ha\e ne\'er aclualK encountercul more than lour
rhinoceroses at a time, though I ha\e olten seen as many
as eioht tocrether. The manner in which the\ Imd their
way to their drinkino-places, often invoK ini;' a journey of
several hours, is wonderlul. I he\ select s(;\-eral spots
on which to drop their duni^, which the\ then scatter
about with their hind-lc^s. in ihis tashion it is they
set about makiuL!,' their wide pathways over the velt.
I)oubtless these heaps ol duuL;' ser\'e as marks, whic-h hell)
them to fmd ilieir way back in the direction Irom which
the\' ha\e come.
1 he shape of rhinoceros-horns \aries o-reatly. The
horns of the cows are lon^, and alwa\s thinner than
those of the bulls. .Sometimes the horns are flat, like
swords. \'ou Imd this sometimes e\'en m those regions
in whit'h round-shaped hoiais are the general laile. Now
and attain
the horns ol \cy\ old cow rhinocerosc-s L;row
to tin; leni^th of nearly live leet.
in a \'er\' lew rare cases more than two, sometinu^s
as many as fixe, horns are to be lound on the Alrican
228
-^
Ivhinoccroses
rhinoccnjs. ( )n ihc other liand, soinclimcs rhinoceroses lose
their horns, and are to be found without any. The very
old ones do not renew their horns, i ])(*h(,'ve, when lost.
I am led to this ojjinion l)y the; case of a v(;ry old hornless
specimen which I shot, as well as by what 1 have heard
from native hunters, though thcnr statements are always
to be taken with caution.
The size to which rhinoceros-horns sometimes develop
.\lll, . W\ KILLKT HIT IT, 'IllE KHINOCEKOS THREW UP IIS IIKAK
SE\EKAI. TIMES
may be gauged by the following measurements of some
of the longc^st and most fully developed that arc; known :
i;-LACK Rhinoceros (K. bicomis).
Tli(' wliite rhinoceros, practically exterminated from
South Africa in recent years, and now almost extinctît
still exists near Ladohad still
Ioniser horns. Here
are two measurements taken. lik(^ the ioregoin^-, from
Rowland Wârd's Records
of
Jîg Game:
W'nriE Rhinoceros {R. siniits).
Owner. Locality. Length.
Col. \V. (lordon Cuinming . South Africa
62^ in.
British Museum ...
n >>
56.7 ,,
The white rhinoceros is the largest mamiâal after
the elephrUit to be found on any part of the earth.
Scarce halt a century ago the species was still so
numerous that Anderson, the English sportsmaai, was
able to kill about sixty ot them in the course of a few
months in the neighbourhood of the Orange River and
the Zaml)esi.
1 myself secured one rhinoceros-horn in Zanzibar
which is about fifty-four inches long, and the horns of
tour rhinoceroses which I shot measure 86,
76, 72, 62^
centimetres ; the others are much shorter.
The rhinoc(.'n)s is particularly dangerous in dense
brusliwood, wlu;ther on the \clt among the sueda-
bush(;s, which grow so thickly, or on the high plateaux
amidst the most impc;netraljl(! xc-getation, which grows
up in the clearings and ridgc^s, in ])etw(MMi the; long,
lichen -grown trunks ot tlu; trees in the woods.
The animal is in the; habit of making an\ number of
homes lor itself, used alternately, u|)on the smaller hills
of about 6,000 feet high, in the dense thickets. He
chooses generalK those formed b\ the shrul)s, intcj whicdi
230
--j^
Rhinoceroses
it is most difficult tor men to make their way, such as
jessamine, smilax. pterolobium, toddaha, and blackberry
bushes. In dry weather these regions provide for all
the wants of both the elephant and the rhinoceros,
and they keep to them tor the most part. They render
all incursion into these strongholds ot theirs a very
perilous undertaking.
However, it the wind tells them ot our approach, or
if we make the slightest noise, they generally either clatter
away from us down-hill, or else they remain absolutely
still and motionless in their basin-like haunts, which we
come upon every hundred yards or so. It the wind be
favourable, we may reckon upon encountering them at
short range and under riskv conditions, especiall\' it we
meet several ot them together. Even the Wandorobo
and Wakamba are not keen about venturing into these
rhinoceros-strongholds, and I must admit that, atter several
exciiiriQ^ experiences in such regions, I have no oreat
desire to make my way into them again. 1 his is not,
indeed, the place tor the hunter who relies entirely upon
his own gun, as I always did, and who has not a body-
guard ot natives around him ready to blaze away when
necessary. In these circumstances, too, you have to shoot
anything in the shape ot a rhinoceros you see, old or
young, male or female, it you care about your own satety.
And this is not a pleasant kind of sport. But even
when you allow your men to shoot in these pathless
thicketsin which you have to grope torward one by one,
unable to see where you are gomgthere is apt to be
great danger ot their shooting each other.
THE TWO RHINOCEROSES SETTLED DOWN UNDER A TREE
THE COW SUDDENLY (iOT UP
l^'ortLiiiatcly, these hillsides will remain axailahh; for
tlieir inmatc'S for man\- \ears to come. The) will only
^34
-^
Rhinoceroses
THE BULL GOT UP IMMKUIATELY AFIERWARDS
AND, rHE WIND SHIFTING A LITTLE, THEY BOTH TURNED IN MY
DIRECTION
cease to be a refuge when European traders in their
greediness begin to make the natives invade them.
235
A\ith I'hisbli'^ht and RiFlc
*-
Governor Count Ciotzen has provisionally interdicted any
such enterprisea very praiseworthy action on his part.
Though jjut into so many tight corners in my rhinoceros-
huntstight corners out of which I often ijot bv sheer
luckI never deliberately took the worst risks except
when I set about taking idiotograjdis.
It was not the easiest of tasks. Like so many other
wild beasts, the rhinoceros is most a.ctive when the sky
is overclouded
just when the camera is no good. The

photographer has the animal in a certain position, well
lit by the sun, and not too far oft^conditions that it is
extremely difficult to bring about. Then he must have
complete control over his ner\es. His hands must not
shake, or the picture will be spoilt. Malaria and the
imbibing ot quinine are not things to lit you tor
such work !
When once you have experimented in this kind ot
photography, without a bodyguard of armed Askaris to
protect you, you are not disposed to make light or its
clanQfers and difhculties.
Howe\er, in spite ot all oiistacles, I had some success;
and how delighted I used to be ot a night, as I busied
myself with the development of my negatives and saw
gradually come into being the pictures made tor me by
that magician, the sim ! kor magical and nothing k;ss, they
seemed to mv menthese minute pictures ot which their
master makes his records ot" the day's events. There is no
end to the head-shaking that goes on o\-er them.
"
1 )aua !
"
"iMaoic!"is tlndr word tor ever) thing that [)asses their

comprehension.
236
-^
Rhinoceroses
In common with the best-known Eno'lish authorities,
Mr. F. C. Selous, Mr. F. G. Jackson, and others, I have
found the rhinoceros always nervous, easily excited, and
very capricious in his ways and hard to reckon on. He
is particularly nervous when alone. In a rhinoceros-hunt,
you never know what will happen next. As an illustration
of this. I may describe my experiences one day in
THE COW RHINOCKROS. ITS HORN WAS MORE THAN A YARD IN LKNCTH
November
1903,
on my fourth and last expedition, when
I succeeded in taking an excellent photograph of two
rhinoceroses.
I had been trying all the morning to get a photograph
of a herd of giraffes, but they were so shy I had had no
luck. Tired and parched, I was making my way back to
the camp, which was still about four hours' march away,
when the two rhinoceroses came in sight, to my surprise
^37
With Flashli'-iit
and Rifle
rather, for it was a hot day for them to be out on the
vek. Thev were about i .000 yards away. There was
unusually little wind, but that little was unfavourable,
so I made a wide dcHour and had the satisfaction, alter
about half an hour, of seeing the animals settle down
too-ether under a tree.
Accomijanied now b\- onl\ two
of my bearers and tw(j Masai, 1 succeeded in approaching
warily within 1 20 yards of themit happened, contrary
to tht: general rule, that the\ had no rhinoceros-birds on
themtaking uj) my position fmally behind a fairly thick
brier-bush growing out ot a low antdiill.
I had taken several pictures successfully with my
telephoto-lens, when suddenly for some reason the
animals stood up (juickly, l:)oth together as is their wont.
Almost
simultaneously, the farther of the two, an old cow,
began moving the front part of her body to and fVo, and
then, followed by the bull with head high in the air, came
straight for me full gallop. 1 had instinctively felt what
would ha])p(-n, and in a moment my rifle was in m\- hands
and my camera passed to my bearers. 1 fired six shots
and succeeded in bringing down both animals twice; as
they rushed towards me
great furrows in the sand of the

velt showed where they fell.
My final shot 1 fired in the absolute certainix that my
last hour had come. It hit the cow on the; nape of the
neck and at the same moment 1 sprang to the right, to
the other side of the brier-busli. My two men had taken
to flight
1)\-
tliis time, but one of the; Masai ran across
m\- path at this critical moment and sprang right into
the; bush. lie had e\idently waited In the e.\[)ectation
238
-^
Rhinoceroses
of seeing the rhinoceros fall dead at the last moment, as
he had so otten seen happen lêfore.
W ith astoimding agility the rhinoceroses tollowed me,
and halt way round the bush 1 found myself Ijetween
the two animals. It seems incredil)le now that I
tell the tale in cold blood, but in that same instant
THE BULL RHINOCEROS. ITS SKIN IS \(J\V I.\ IHE IMIEKIAL iNAlURAL
HISTORY MUSEUM AT BERLIN. (l AM SCARCELY RECOGNISABLE
WITH MY r.EAKI)
!)
my shots took effect mortally, and both rhinoceroses
vôllapsed.
I had made away from the bush about twenty paces
when a frantic cry commg simultaneously from my men
in the distance and the Masai in the bush made me turn
round. A very singular sight greeted my eyes. There
was the Masai, trembling all over, his face distorted with
terror, backing" for all he was worth inside the bush, while
239
With Flashlio-ht and Rifle
^
the cow rhinoceros, streaming with blood, stcjotl h'tcrally
leaning up against it, and the bulh ahnost touching, lay-
dying on the ground, its niightv head beating repeatedly
in its death-agony against the hard red soil of the
velt.
The cry the men gave out, as is the case alvva\-s with
these natives, was pitched in a soprano key curiously
incongruous with the aspect ot these warriors.
As quickly as possible I reloaded, and with three
final shots made; an end of both animals. In spite of my
well-})laced bullets and loss of blood they had all but
done for me.
It was indeed a very narrow escape. It left an
impression on my mind which will not be easily erased.
Even now in fancy I sometimes live th(,)se moments over
again.
It was interesting to note the complete calm and
])lacidity disj)layed by my men a few minutes after it
was all over, though at the time they had been absolutely
panic-stricken, above all the Masai imprisoned in the
bush. Their whole attention was now absorbed in the
cutting up of the Ijodies and in the picking out of the best
pieces of the f]esh, (juarrelling among th('msrl\-es in their
usual way over the specialK' relished /loimcs boiiihcs.
I had m,my other experiences similar to this one, if
not (]uite so exciting. I may tell, perhaps, of two
adventures which I had with rliinoceroses at night time-
adventures in tht; full sense of the word, and ot a kind
met with by other well-known traxcllers. In remarkable
240
-
Rhinoceroses
contrast to their usual timitlity and cautiousness is the
way in which at nioht they seem to put oft' all fear of
men. I had been oblio-ed to encamp in a hollow thickly
grown with thorn-hushes, and my men, being tired out,
had sunk to sleep alter their evening meal. Suddenly
during the night I was awakened by one of my boys
with the warning:
"
Bwana, tembo !
"
whispered excitedly
in my ear, while at the same moment several of my
men rushed into my tent to tell me the same thing
that an elephant was somewhere about. I sprang up,

ACACIA VELT
seized one ot my ritles, and made ready for the supposed
elephant, when in came a number of other carriers, wild
with excitement, and pointing frantically out <)( the tent
towards a great dark object about forty paces away. In
the motionless mass standing there like a great shapeless
rock I at once recognised a rhinoceros. There he stood
among the small tents of my men, clearly astounded at
finding his wonted teeding-place full of men. Within a few
seconds almost all my carriers had sought shelter behind
me, and 1 could not help feeling pleased at the wonderful
VOL. I.
241
16
discipline evinced
my
strict orders that not a shot should
be fired by any of them at night time under such critical
conditions being strictly obeyed. There was a brief pause,
the rhinoceros still keeping absolutely quiet. At the
moment I decided that I had better act first, and I aimed
a Ijullet at his shoulder. As the shot rang out the animal
whisked round with an angry snort and disappeared
among the thorn-bushes, stamping and spluttering as he
made his way into the open. Next morning we attempted
his pursuit, Ijut this proved quite impossible in th(^ dense
jungle.
I had a very similar experience on the banks of
the Kufu River. A rhinoceros made his appearance in
the middle ot the camp, and the watch did not venture
to fire at him. And on my first African expedition,
before I knew much about the rhinoceros, there had
been an episode of the same kind. lUit \n this case
the two animals I had to encounter did not come right
Ifuo the camp in the dark ; they appeared onlv in the
immediate neighbourhood, and the moon at the time was
shining brightly. It was a bitterly cold night ; there
was no Lifettino- warm, evvn with la\crs ot woollen coverini^s
on one. I was awaken(_:(l, and sprang from my cam])-bed.
clad onlv in m\- shirt and a pair ot spectacles, to get a
look at our visitors and see whether 1 could shoot tlunn.
P)Ut in the meantime they had saunt(n'ed awa\-, and in
my scanty garb I followed them, with the man on watch,
for about two hundred paces, to no i)ur|)Ose.
Many other encounters with rhinoceroses went off
242
-^
Rhinoceroses
all right for me, but there were other occasions on which
I narrowly escaped with my lite.
These great regions of the velt still support hundreds
of thousands of rhinoceroses. None can say how soon
it will be before the last
"
faru
"
shall l)e slain by
man ; Init that that day is not fir distant, that it will
come within a tew decades, seems to me certain.
243
Ix\ STORMY WEATHER THE NVTKA COUNTRY OFTEN REMINDED ME OF WILD
REGIONS IN NORTH GERMANY
XII
Catching a Young Rhinoceros
THEN
some one will succeed, it is to I)e h()|)ecl,
in briniîng' back alive a young rhinoceros from
German East Africa. That will be a red-letter day for
our Zoological Gardens "thus wrote; my friend Dr. L.
Heck in 1896,
in his b()(,)k Ihc Auinia/ Kiiiodom.
In th(; same year I trod African soil lor the hrst time.
Many illusions, derived from the too optimistic tone of
our colonial literature, were soon to be dispelled there,
not the; least of them being notions about the practicabilitv
of getting hold of living specimens of the wild lite of the
region.
Many efforts have l:)een made, both in (icrmaii and
IJritish h.ast Africa, to bring back ali\-e to Iûrope either
a young rhinoceros or a young (elephant. While no one
has \et succeedc'd in the latter enterprise, 1 succeeded
in the former, Ijut only on my lt)urth e.\j)editi()n the third
244
'>
Catching- a Young- Rhinoceros
on which I had gone into the Interior with my own
caravan. I am reliably informed that the so-called Ostrich
Farming Company at Kilimanjaro has lost fourteen young-
rhinos through not knowino- how to brini^ them up. The
Uganda railway now affords facilities for the transport
of heavy animals to the coast, but so far has not been
the means of enriching our Zoological Gardens.
Clearly there must be some good reason for this state
of things. The explanation lies in the great difficulty,
first of all, in catching the young rhinoceros, and secondly,
in the difficulty of providing milk for him, owing to the
lack of horned cattle, when he has to be transported from
one spot to another. Partly from the same cause it has
not been possible to bring home alive to Europe a number
of other splendid animals met with in East Africa. No
elephant, no giraffe, no eland or oryx or roan antelope,
no specimen of the beautiful Grant's gazelle, or impalla,
or waterbuck, or hartebeest, or kudunot to mention
many other of the smaller inhabitants of the country
has yet been conveyed home to any ot the German

Zoological Gardens.
This is due to the unfavourable conditions, climatic
and otherwise, under which one has to work.
No systematic importation of living animals to Europe
has yet been managed from either German East Africa
or German South or West Africa. This has been carried
out in the case of Somalilanda country unmatched
for its salubrity, where camels and horses thrivethrough
the initiative of the well-known dealer, Menges, but in
these colonies of ours it has never been set about properly.
247
With I'lashli-ht and Rifle
-m
rndcr competent and trustwortliy mcinagement and with
adequate capital to draw upon, it could undoubtedly be
carried out most acKantaêously
;
and if the interests of
science were kept in mind, such an enterprise would be in
the national interest and worthy of universal su[)port.
In May r903, while staying" on the west side of
Kilimanjaro, 1 decided to make a tVesh attempt to get
hold of a yoimg rhinoceros. This involved acquiring a
herd of cows and keeping a look-out tor a cow rhinoceros
with a young one of suitable age.
In the middle of a dense thicket, more im[j)enetrable than
ever owino- to the rank vegetation followino^ the rainv
season, I at last saw what 1 wanted, after looking about
me for a long time in vain. The old cow rhinoceros had
already got wind of me, and any moment might see her
disappear into the jungle, so I was obliged to shoot at
her. She turned round as (juick as lightning, and, tollowecl
by her young one, went crashing and clattering into the
brushwood. My bullet had not been well i)laced ;
the
slight extent to which she had bled showed that.
Now follows an exciting and indescribably wearying
pursuit, my mc;n and I winding our way in among the
thorndnishc's as best we can. Soon my clothes are in
shreds and m\ face and hands ;ill torn and bleeding.
Ever\- moment 1 expect to run up against the wounded
and infuriat'-d am'mal. \\\ men ha\-e ci'ept up an ant-hill
in (^rder U) see what lies alu;ad, Suddenlv what's that ?
One ol them seems to have espied our (|uarr\' I
Ouickly I clamber up the ant hill m\s(:ll, onl\' to dis-
cover that it is a dillercnt rhinocerosa l)ull. judging by
2
48
-^
its short, thick horn. He must not tcm|:)t us away.
Luckily he scents us and takes to thi^ht. Breathless and
perspiring, we return to the tracks of the cow, which often
intermingle with those of other rhinoceroses that must
have passed this way in the night, and which are
therefore by no means easy to follow.
The suspense grows with every moment. The vege-
tation would aftord us no protection against the onrush
ONE OF THE BULL RHINOCEROSES
of a rhinoceros, nor would it impede him in any way
the branches would break before him like matchwood.

Now it is midday and the heat has reached its worst,
and still we keep up our chase, making all the pace we
can. Taught by experience, my hands grasp my rifle
ready to shoot at any moment. Hour after hour goes by

without a break in our advance.
Little hope remains ot catching up with our coveted
prey, when we come to a pool of rain-water, in which
clearly she must have just been wallowing and freshening
.
249
herself up with her young one. The waterdark, loamy,
evil-smelling though it berevives us also. And now
we are able to take our bearings, and we realise that the
rhinoceros must have made a wide circuit and doubU-d
back towards the camp. The finding ot this water enal)les
me to keep up the pursuit until ni^httall. There is not
much joy in the prospect of a night out on the velt with
so many rhinoceroses roaming about.
At last, in a small clum[) of acacias 1 spot tlie
motionless form of the old cow straight in front of me,
and betore she can stir from where she stands a bullet
in the ear brings her dying to the ground. The young
one gives out a piercing cry, comes some paces towards
me, then takes to flight. The old animal now rolls about
in her death-agony. I give her two niore shots, calling
out at the same time to my men to throw themselves upon
the young one.
The young one, however, takes the initiative and
makes straight for us with a snort. Next moment my
arms arc round him and he and I are rolling together
on the ground, and my men, each of whom is provided
with a rope, have made fast his legs. At hrst he follows
me willingK as I hold out a piece ot his mother's skin in
front of him, but by-and bv he begins to scjueak and
reluses to move. I decide (juickK- to leave four men with
him and scmkI post-haste to the camp for others. Late in
the evening he is brought in triumph to tin- camp.
Now begin the most serious difficulties ot my imder-
laking. b"or one thing 1 must gc;t hold of <i number of
cows. Howexer, he gets used to a goal, and 1 m\s(.;lt see
250
s
*^
^ Catchino' a Youno' Rhinoceros
o o
so thoroughly to his nourishment and general well-being
that he thrives splendidly, and eventually reaches the
goal
^the Zoological Gardens in Berlin. There he con-

tinues to flourish, still in company with his friend the goat.
When I had fed up my captive and got him into good
condition, SerQêant A. D. Merkel, now a colonist at
Kilimanjaro, rendered me the great service ot allowing
my men into one of his cattle-kraals with the little animal,
while I myself proceeded to the velt.
His transport to the coast, too, which had to be effected
on foot, was attended with difficulties. At the period
of the greatest heat I was obliged often to niarch beside
him durin^' the nicjht, and I owe a bad attack ot fever
to spending one night in this way upon a very unhealthy
section of the caravan route without any niosquito-net.
Naples we reached all right. Dr. Heck was there
to meet us, and had engaged a special waggon from
Chiasso. He was highly delighted to welcome the long-
desired stranger in so thriving a condition. The officials
at the Zoological Gardens at Naples, who were brought
to see him by Professor Dohrn, were also very keenly
interested.
After careful consideration we decided to ô on to
Germany by sea. The overland journey seemed to us
undesirable in January, on account of the climatic con-
ditions chiefly, although the Italian authorities, whose
good offices had been bespoken for us by Count Lanza,
the Italian Ambassador at Berlin, were most friendly and
obliging. The passage went oft all right, in spite of our
going through a mistral, which provided us with the
253
With Flashli-iit and Rifle
^
experience of a hurricane on the high seas which lasted
nearly two days.
"
Force of wine!
"
and
"
Ship pitched
heavily " were recorded in the ship's log : the
6, coo-ton
vessel leant over to the side at an angle of 45.
However, the young animal stood the vo\age well in
spite of ever\ thing, and at 1 lamburg Herr Hagenbeck
had, in the most friendly way, done everything to ensure
our speedy transit to lêrlin a service for which 1 am
most grateful.
So at last we are able to study this very interesting
animal in cai)ti\it\-,
and to note its growth and develop-
ment. It differs from its clums) -looking Indian cousin in
its activity, in the length of its two horns, and also in its
relati\'e good kx^ks !
1 got hold of two other young rhinoceroses later,
l)ut I was not so successful in rearing them as I was
in this instance.
In one case I found the tracks ot a cow rhinoceros
Tcr \()ung at a drinking- place;. Accompanied tor
ncc bv my taxidermist, Orgeich, I undertook their
i)ur-
suit, which was to prove very long and ver\ ditlicult. o\er
stony and hilly ground. As I got near her, she; took to
tli'du, t'iven the alarm by rhinoceros-birds. k'rom the hill
on which I was 1 could see her and her young one making
off over th(- velt. On we went again, and presently
we espied h(;r once more, in the; middle ol a large meadow
of grass with a few trees on it here and tlu're. .She was
standing still under an acacia, eviclentU' disciuieled
b\- our
pursuit. I shot at her from a distance ot about one
hundred paces. My bullet passed through a lliick i)ranch
am
o
-Ti
of the tree, but nevertheless hit her, kiHin^' hcT on
the spot. 1 waited until my men (about fifty in all),
who were creeping up towards me cautiously, had come
near enough, and then sent theni ahead to right and
left to secure the young animal. However, it was no
o-ood. The calf broke through the ranks of the hunters
and disappeared over the velt. A five-hours' march took
AT FIRST THE YOUNG RTIIXOS DIET CONSISTED ENTIRELY OF MII.K
US back to camp. Next day we returned to where the
dead rhinoceros was lying.
The following morning the young animal had come
back to its mother ; but althouQ^h I had a hundred men
with me the same thing happened as before. So this
attempted capture was a failure.
In another case, after a seven-hours' continuous |)ur-
suit of a cow rhinoceros with her young, we at last
255
-^
sighted her a considerable distance Ironi us out on the
thorn-desert.
She was hit by mv first shot, but made off I ran
after her, liowever, tor some time, and at last Ijrouo'ht
her down with a second. Immediately we all rushed
forward to capture the young one, which was ot a fairly
large size. We had no luck, however. I myself waited
by the body of the old one, on the chance of the young
one returning to it. My men, stirred into eagerness by
the promise of reward, continued their chase. It was
already dusk when they came back to me. Dispirited
by our fliilure we made our way to the carnp. Nothing
could be more depressing than the thought that we had
got so near our goal only to fiil at last, and that we had
killed the mother uselessly. Once again a whole day's
wearing work had come to nothing.
Next morning, followed by all my men except the
few I left on guard, I returned a second time to the
same sjxjt. in the same ho]3e. But now hundreds of
vultures and some marabous had flocked thither, drawn
by the carcase. So I ordered my men to take out the
horns and bring to camp the parts of the llesh that
could be eaten.
With three carriers I made my way on to a deep
gorge, where I had noticed some rare; ])irds on the
previous evening. Just
as we got there out ruslied the
young rhinoceros, almost h\)m under my teet. Covered
as he was bv the red nVwr. ot the \-elt. neither 1 nor
my men had distinguished him from his surroundings
until that moment.
256
^ Catching a Young Rhinoceros
Cut off from Hio'ht by the ôrge, the young animal,
with a tremendous snort, made a rush at me, lowering
his head. I managed to grip hold of him, however, by
the neck, saving myself from his small horn, and clinging
on to it. He and I rolled over on the o^round, I
Qrettincr
some bad bruises in the process.
Now my three men threw themselves upon the animal,
WHILE THE YOUNG RHINO WAS WITH ME, I MADE A POINT OF MARCHING
BY MOONLIGHT DURING THE HOT WEATHER. BY DAY IT WAS ABLE
TO SLEEP QUIETLY IN THE CAMl' IN COMPANY WITH MY (;OATS AND
MY MBEGA MONKEY
and a great tussle took place. A few moments later all
the others rushed up from where I had left them just in
time to tie up his legs, and on an improvised stretcher he
was carried into camp.
He throve all right for several days. Then, however,
a tumour made its appearance on his lower jaw, and
VOL. I.
257
17
With Flashlight :uu\ Rific
->
gradually got worse. He died a few days later. It was
bad luck to lose him, especially when all promised so well
at first.
On yet another occasion fortune seemed to smile on
me when I succeeded in shooting a cow rhinoceros with
her young one beside her ; but in this case we did not
even get hold of the young one. The spot where we
encountered them was a long way from the camp, and
we had to
oo
back to it at nightfall, returninir in the
morning.
On approaching the body of the old one I looked
round carefully with my field-glasses, but the young
animal was nowhere to be seen. Presently the sharp eye
of one of my natives detects a movement in the bushes
some distance away. W'ith the help of my glasses I
discover that it is the young rhinoceros, who has got up
on his feet, and is standincj there motionless on the alert.
After a time he lies down again, and is completely hidtlen
by the bush.
Favoured by the wind, we are able to approach within
a few stej)s ot him, when suddenly, with a snort, out he
plunges. To m\- joy he comes straight in my direction,
and I quite count upon bringing off once again my now
practised neck-grip, when oft" he sli[js to m)- left. The
men nearest whom he passes dare not caicli hold of
him, and a wild chase, in which my whole tollowing takes
part, ensues ovn^r thcr velt. A swilt-footed carrier, a
Uganda man, almost overtakes him, and makes a grasp at
his uplifted tail. Then hunted and hunters disappear from
my sight among the thorn-bushes ot the Pori. 1 wo
258
-m Catching a Young Rhinoceros
hours later my men come back empty-handed, pcirched,
and worn out.
This kind of thing is, of course, a frequent experience
in such regions, where the sportsman is handicapped by
having no horse to ride. Under such conditions a hunt
of this kind may very well have a tragic outcome.
When at a height of about 6,000 feet up a hill
WllKN I HAD SHOT THE MOTHER, THE YOUNG RHINO ASSUMED SO
THREATENING A DEMEANOUR THAf MY MEN TOOK TO THEIR
HEELS INSTEAD OF ATTEMPTING TO CAl'TUKE HIM !
in the Masai-Nyika country, I saw in the rays of the
setting sun a cow rhinoceros half hidden by bushes,
with a young one, apparently of suitable size for
capture. I had to give the old one several shots, as
she caught sight of me and made for me fiercely.
The young one took to flight. Some of my men
followed him stupidly with loud cries, one man especially
259
With Mashlight aiul Rifle
-^
distinguishing liimsc^lf in this way, his sudden display of
valour being in quaint contrast with his usual peaceful
avocationthat of looking after the donkeys ! I had
unfortunately not noticed in time that the young animal
was of considerable size, and provided with correspondingly
large horns. Suddenly it turned round. The pursuers
became the pursuetl ! With screams and yells they took
to flight.
It looks as though Hamis, the donkey-boy, must be
horned by
"
ol munj
"
in another secondhe gives out
a piercing shriek for help. He is now nearing me. With
a shot on the nape of the neck I am just in time to kill
the infuriated young animalnot in time to prevent it
from crashing down upon the native. Fortunately,
however, he escapes without any serious injury.
From all the foregoing narratives it will have been
o-athered that one must be favoured bv circumstances
in many ])articulars it one is to catch and rear a young
rhinoceros. It is to be hoped that in the next tew years
these favourable conditions will be met with and that
some other specimens may be brought home ahve to
Europe.
On aljout fort\' other occasions I came upon rhino-
ceroses with young ; but either the young ones were; too
strong to permit of capture or I was too tar away trom
cam]), or there were other hindrances, so ot course 1 did
not shoot.
Generally s[)eaking, rhinoceroses keep under dense
cover when their young ones arcj quite small, so that the
capture of these is very difficult and dangerous.
260
i-
SNOW-WllITK HERONS AND BLACK AND WHITE IBISES FLASHED OUT FROM THE
MONOTONOUS GREEN OF THE REEDS
XIII
The Hippopotamus
THE
hippopotamus will survive both the elephant
arxcl the rhinoceros in Africa, not only because
it is hunted less, but also because one of its chief
haunts, the immense swamps ot West y\frica, is very
inaccessible.
It is long now since hippopotamuses were plentiful in
the north of Africa. They used to be called the Nile-
horse, because of the numbers to be seen, not merely
in the river, but on its delta. Nowadays, not only the
hippopotamus, but also to a great extent the crocodile,
have disappeared from the Nile, or are to be found in it
only above Khartum.
Quite recently there has been discovered in the Nile
Valley, bones of swine-like extinct animals in which
palaeontologists recognise forbears of the hippopotamus.
Professor Fraas of Stuttgart it was who found them, and
he is now enoao-ed in examininij- them.
261
With J-lashlij^ht and Rifle
->
But even in the inland lake-districts such as that
of the Victoria Nyanza, the davs of this great water-
hoa: seem to be numbered. It is true that on the Kno^lish
side of the lake there is a decree in force to prevent
the complete extermination ot the species, but in spite
of this the
"
kiboko
"
is bound to disappear from these
regions, just as it has from the Nile Valley.
Of very great interest was the discovery a good many
years ago of a species of dwarf hippopotamus on the
West Coast, in Liberia. These little animals, according
to the scanty knowledge we as yf;t have of them, would
seem to live in the streams of the primeval forests.
The ordinary hippopotamus would be found probably,
on closer investigation, to be divisible into various
races ;
I myself have noticed differences in size, appear-
ance, and habits between the hippopotamuses I have met
with in tlie neighbourhood of different streams.
Herodotus tells us that in his time already the hippo-
potamus was found to have rents on his skin, and he
makes the suggestion that these were made by sharp
sedge-grass. These rents I too have noticed ;
but as
I have found them also on rhinoceros-skinsnever on
those of elephants1 am inclined to believe that they
must be caused by something else.
We have had many accounts of the hippo])otamus
from travellers of all sorts, from the days ot Herodotus
down to our own, and thc\ all agree in d("scril)ing the
animal as ill-tempered antl dangerous, and a \ cr}- ugly
customer to deal with. The last testimony to this was
given b\ JJrehm, who, howexcr, had to deal tor the
262
-^
The Hippopotamus
most part with hij)popotamuses which had already been
shot at more than once.
It is only natural that so big- and easy a target
should be in oeneral favour with travellers who are not
genuine sportsmen, especially in the dry weather, when
the animals are forced to resort to the small lakes or to
THE MAWKNZl MOUNTAIN AND KILIMANJARO
the deep pools in rivers, thus offering a welcome oppor-
tunity to such gentry.
As hippopotamuses which have been mortally hit go
under at once, to rise aâin to the surface in an hour
and a half or two hours, according to the warmth of
the water, through the action of the decomposing gases
inside them, a far greater number of them are killed
than even the bond
fide
sportsman often supposes.
An officer in the East African colonial police, who
265
^
had had considerable experience as a sportsman in
Europe, and who has contributed much to the study of
African wild hfe, told me that when he first came upon
a lake frequented by hippopotamuses he killed more
than thirty of them in a short time without realising
that he had done so. He would see several monsters
rise to the surface and shoot at them, apparently without
resultseemingly because he niissed his aim or because
the bullets did not get at a vulnerable point. The
animals he had shot at always rose again to the
surface, until at last he had used up all his ammunition,
apparently in vain. Some hours later the carcasses of
thirty hij)popotamuses were Hoating about on the surface
of the water !
This of course could only happen to the new-comer.
But it is bound to happen constantly with the kind of
inexperienced sportsmen continually arriving in our
colonies. This evidence from a trustworthy source
throws a flood of light upon the cause of the exter-
mination of many species of wild life.
In the small lakes between Kilimanjaro and Meru
Mountain, discovered by Captain Merker, I found a
great number of "viboko" (the plural of "kiboko") in
1899about
150
prol)al)l\. In the autumn of
1903
their numbers had dwindled almost to nothing.
I had killed onl\' four m\self for pi'eser\-ation as
specimensI could ha\e killed almost the whole lot
with ease had I chos('n. In the driest season they were
confined to the deej)est parts of the (|uite small lakes,
where the\' wei'e al\\a\'s liable to be shot. It is li'ue
266
-^
The Hippopotamus
that for hours together they found safety by keeping
under the water, only stretching out their ncjstrils fbr
a second above the surface every now and again. Under
such conditions you must wait for a time until they are
rash enough to show their eyes and ears. Only then
can you get a shot at them that will kill.
It is most remarkable how Icjng they can remain
without showing more than their nostrils above the
surfaceâll the rest of them invisible to the sportsman
waiting barely twenty paces away. A snort and squirting
up of water are the only signs of their existence. They
can hold out for a long time with a minimum of air.
On the occasion of my last visit to the Merker Lakes
I succeeded in taking several photographs of hippo-
potamuses in the water. I had a shot, too, at a very
old bull
"
by special permission," and killed him with
a sinofle bullet in the ear.
I found, however, a man named De Wet (believed
to be a Boer) engaged on behalf of a Greek merchant
in slauo-hterinii' the rest of the aninials in order to secure
their teeth and their skins, which are cut into strips, for
trading purposes.
Though quite without means, according to his own
account of himself, this man had nevertheless been
allowed to cross the frontier, equipped for shooting, and
to pass through the Moshi station to the lakes
;
and,
extraordinary to relate, he seems to have been let oft the
regular shooting-tax imposed in the case of marabous,
on the oTOund that he declared he was able to catch
these birds and set them free again after despoiling
267
A\'ith I-kishli-ht aiul Ritic
-^
them of th(Mr feathers ! As a matter of fact, what he
really did was to kill the marabous he foiintl on the
corpses of the hippopotamuses he had himself shot.
On my reporting this at the station the man, who
had been going about all over Africa for seven years,
without having any kind of credentials on him, was
arrested and brought up tor trial by order of Capt.
Merker, who had just come back from leave. His
employers paid the money due for the shooting-taxes.
This incident shows how undesirable it is to allow
foreigners, well equipj)ed with ammunition but without
credentials, to journey in the interior, where there can
be no control over their actions.
In this connection I may remark that the capture of an
old marabou in an unimpaired condition is a feat I have
had before me for many years. It is an extraordinarily
difficult undertaking, very seldom carried out successfully.
The teeth of the hi})|)opotamus are much hartler
than ivory, and for a long time were used for the
manuficture of false teeth. Science has now found a
better means of j:)roducing the latter, though it has
yet t(^ discover a substitute for ivory in the making
of billiard-balls. Old Le \\iillant remarks in his
book of travels, puljHshed a hundred )ears ago :
"
It
is not surprising that h>uropeans. especially Frenchmen,
should makt: an article of commerce out of the
teeth of the hippopotamus, for with the help of science
they are made to replace our own, and \\v. may see
them flashing delightfully in i\\(t mouth of a pretty
woman."
268
-*
The Hippopotamus
In 1896 I fuLiiul the nativês on the shores of the
Victoria Nyanza inlets in a state of o^reat
excitement
over the vast numbers of hippopotamuses, antl not at all
afraid ot them. It was very curious to see these natives
on their ratts busy fishing, while the hii)popotamuses kept
coming up to the surface ot the water all around them, and
great numbers of huge crocodiles lay l)asking on the
sand-banks in the sun. I was pleased to discover for
myself here what I have often observed elsewhere, and
which Dr. R. Kandt had assured me was the case in
certain parts of Central Africa, namely that these animals
are only ill-tempered and aggressive when they have
been pursued by men and several times wounded.
In one book of travel I find it stated that the Askaris
in Government service were obliged to keep firing off
their guns at night to jjrotect a camp from hippojx^tamuses.
It is curious that I myself have never had any cause for
alarm in regard to these animals. Many of my encamp-
ments were situated in the midst of swamps and on river-
banks, and within a lew paces of my tent hippopotamuses
would come sniffing all round inquisitively in the water,
yet none of my men bothered about them, seeing their
master did not.
In two cases, indeed, a hippopotamus walked right
into my camp at night time between my men's tents
without doing harm to any one. On one other
occasion my sentries did fire at a hippopotamus which
(as I satisfied myself afterwards) was actually rubbing-
its nose in(|uisitively against the canvas of my tent. In
this instance I had had my own tent set up only a few
271
^
yards from where the monsters made their way up from
the water, while my men's tents were farther away.
I can imderstand of course that travellers who give
their men orders to fire at any animal shovvinir itself at
night will report differently. As I punished my sentries
most severely if they fired a single shot without per-
mission, even at night. I am able to speak positively
upon this matter. I was travelling with the sole object
ot studying the life of the animals, and could not allow
myself to become a prey to groundless and ignorant
fears about their attacking me. No doubt it sounds fine
to hear how the camp had to be defended at night
against the attacks of these monsters from the deep.
I myself, to my regret, have never experienced any-
thing of the kind, and I am inclined to believe, therefore,
that it must generally have been a case of precipitate
blazing away rather than of real danger.
I was much astonished to see my Wandorobo set
to work calmly dragging out of a (|uite small j)Ool a
hi])])op()tamus which I had shot, although there were two
other "makaita" in the pool at the time. Thev had to
go within about three yards ot the sjjot, and almost
touched the two lixing hippopotamuses which had not been
shot by me, and which came up snorting al)Out every
two minutes. This e.xperienceand 1 had main' such
will perhaps help also to modifv x\\v. impression derived

from fanciful accounts given 1)\ certain other travellers.
The attitud(' of the hippopotamus towards the croco-
dile is ver}' interesting to note. The two animals live
side by side on lh(; best of terms, the (juite young
272
-^
The Hippopotamus
hippos being so well guarded from their dangerous
neighbour that they seem to be hidden away cdtogether.
It is a different matter when you have killed a
hippopotamus and the keen-scented crocodiles imme-
diately swim towards it upstream. I have seen this
happen on several occasions. One particularly interesting
case comes l)ack to mv memory.
I had shot an old hippopotamus, which was at once
\\ith I'lashlight and Rifle ^
The great rounded mass of flesh lay motionless upon
the sand-bank. The dark stream must haxe carried down
some particles of the animal's blood, for soon I saw a
crocodile's snout pop up, then several others, above the
smooth surface lower down wlu:re thci water was deeper,
and then disappear again.
In a surprisingly short time a large crocodile, more
than four yards in length, came into sight, gave a look
round, disappeared again in the water, and then scrambled
up alongside the body of the hippopotamus. The danger-
ous-looking beast coming right out of the rushing stream
presented a sinister sight. P)Ut now I involuntarily took
a step back as I saw his terrible jaws open wide and
begin to tear eagerly at the hippopotamus's flesh.
I kept myself hidden, however, and was thus enabled
to witness the wonderful spectacle of more than twenty
crocodiles, all nearh the same size, emerging Irom the
water a few yards away from me and begin tugging
the hipi)Opotamus this way and that. They could not
bite through the hard impenetrable skin. They got away
an ear and part of the snout and the tail that was
all. Not until |)utrefaction began to set in, as it cioes so
astonishingly quickly in the tropics, did their biles begin
to take effect.
These huge brutes, fighting and tumbling over each
other in thctir lust for the prey, were a sight not easily
to b(t forgotten. P)Ul they were gradually tlragging the
hip[)opotamus dcjwii, and I began to tear it might be
swept away by the stream, and thus be lost to me.
There is no^fobject in shooting hippopotamuses in a big
274
-^
The Hippojjotanuis
stream unless there be sand-banks, not too far below the
spot where you see them, or else shallow ra})Ids, upon
which the bodies carried down sideways may be stranded
;
otherwise the animals would be carried right away and
lost to the hunter. Therefore I raised my rifle and began
to hre, remaining well hidden all the time. When my
men arrived about half an hour later I had killed about
llllM'i H'lH AMUM-;S AT HOME
fifteen crocodiles, and could have killed at least ten more
had I been better provided with ammunition.
The speed to which "kiboko" is able to attain on
land is as surprising as that of the rhinoceros and the
elephant, and seems incongruous with its unwieldy shape.
Twice only have I seen hippopotamuses take to flight on
land. Each time I was astonished by their activity.
Once also I was very hard pressed by a hippopotamus
in these circumstances, and only just escaped with my
life, I had encountered the animal on land towards
e\'ening. Contrary to my expectation, after receiving a
^^
shot which was not immediately fatal, he made for a small
lake behind me instead of a far lartrer one in front of
me. On he came in my direction at an alarmingly quick
gallop. I owed my escape only to the second shot which
I fired, and which matle him turn aside and then stumble
and fall dead, for with m\- third shot my rille missed
fire!
In another case a hippopotamus I shot on land at a
few yards' distance stood up, opened wide his mouth,
literally bristling with teeth, and sank down with a flop,
deada sight I should have liked to photograph if only
I had had my camera available at the moment.
The curiosity displayed by hippopotamuses is remarkable.
The natives often attract the animals to the shore by
playing upon this weakness of theirs. Captain Merker
told me that the natives are in the habit of calling
out to them
"
Makau ! IMakau !
"
on hearing which whole
"schools" ot hippopotamuses come swimming uj). I mvself
have witnessed scenes of this kind on the Merker Lakes.
"
Makau
"'
(plural
"
El Makaunin
")
the Masai name
tor the hippopotamus, is a clear indication, as Captain
Merker writes me, of the Masai having wandered over
the Nile valley. Merker says he couKl find no similar
word among the names given to animals in any of the
still li\ing Semitic languages known to him. At last
he found a key to its origin in the Ass_\rian word
iua-ak-ka-uu-i(, "beast of .Southern i^gvpt."
1 cannot cien\- that in m)' attempts at navigating
African lakes and rivers in fragile canvas-boats I
experienced a good deal of ner\-ousness in regard to
276
-^
The Hippopotamus
the propensity sliown lôth l)y hippopotamuses and croco-
diles to overturning- them. Never shall I forget the
feeling with which I once saw two great hippopotamus-
heads emerge from the water a few feet only from my
fragile little vessel in midstream. Only once have croco-
diles seized hold of my boat and overturned it, while
hippopotamuses have never even attempted to do so.
I have had many encounters with
"
viboko
"
on the
Rufu River, which for years I had known to be impractic-
able for boats, before the fact was authoritatively stated.
I was one of the first European hunters to go through
the woods along its banks.
The animals are fond of sleeping upon islands in
rivers and lakes. You often find sleeping-places on
these islands which seem to have been thus in use tor
ages. Hippopotamuses nianage to clamber up even quite
steep banks. Often you see, leading down to the river,
deep grooves worn by them out ot the soft stony soil
in the course of countless years. At such spots on the
rivers Bowing into the Victoria Nyanza I tound heavy
snares set up by the natives, in passing which the animals
would be stabbed in the back by poisoned wooden stakes.
Quickly succumbing to the poison, their dead bodies
would soon rise to the surface of the river, in which
they had sought refuge.
Very curious is the habit the "el makaunin
"
have
of whisking their dung up on bushes with their bristly
tails. The bushes thus covered serve as landmarks (as
in the case of other mammals) and enable individual
animals, especially males and females, to find each other.
279
With r^hishliirht and Rifle *
?>
In 1896
hippopotamuses were still plcntllul in the Nzoia
River and the Athi Ri\'er in British J{ast Africa
; they
were to be tound, too, all aloiiL^^ the coast between Dar-es-
Salaani and Pangani. I saw them on several occasi(^ns in
the surf, and shall never forfjet mv astonishment once, on
getting' out of a chimp ot cocoa-palms, to see what I
had imagined to be an uprooted tree-trunk out on the
sands suddenly change into a hippopotamus and make its
way out into the sea.
Hippopotamuses travel by sea to get from one estuary
to another, no doubt ridchng themselves at the same time
of certain parasites in the salt water.
On the river deltas along the coast efforts have been
made to capture young hippopotamusesone of our best-
known dealers in wild animals lost his son through an
attack of fever brought on by one such attempt. Eight
vears ago I saw in the harb()ur of Dar-es-Saalam some
hippopotamuses which were lett unmolested there ; and one
nocturnal expedition on which I went out in the company
of the acting Governor, Herr von Benningsen it was my
first experience of the tropicsI saw a hippopotamus
quite close at hand. As it was wild boar we were after,
I was naturally much surprised at coming upon one ot the
giiuits ol African lite in this way.
Wm: capture of voung hippopotamuses is a consideral)ly
easier undertaking than that ot \()ung rhinoceroses or
elephants. Xevertludess, ver\ 1('W specimens have as \et
been secured.
Some years ago a l{uro|)ean resident in Portuguese
territory tried to catch a full-grown hippo[)otamus in a
2 So
-i The Hippopotamus
trcH)-ho]c with n view to l3rinL;inL;' it home nHvethe
trap-hole was quite near the coast. Tha attempt mis-
carried owinj^" to the animal upsetting" the transport ca^ê,
into which he had been driven successfully, and coming
to griet.
The ancients surpassed us all in such matters. They
knew how to capture, not hippopotamuses alone, but full-
grown specimens of all the other species of African
animals, with a view to making them take part in the
fights in the arena.
The intelligence of the hippopotamus is of an extra-
ordinarily high order, considering its kinship with the
pig. To what a remarkable degree its scent is developed
only became known to me tully when I sought to photo-
graph the animals at night time. Unless I took the
utmost precautions they always got wind of me and
moved out of range of my camera, choosing a difterent
eQ;ress from the water.
281
JlhKE AND IIII.KI. Illl. HEADS OF IMMENSE CROCODILES EMKK(;KD 1 i:'',\! I 111, I 1:1. \M
XIV
Buffaloes and Crocodiles
IN
the autumn of the year
1899
1 encani[)ecl on the
banks ot the Panâni River, about mid\va\' up its
course. My taxidermist and I were busy preserving and
padding the zoological specimens we had collected, and
tor a period of about a fortnight there had been so
much work that I had hardl\' been able to leave the
camp.
Pôr some time I had Ijeen sending out reliable scouts
to track buffaloes. Since the rinderpest broke out in the
Kilimanjaro district these animals had bt;en very scarce,
and I was about the first European hunter to visit
the unhealthy swamps ot the Pangani. POr w(;eks my
jjeople had been making truitless journeys. Nowhere
could they find the buffalo-haunts. SuddcMily they t'ound,
some distance from my camp on th(; bank ot the river,
two natives, Waseguhas, who had built tlu.'msel\-es a little
hut there, and had plant(,-d a little lield with mai/e, living
282
'-9t
Buftaloes and Crocodiles
besides un the fish they caught. They were evidently
there to hunt the Ijuflaloes, and to watch their move-
ments l)y taking up their position in trees, whence
they could spy out their extraorelinarily well-hidden
refuees, which durincy the drought were chietly in the
marshes. The heads and horns of the buffalo are valuable
goods, as they are much coveted by Europeans as
"
shooting trophies !
"
One of these natives was brought to my camp. At
first nothing could be got out of him, but alter a great
deal of parley he decided to giv(' me some information.
He told me that a short while before six blacks armed with
breechdoading rilles had waylaid some buffaloes in the
vicinity of his little plantation. These men had informed
him that they had been sent fVom the next station, Rusotto.
28;
-^
to kill buffaloes. So far their eftorts had been in vain.
As soon as they saw the buftaloes appear they sought
safety by climbinj4" up trees. Still, they managed to kill
between them three rhinoceroses, and then disappeared,
taking the horns with them.
These statements turned out to be untrue, as I was
to learn from the district commissioner at Rusotto, Herr
Meyer, who made every endeavour to preserve the wild
game. Information came presently from the Mseguha that
a large herd of buffalo was just then to be found in the
almost inaccessible marshes of the Pangani River. I im-
mediately decided to move my camp to this neighbourhood,
in order to kill a buffalo at last, cost what it might.
On September 2nd I started off in the early morning
with a large number of my people, to camp again after
a six-hours' march in the direction of the Latitti Mountains.
Durino: the march I managed to obtain two beautiful
eagle-owls iyJhtbo /acteus). Large herds of waterbuck,
comprising some
150
or 200 head, llitted in and out
through the beautiful river-forests, but I could not stop
to shoot any.
My camp was connected with a very large island in the
river by an indescribable break-neck Ijridge that could only
be crossed with bare feet, diiis island mc^rgcd in the wide
and impenetrable marsh bevond. The next day was passed
in reconnoitring the island. Waterbuck in ihousantls sped
hither and thither o\(;r the surrounding
"
gambo
"
as well
as the island. I had wisel\- resoKcd not to fire a shot,
so as not to disturb moi-c tli.m was necessarx' the extra-
ordinariK- shy buflaloes. So 1 had to give- up all idea of
284
'^
venison. My caravan was amply provided with Indian
rice, which is so easy to carry, and I was just expecting
a subsidiary caravan with over loo packets of the same
from the coast. There was a famine at the time, and
it was an exceedingly clear and almost unattainable article
of food. I was sorely tempted to fire at two rhinoceroses,
which nearly ran me down at a moment when I was
following a honey-pointer. The cheerful cry of the
honey-guides {Indicator sparrnniiu\ I. major, and /.
minor) one follows whenever possible, to be guided in
all probability to a hive. Idie fatigue of the pursuit is-
often richly repaid by priceless stores of honey, a delicacy
much prized in the lonely wilderness.
I soon found that the buffaloes made this spot their
nightly haunt. A great number of the grass-patches on
the island were hot and scorched. Onlv at the fringe of
the marsh fresh green grass was sprouting just where the
water rippled and made the ground wet and damp and
black. The marshy bits between the grass-patches,
although still filled with turbid water, were in the act
of drying, and were, like the surrounding ground, well
trodden by buffaloes. It is diflicult for any one to
form any conception of the unhealthy district these
animals had chosen as their place of refuge. The water
oozed out of the stagnant, swampy ground at every step.
A very varied marsh vegetation grew everywhere. Over
the desert wastes, or on the edge of the marsh, hundreds
of softly twittering pratincoles hopped about {Glarco/a
fnsca), and at night the mosquitoes swarmed in myriads.
A rich variety of birds was to be found there, but
285
With
I-ki^hli;<ht and Rifle
c^
among
mammals
only a few baboons and long-tailed
monkeys,
besides the big herds of waterbuck. The
apes
had once found a bridge to the island in a gigantic
tree
which had fallen across the stream, l)ut soon the
rush of the flowing water at the Masika time had broken
this temporary
bridge, and thus they were cut oft Irom
the
mainland. The waterbuck had crossed at shallow
and narrow
sj)ots. Waterbuck and buffaloes have no fear
of the numerous
crocodiles, always managing to give them
a wide berth. This fact was very interesting to me. No
other wild animal that I know of, with the exception of
the
hippopotamus, eludes the crocodile in the same way.
I could find no trace of the reedbuck, which I had
expected to see on the island, although they were often
on the mainland close by. I presume from this that they
were not so clever as the above-mentioned animals in
escaping the jaws of the crocodiles.
During nearly the whole of the day, but more especially
at nio-ht time, the voices of the hippopotamuses resounded
from the marshes, intermingling with the numberless cries
of the birds. Save for this, there was silence.
All along the bank of the river I found that the island
was very well guarded against intruders. Everywhere I
could see the pointed snouts of gigantic
crocodiles
jjopping up out of the water and slowl\- mo\ing with
ihc. stream. Mere in a deep part of the ri\-er a more
than usually large collection of them was assembled. As
they api)ri)ached
most cautiously diat part ot the river-
bed where long stretches of' sand bank glistened in the
sunshine. I found dozens of these iinnu;nse creatures
286
->
sunnino- themselves. Near them numbers of Egyptian
geese and other marsh-lîrds had arranged themselves on
the sand-banks. They were wise enough to stay near
the shallow parts of the river, and did not go close to
those deeper portions where the crocodiles are wont to make
their sudden attacks, l^hough, for that matter, I am
inclined to believe a certain deoree of friendliness exists
THE RUFU RIVER
between the crocodiles and the birds. In the Sudan we
know that a small kind of plover lives in close harmony
with the great animal
; but the sagacious ducks and geese
one never sees swimming about in the deep waters fre-
quented by crocodiles.
Several days passed in a fruitless search after buffaloes.
In order to find out their haunts, I thved into the marshy
swamps by means of the almost impenetrable tunnel-like
287
With Flashlio-ht and Rifle ^
paths trodden l^y the hippopotamuses. Howe\er, I soon
returned with lacerated hands, and horribly bitten bv
mosquitoes, with the conviction that the beasts had no
certain resting-place, and th.it they forsook the marsh
at night to return thither at dawn of dav. Xeidier on
the marshes could I tmd trace ot them. With much
trouble I climbed several verv tall acacia-trees that orevv
on suntlry dry spots. Thence 1 could iêt a better point
of vic^w. and w;is able to make out the places where the
buftaloes were lying. Hundreds ot egrets swarmed above
them. Thev served to draw attention to the buftaloes,
to which they attach themselves alwavs. and which they
free from vermin without disturbing them. The region
swarmed with \ermin.
Knowing" the extratirdinary timitlitv ot the !)ufialo,
I had given strict instructions to m\' peojde to remain
within the camp. Wood for burning had to be fetched
onlv from (|uit(" ckose at hand, and no one went t.irther
than the path which connected us with the mainland.
( )ur grain was sent b\' this path from \u\ chiet
camp. The place of encampment itself was carefully
cleared of grass and bushes, a needful precaution.
Coimtless millions of tin\' ticks {^Rhipiccphalus sanoimieiis
and R. appeudicii/atus, as well as /v. pn/c/ic/Ins) co\"ered
the grass and bushes of the island just where the water-
Inick were usualK' to be seen, and especialK' at the
haunts and feeding-places of the buffaloes. It was im-
possible to pass through the island without immediately
being covered by lunulreds of these ticks.
On returning to the camp mv nati\es used to remove
288
-*
these tiresome vermin with the greatest equanimity, or
else did not bother about them at all. But it was quite
another matter with Orêich and myself. My own efforts
to rid myself of them only made things worse. Horrible
inflammation was the result. I immediately flew to
sublimate baths in my indiarubber tub
; but without
result. The only means of getting rid of these pests
was to undress completely and to allow the natives to
make a thorough search lasting half an hour.
Visitors to the Zoological Gardens will be familiar
with the sight of the monkeys rendering one another
mutual assistance in this respect, and they will form
some idea of the scene which was daily enacted with
regard to myself when a haul ot from
50 to 100 tiny
almost invisible insects was taken froni me ! These little
bloodsuckers managed to produce rather serious swellings
in the region of my stomach. So small were the tiny
fiends that I at first ascribed the evil to other causes.
For the following weeks and months I had troublesome
sores, which refused to yield to remedies, and did not heal
until I reached the highlands some time later. Painful
days and sleepless nights
my
colleague Orgeich suffered
just as much as I marked our stay upon this island,
which I had called Heck Island in honour of my friend
Dr. Ludwig Heck, whose life-work it has been to secure
the preservation of big game. The little island was
an ideal natural preserve for buffaloes and waterbuck,
and kept them out of the range of the rinderpest then
ravaging the Dark Continent.
There was no getting at the buflâloes. Whenever
VOL. I. 289 19
With Fhishli-iit and Rifle ^
I Mttempted to penetrate into the marshes I was soon
hindered by channels traversing the morass. The only
possibility seemed to be to seek out the herds in the
very early morning before they had returned to their
swampy haunts. Many times I seemed on the point of
succeeding ; it was but a (juestion of minutes, and each
time I came a tew minutes too late. The sh\ ness of
these animals seemed to be unconquerable, and with the
breaking light of dawn they had already returned to their
hiding-placesa striking example of the sagacious habits
necessary to their conditions. One would think that such
a powerful beast as the African Ijuffalo would have no
cause to fear molestation of any kind ! Yet, whether
alone or in herds, these animals had taken in the altered
conditions ot things and feared the flash of the luiropean
firearms as much as the noiseless and swift poisoned
arrows ot the natives.
Thus passed day after day, but I was determined to
persevere. Only thus can the hunterat least in the
tropicshope to attain his end. One man after another
sickened with the malaria, and we Europeans strengthened
our doses ot quinine to be more sure of ourseKes.
During the evenings and nights we went in lor
catching crocodiles for a change. After long days of work
my men had felled two huge trees, which, falling into
the ri\'er Irom each Ijank, just met in the middle, and
thus formed a primiii\-e bridge o\c:r to the right bank.
About and under this riverdjar large crocodiles assendjled.
With the aid of some hooks for shark-fishing wliich
had come from London, I endeavoured to get hold ot
2QO
*
-^
some of these becists, but I could not at first succeed. 1
hit at last, however, upon a plan which brought me to the
desired end. A piece of Hesh with bones was attached
to the hook with sonie string, and the line was thrown
into the water at ni^ht and by moonlight. If it was seized
by a crocodile, I let out some fifty or more yards of a
tight, strong rope, such as is used in pike-fishing
; then the
crocodile began to take a hold, but was in evêry case far
too knowing actually to swallow the hook. Carefully
hidden in the bushes some ten to twenty men pulled in the
prey. otl:en weighing more than a thousand pounds. As
it came near it beat and splashed the water violently
with its powerful tail. Now was the time to lodge a
quick bullet in its head by the light of the moon.
A shot from a small-calibre rifie cripples the monster
absolutely, if only it is hit somewhere near the head. It
hangs motionless on to the line without opening its terrible
jaws in death, but giving out an unbearable stench. With
the help of a very strong and thick rope fastened round
its body, one now succeeds in bringing it to land.
A kind of barbed harp ion, fastened on to a long pole,
is very effective at this stage.
Working by night on these lines we generally caught
six or more crocodiles, twelve or thirteen feet in length.
Of course there were many failures.
On these occasions I learnt to know and fear the
tremendous strength ot the blows that can be given by
their tails. One of my men was very keen on this sport,
having once been seized hold of and nearly drawn under
the water by a crocodile ! For hours he watched the
293
With Flashli-ht and Rifle
-*
line I had tiirown, ready to promi^t me at the critical
moment. He had sworn vengeance on
"
mamba," and
danced with glee every time I managed to catch or kill
one of the beasts.
The contents of the stomachs usually C(jnsisted of
bones from mammals and hshes. Besides, there was in
every stomach a large number of ])ieces ot c|uartz, which
had either been ground quite round before swallowing
or had undergone this operation in the stomach. In
any case they were necessary tor the complete process
of digestion. These pieces ot (]uartz were sometimes
quite largeabout the size of an apple. In one of the
animals I found a vulture, whole and entire, which had
been swallowed unmasticated. As the bird's skin was
spoilt I threw it into the river. Crocodiles are capable
of swallowing immense objects in this way. In
1900,
during the time of drought and tamine, I killed crocodiles
whose stomachs contained liuman bones swallowed ahnost
uncrushed.
It is most interesting but very difficult to watch the
real lite of the crocodile, about which unfortimately so
little is yet known. Even the younger ones are extremely
sh\- and cautious. Shoukl they happen to have scrambled
on to the branches overhanging the water the\- di\e at
once and remain out of sight. The older they grow the
shyer the\- become. The\- keep in such dccj) water that
they are able to sia'ze their prc-\" without exposing
themselves to view. I have often found crocodiles
lurking neai" tlie drinkingqilaces of iho wild herds, King
in wait for tlicm.
294
^ Buffaloes and Crocodiles
I remember very vividly one case in which I was
a witness of a crocodile's way with its victim. My
thirsty herd of cows had hastened down to the river
to drink after a lonp; march without water. But no,
they would not drink ! They sniffed at the water here
and there doubtfully, plainly scenting danger. Not
until some of my men threw stones into the water so-
as to scare away their unseen enemy would they quench
their thirst, proceeding then to graze by the river-bank.
Some of the stragglers from my camp now appeared
on the scene with more cattle. A beautiful large coal-
black ox that I had long spared death on account
of his size approached the water. His sense of smell
told him he could drink there without danger ;
besides,,
had not the whole herd, knee-deep in the ooze,
refreshed themselves at the same spot ?
The huge body of the beast sank deep into the
mud. Hardly, however, had he dipped his nose when
I saw a tremendous crocodile slowly rise from the turbid
water, and in the self-same moment the bull, caught
by the snout, disappeared below the surface. The slippery
nature of the slanting bank made him an easy prey.
The whole proceeding took place so quickly before my
eyes that for an instant I stood there bewildered, not
knowing what to do. Quickly, however, recovering my
presence of mind I hurried to the edge of the bank,
but could see nothing but a few bubbles on the surface
of the muddy stream. There was nothing to be done.
Still, we hurriedly followed the stream for a little way,
and .saw right in front of us, close to the opposite bank,
297
AMth Flashlight and Rifle
-^
the body of the hull lloatin^" on the water. It was
being torn to shreds l)y numbers of crocodiles, who kej)t
reaching their heads out of the water to bite at it. We
fired in their direction, l)ut did not disturb the rapacious
animals in the least, aaid were obliged to leave them in
possession of their bootv.
I lost several cows in the same way at other times.
Men were sometimes seized in a similar manner, and
I was once witness of this. (_)n the return journey to
the coast after a successful termination to my 1899- 1900
expedition, a native fell oft' the foot-plank which bridged
the PanLTani River near Koroo^we. He was immediatelv
seized by crocodiles, and disappeared before our eyes
a victim to the sweet palm-wine of which he had drunk

too freely !
Often I have been seized with a lively feeling of
dread when we have had to wade through the water
shoulder-high in order to get across a river. On these
occasions the natives make themselves a strong crocodile
charm, a
"
Uaua." My
"
Daua " was simply to hre a
number of shots into the water above and below the
fords! I have seen a cjreat number of natives seized bv
crocodiles, many of them escaping in cases where; the
crocodiles were small.
Mv method of fishinof for crocodiles was onlv feasible
at night time, or on a ver\- cloudy day, as is often the case;
with line-fishing. One absolutely necessary precaution
was th(^ careful hiding of the angler Itehind a covert on
th(; ri\er-bank.
The new-comer ma\' often be deceived as to the number
298
-9^
of cr(3codiIes in the ri\c_-rs, as the- snouts and nostrils of the
animals, which just reach the surface ot the water, are very
often nearly invisible. Crocodiles notice everything;- that
goes on in their vicinity
; their eyesight is extraordinary.
It the rejjtiles happen to be l\'ing on simd-banks or low-
lying places bv the bank, thev suddenly disappear into
the water at the least sign of danger. 1 have often
suri)rised gigantic crocodiles by coming out Irom the
covert on the bank. I hen it sometimes seemed as it
the ground imder m\" f(-et suddenly became alive, or as it
some moss-covered tree-trunk in the water had come to lite.
Young ones just out of the broken eggs I used to find
in March. E\en these showed themselves inclined to bite.
Some old animals that I have caught used to emit at times
a peculiar deep, indescribable halt-growling sound, ot a
savageness hard to descrilje ; a sound which I have now
and again heard them make when at liberty, especially
at rutting-tinie. The r|uite young crocodiles when caught
ofave a loud and liveK' crv.
A bullet from a small-calibre rille (even a common lead
bullet) will kill the reptile on the spot, if it strikes the
head in the region of the spine. It seems to set working
a kind of conxailsive motion in the whole vascular system
of the animal. I have killed a great number ot crocodiles
which could n(jt move an inch at^ter having been hit by
a ball, and which lay as if struck by lightning.
My friend Captain Merker once had a \-ery interesting-
experience with young crocodiles. He found some
crocodile
-
eggs near the \'olcanic Lake Chala, in
December, and took them back with him to Port Moshi,
299
-^
AlKuit ci^lit days after, somt'thine;' squeaked in the cigar-
box in his room where he had |uit the eggs. At first
he believed it to be some mice, but he soon discovered
that several crc^codiles had broken out o\ their eggs,,
having managed to do withcnit sunlight during the last
davs ot the hatching period.
We have very little information al)out the breeding
ot crocodiles, especiadly of the African species. This-
is easily e.vplained by the great shvness of the animals.
They are shyer in some regions than in others. They
are sometimes much less so. for instance, in a large lake-
like \'ictoria \\an/a. In the large bavs to the south
ot this lake I found numbcTs of them on the sand-banks.
They and the hip]:)opotamuses li\-ed there seeniingiy on a
triendlv tooting with tlie n,iti\e fbshc-rmen.
It by night the fishing for crocodiles afforded us so
much diversion, the da\s passed uneventfullv in the Buffalo
Camp. I made sexend shotting e.xcursions along the
right bank of the river, towards the hills on the Nyika
frontier. From the plentiful supply of waterbuck I secured
some unusuallv fine specimens.
It seemed as if 1 were never gcnng to meet with the-
buffaloes. At last mv W'andorobo saw a herd of about
thirty head at davbreak. ami were able to notice how
they hiad lain down in some small swam])s verv tar from
my Ccunp. In two heurs' time- I w.is on the spot.
The wind was very strong, in one direction, and altogether-
favourable;. Once again I attemptcnl to aj)proach the
buffalo herd. Still in vain I I was up to m\ knees in
the soft black ooze of the swamp. Cautiously I strove.
-^
Buffaloes .uid r'n^codiles
to penetrate the sea of ree-ls. The-se reeds were so thick
and high and impenetrable that I tuund it imjjossible
to reach the animals. ()n\v iL;;rass-^reen, luxuriant reeds
grew in ihe marsh.
'1
liere was not a single tree-trunk
anywhere near the- buffaloes. At last I managed to get
to a spot puinte-d out to me by a \\ andorobo who had
nimblv climbed a high tree to mv rear. I hen I saw
WE CAME Ll'ON IILNDKEUS OF SKULLS OF BfFFALOESI'ROOFS OF THE
IMMENSE NUMBERS THAT FELL VICTIMS TO THE RINDERPEST
that only a close shot would be of any a\-ail, but such
an attempt would be sheer suicide. After much hesita-
tion I returned to my men, and myselt climbed a high
acacia-tree. But e\en from here I could not clearly
make out the wherealjouts of the buffaloes. I decided
then to startle them widi a shot in the air. Then began
an indescribable tumult among the reeds, a great swaying
A\'ith l-la^hli-iit and Rifle ^
and waving of the green stems
;
but even from my bigh
look-out I could onlv now and again o-^t
a momentarv
glance at one or othc^r ot the inunense horns ol the black
beasts. Soon they had disappeared. I now saw that it
would be impossible to hunt them in such a pkicc W ith
difficult}' I c]ind)ed down from the high tree. It is no-
fun to climb a tropical thorn-tree. A very short stay
among its branches gives a very uni)leasant close acquaint-
ance with all kinds of ants, whose bit(;s do not have much
effect on the lecithern skin of the black, but have a very
serious one on the tender skin of the luiropean.
Two inore davs passed in patient waiting. At least the
buffaloes left fresh traces every morning, and did not
change their haunts as I had fean-d. The ])lague ot ticks
was becoming daily more unbearable lor us Europeans, and
at night there was no sleep loecause ol our wounded
skins. At last, one very cloudy day at noon, we tound a
large herd grazing on a grass-|)atch just within the marsh,
and only a tew yards trom the thick reeds. It meant
wading through some ot the swampy channels to reach
them. There was no cover tor usnothing Ijut the; reeds.
There were some moments of tin; greatest suspense as,
on nearing the herd, I had the opp;)rLunity ot ol)serving
the imposing picture miule by som(; sixty head ot these
wild cattle, now, unluckily, so rare. Tame c.ittle 1 was
inclined to characterise them, despite their h^rocious
appearance. The thic~k mass of th(^ black, closely ])acked
forms as they /ealousl)- cropped just in Iront ol me had
something grand and impressive about it. Ihit now 1 had
to decide on my shot, and, w ith a b(-aling heart
-I acknow-
;02
-5
ledofe it I selected one bull th;it was Q^razincr alone
somewhat away from the herd. The distance was about
1 20 paces. As I fired it shrank back, tossinf^ up its head
and Happing its taik A second bullet sent it tailing
forwards, the whole herd taking tlight instantly, disappear-
ing into the high sedges with lightning speed. The bull
rose again, l:)ut a third shot did for it. So at last I had
killed a buffalo!
The skinnino- of the animal and tht; crirrvino' of the
heavy skin through the marsh into the camp, and then
the various processes ot preparing it, entailed much labour
;
but the joy at the result of my perseverance was great
indeed.
Eight more days on
"
Heck Island" did not bring
me another chance of a shot. Buffilo-hunting in East
Africa, it will be seen, is no easy matter. It was otherwise
before the year 1S90. From this time onward the
rinderpest began Its ravages in German and Ikitish East
Africa. The epidemic was spread last and wide by the
tame cattle, and the fine East African buftaloes were nearly
all laid low. An English official and friend of mine found
on one day in that year about a hundred sick buftaloes
in various stages of dissolution. I myselt tound their
bleached horns at that sad time in great numbers all
over the place.
In 1
88
7 Count Teleki shot
55
buftaloes in three
months on the Nguaso-Niyuki ; and Richard Bohm
relates that in mountainous and damp Kawenda he met
quantities of herds comprised of hundreds of buftaloes,
and that their lowing could be heard by the passing
AX'ith Fkishlight and Rifle
-^
traveller. Those days are gone. The merciless rinder-
pest nearly struck the buftalo out ot the list of the East
African animal world. It struck at them just as it struck
at the Masai race.
If the inx'estigations of my friend Captain Merker
are well orounded, it is thousands ot years since this race
of nomads, one of the oldest of all the Hebrew races,
made their way oyer the East African plains, there to
roam at large, with their countless herds of cattle.
With one blow their power was annihilated by the pest
that came from Europe, that scourge of the cattle-breeder.
I often found circular collections of bones ol cattle. One
could see them from the far distance on the velt shining
white in the sun. Intermingled with them were numerous
human skulls. These were the camping-places of the Masai
in the year 1890.
Oyer and oyer again the seli-Scime drama was enacted.
The cattle sickened and died. Remedies and charms
availed nought. In a few days the camp was pest-ridden,
and men, women, and children, helpless and without food,
died in agony. Only scanty remnants now surxiye of the
once great Masai people. In their days of need their
women and children were sent out or sold as agricultural
slaves to more prosperous races.
The buffilo-herds disappeared almost entirel)- at that
time, and in ( lerman and Ilritish bâst Ah'ica only a tew
survive. And as it happened here to the Masai people
and the- buffakjdierds, so did it happen to the Indians
and bison in America. The progress of civilisation is
indeed cruel and merciless. Mankind must si)read over
304
->
the face of the world in millions, everything else must
give way, fast or slowly, to the higher merciless law.
Few indeed are the buffaloes that remain in the parts
of the Masai-Nyika that are known to me. In the Pan-
gani marshes I kn(jw a herd ot a few solitary old bulls.
In the neighbourhood of Lake Manjara there is another.
Near Nguruman ci small number may be tound. On the
TOWARDS EVE.MM, CKKAl Fl.nCKS ( )F MARABOUS ASsIiMlU.KI i ON T]IE
MKRKKR LAKES
high plateau of Mau, in I^ritish East Africa, I sighted
five heads, and a few others in the Njiri marshes. Here
and there a few other small herds may make their haunts.
In the whole of northern German East Africa these are
all that remain of the former abundance.
But wherever these scanty remnants are tound they are
mercilessly hunted. A European known to me killed five
in one day, as he managed to find them close together.
VOL. I.
305
20
With Fhishli-iU and Ritic ^
Some armed natives killed as many in one single day
about two years ago on the lower Pangani River.
I have known some curious pretexts put forward tor
he killing of buffaloes by Askaris, pretexts designed to
evade the already existing protection-laws. A non-
commissioned officer informed me, for instance, that a
buffalo of which the horns had been brought him b\- an
Askari had attacked a village, and had therefore had to
be killed. And in another case I was actually told that
a buffalo, whose horns I saw at a station, had been
found drowned by the Askari who had brought him.
Well, I suppose it is not to be expected that regulations
can be easily enforced in a far-off land. In any case,
the days of the beautiful wild buffalo are numbered in
East Africa, and soon he will be on the list of the
species that have died out.
306
SWINGING THKIR TAILS, THE GIRAKFES AMBLED AWAY
A
XV
Giraffes
MONG the rarest and most si nodular
of the larQ-e
1 V mammals still existin;^' to-day is undoubtedly the
giraffe, various forms ot which are to be found in
different parts ot Africa.
The extraordinary appearance of giraftes makes us
think of them as strange survivals from a prehistoric
pastas the last representatives of a fauna long dead
and gone. Next to the okapi iyOcapia johustoni). which
was discovered in 1901 b\' Sir Harry Johnston and
Mr. L. Eriksson in the forests of Central AfVica. and
whose nearest relatives became extinct thousands of
years ago, the giraffe is certainly the strangestdooking
animal to be seen in Africa.
"In the country of Ererait li\ed the nomad cattle-
breeders El Kamasia. . . . Their name for God was
Em Ba, and they made themselves images of Him in
the form of a giraffe with a hornless head." So Captain
INIerker tells us in his account of the origin of the Masai.
Perhaps this hornless giraffe was the okapi, which may
307
With Fhishli-ht and Ritl
&
c
-*
have thriven at one; time in more northern regions. The
animahcult ni th(; Egyptians may well have iniluenced
the Masai tor a time.
lliere is nothing attractive about giraffes, so far as
we know them from jiictures, or from having seen them
in captivity. But it is quite otherwise with them as met
with in the wilderness. Zebras, leopards, and giraffes
are so strikingly coloured that one would expect to find
them conspicuous figures in their own haunts. f^)Ut, as I
have already remarked, these three kinds of animalf^
have really a special protection in their colouring. It
harmonises so perfectly with their siuToundings that they
are blended in the background, so to speak, and can
easily be overlooked. It must be explained that one
does not often see the animals close at hand. In certain
lights, indeed, according to the position of the sun, zebras,
leopards, and giraftes are so merged in the harmony of
their surroundings that even when they are cjuite near
the eye ot man can easily l)e deceived. It is not onl}-
in the very dry season, when the plant- world stretches
out before us in every hue from dirt\' brown to [jright
gold, that the girafte harmonises with its surroundings in
this way
;
you sometimes cannot distinguish its outline
when backed by the (^rrcen boughs of the trees in the
shade.
The colouring ot giraffes varies very much, even in
the saiiK^ herd. I have seen herds of tort\-ti\e or more
heads, and trom close quarters I ha\e ascertained thai
some were striped quite darkly and some ver)- lighilx.
/\11 bulls are- coloured more; or less darkly.
:;o8
'^
(iiniffcs
(iirall(;s (lvv<']I ( hidly on the plains. Aljoiit sevcn-
tcntlis of ( "jcniiaii I'âst Alrica r('|)r(:scnt an I'",I Oorado
lor L(irall('s. I Icrc llic) Inid all [he condilions ol lil(;
necessary to ihcni. They can travel a long way Iroin water,
as thcv can do without il (or scvral days at a time,
I )iii'inL;' th<: I'ains they l;ci as niiich water as th(-y want
Iroin the moist leaves. I'hcir food consists chieHy of
(oliaL;<- and o( die thin hranches o( the didcrcnt aeacia-
trees, as well as the leaves and twi_L(s ol man)' (AIhi"
trees.
So far as I myscdf have been ahle to ol)serve, th(*
L(iralle never eats grass ol any kind. Its anatom\ and
huild arc; not suggestive of a graminivorous animal. When
in captivity, ol course;, giralles are f(;d on ha\ and Iresh
grass and clover, as are also elephants, rhinoceroses, and
othei- animals, as it is hard, unlortimat<-l\
,
to fmd l>ranch(.'S
ol trees and foliage in siillicicnt <|uantitv lor them. Il is
astonishing that, in spite ol all this, such animals are ahle
to live so man\' years in capti\'it)' ; hut I hav<- nevei' lound
them so well nourished in luirope as in th(;ir native
haunts. 'I Ik; particularly vv(;ll -nourished
"
twigga
"
which
can he seen in my |)hotographs hecanK; (|uilc ihm and
meagre; in captivity, so that the n(;ck v(;rt(;brce jjro-
trud(;(l more and mor<'. Their ihriving to the; (;.\tent
they do und(;r such dill(;i'cni conehtions is a sign of great
adaptahility. V(;ry many ol iIk; large; mammals are; imable
lo reconcile; lhe;mse]ves te) the; alte-re-d l(je)d.
It is with
the greate;st elilfie;ulty that a large; kuelu is ke;pt alive;.
I have; had mueh tre)uhle; In cejnvincing e;ven ze)ole)gicai
experts that giralle;s in the-Ir fre-e; state were se) shape;ly
;
I I
^
and well nourished. My photoj^Taphs have helped to
prove this lact.
Giraffes do not dwell exclusively on the plains. At
certain seasons of the year they find a refuge in the
mountain woods, u|) to a height of
7,000
feet. This
generally happens at the beginning of the drought. They
do not, however, frequent the primeval forests.
One of my niost interesting photographs is undoubtedly
that of an old giraffe l)ull, in company with two aged male
elephants. For weeks I observed this trio in the forests
of the west Kilimanjaro district, anxious for the moment
when a ray of sunlight would enable me to take a snapshot.
But the usual rain-clouds of this periodI am speaking
of the nionth of June
prevents the sun's rays from

reachinof the west side of the mountains. Onlv at night
time do they disappear ; early in the morning they are
always hanging over the mountainous district.
After a lone wait in the: cold mist-like rain, and
without a fire. I was at last rewarded by a few minutes
of sunshine. This enabled me to take several snapshots,
but only from a distance of at least 400
paces. Of course
it was necessary to seize the opportunit\- just at the
monuMit wlien both the ele|)hants and the girafte were
visii)le amonof the high vegetation. At anv moment the
clouds might return and the sun disappear.
Other giraffes also had at this time found a halting-
o-round in the thick and luxurious growth ol the forest,
l^hese herds would often remain ior hours in close
proximity to the- ele})hcUits. The thrc; animals in (|ucsiion
chose out a i)lace
whcn'e the
grass had grown so tall
-i 12
-5
Giraffes
that a man could not see over it. Later, under similar
circumstances, I met with several herds of giraffes,
especially of old bulls, in company sometimes with elands
which had made their way hli^h up into the mountains,
so that 1 am in a position to state that the girafle
frequents the forests as well as the plains. They are
intelligent enough, especially the experienced old bulls,
V
i
'^Mmmii dmik w^&
A BULL AM) A COW (ilRAKKK. THK liPLL IS DIS I I NGUISHABLE BY LI'S
'I'HICKKK NECK
to seek safety in these woods from hunters, thus ridding
themselves also of ticks and other parasites.
One of my most delightful experiences in Africa was
the observing of these unique animals living their own
natural lives in liberty. I had been informed that then
(in
1896),
in consequence of the rinderpest, the giraffe
had almost disappeared, and was only to be found rarely
and in out-of-the-way places. I do not deny that the
ITT
\\'itb riashli'-lit and Rifle
^
giraffes niav have l)c:en attackc-d l)y tlie rinderpest, but
I have seen no absolute proof of this. The giraffe has-
suffered more in any case from other enemit^s. The
European and the Askari have been much more destruc-
tive. According as the hunting of ek-jihants in East
Africa has become more difficult, and the pursuit of the
rhinoceros more- dangerous, that of so easy a |)re)' as
the giraffe has grown in popularity. Every European
hankers after the- killing ot at least one, if not several,
specimens. There have been districts, too, where the
Askari haxc literally used the giraffes for tai'get-practice.
So long as it was an understood thing that the black
soldiers might practise their rille-shooting on the l)ig
game, so as to make themselves marksmen in the event
of war, and so long as the "preservation ot wild lite"
was a dead letter, so long did it seem that there was no
hope of the girafies escaping speedy annihilation. iNIuch,
howêver, has been done by the Protection ot (lame
Conference in London, and especially by the- regulations
of Count (n')tzen, tor (jerman ELast Africa.
Muhammadans do not eat giratle-llesh, or tTse the
Sudanesx; Askari would i)robably
have? made still greater
ravages among the animals. Even the natix'es hunt
thcmi. I'oisoncid arrows are made use ol, and more
particularly pitdioles. ddiey are well hidden, and the
giraffes caiuiot easiU (I<:tect them, as they dei;end more
on thcMr eyesight than their sense of smell. Thus these
"
eye-animals," as 1 )r. Zells calls ihem, tmd great danger
in the pitfalls, unlike the rhinoceroses and elephants
which are
"
nose-animals."
314
-i
Giraffes
In South Africa oirdties liave been for long years a
thing of the past. Thev fell too easy a prey when
followed on horseback, and their skin was sought after
for the manufacture ot the long whips used by the
Boers in driving their oxen. It is a regrettable tact
that o\' late years a large number of girafte-skins cut up
into thongs have been exported to South Africa from
GIRAFFES TAKING TO FLIGHT AMONG FLUTE-ACACIA TREES
German East Africa. The newspaper which comes out
in Tanga remarked some while ago on the market price
of this rare article jêr /'rasi/a
(35
lb.) ! It was possible
to brinof the skins safelv in this wav to the coast for
exportation in bundles weighing about 60 lb. Now that
the Protection of Game Conference has decided that
the girafte is to be preserved, it is to be hoped that a
check will be put upon this kind of trade, in view of
-^
the coniparati\'(_'ly small luimlxir ot oiratics still remaining'.
Of course the Customs officials may he outwitted, if the
thongs are cut very thin, b\- false declarations as to their
nature.
As with all animals, we fmd the giraffe either shy or
trusting" according to its experience of men. Far out on
the desert, where men are never seen, 1 found them so
free from timidity that I was able to approach to withm
about two hundred jjaces of them. I succeeded, too, in
discovering them by day in their haunts in the woods,
and in getting quite close. But usually their timidity
and caution do not allow of such liberties. Their keen
eyes, as a rule, spot a man a great way oft. A char-
acteristic whisking of the long bushy tails, and a moving-
forward of the leader, whether bull or cow, trom out of
the shade of the tree under which the herd are taking
their siesta, are the heralds of immediate tlight. In
spite of their awkward and clumsydooking gîit, they
soon distance thtt unmounted hunter, and are lost to
sight. After much trouble I once succeeded in photo-
ijranhinGf a herd ot cîraftes going tull-tnH. (ienerall\-
sp(;aking, giraftes are more difficult to })hot()graph than
any other animal.
Even when the giraffes are to be seen out in the
open and the light is good, the ])hotographer must get
-quite clos(; to the herd to be able to take a picture,
in the midst ol jungle it is in most cases onl)' possible
to (^l)t.iin ])h()tographs ol a tew single s|)eciincMis that
have somewhat separated trom the herd. 1 had made
many \ain endeax'ours before I at last succeeded in
316
-i
Giraffes
getting good pictures of several giraffes. The way in
which the colouring of the animals blends with the sur-
roundings offers one of the greatest difficulties to the
photographer.
This is especially the case with regard to the species
ot girafte which I was fortunate enough to discover.
This (iira/Ja
S(V///////os/ has a shirt of an e.xtraordinary
A i;ri.l, ClKAIIl' WAICillM; M K ANXiousrv
undecided colour that ph()t()gra|)hs very intlistinctly, unlike-
that of the northt-rn species, which is sharp and pro-
nounced. Skins of this kind of girafte were brought
home from South Sumaliland, alter his last dangerous-
journey, by my friend the late Ikiron Carlo Krlanger,
the great explorer and traveller.
The sight of a herd in flight is very interesting..
They clatter in straight lines over the hard rough ground
3n
A\'ith l-lashliL;-ht and Rifle
-^
of the plains. The whole unwieldy bodies of the animals
swing backwards and forwards, their necks swaying like
masts on a movino; sea. Thev whisk their tails backwards
and forwards when Heeing, or when their suspicion is
awakened. Alter one shot the whole herd fdls into a
cjuick, shar|_) trot tor a tew moments, always flapping their
tails most energeticalK'. I am of opinion that by means
of this flapping and whisking of tails the giraffes are able
to communicate with and understand one another, and
this theory has much to be said tor it in view of the
absolute dumbness of these animals. Even at a distance
one notices the extraordinarily ex|)ressive eyes of the
giraffe, and it is easy to believe that the animal is chiefly
dependent upon them for its safety.
Dr. Zell concludes that giraffes ha\e no sense of
smell from the tact that when in captivity they try
to eat the artificial flowers on the hats of the lady
visitors ; but this does not tall)' with ni\ experience
of the way in which they take to flight when one ap-
proaches them with an unfavourable wind. Deer, when
in captivity, also seize eagerly upon paper and other stuff,
and the desire for the artihcial leaves in the ladies' hats
can easily be explained by hunger engendered by the
unnatural food with whicii giraffes are ted in captixity.
The poise of a giraffe's head is sometimes very
expressive of curiosity and encjuiry. Idle extremely
grotesque ap])earance of the animal is never so noticeable
as when it is seen standing sharp against the hori/on, not
unlike a high bare tree-trunk. Giraffes conununicate
Avilh one another l)y the carriage of the neck and the
%
I 8
-)
Giraffes
position of the body, as well as by their peculiar
"
tail
language."
In two cases I noticed the red-billed ox-peckerthat
true little friend of the rhinocerosin the company of
giraftes, to which it oftered the same friendly services
as to all pachyderms. In a sense giraffes also are
pachydermatous. The skin of old bulls has in some
A riloTOGRAril UF GIKAFFLS TAKK.X W 1 HI MV TELKI'lIOTO LE.NS
parts such a thickness that it withstands every art of
the taxidermist, who finds it one ot his most difficult tasks
in the tropics, without the em[)loyment of salt and alum
baths, to preserve the skin for safe transport to museums
at home.
Very few European museums have a stufted specimen
of the huge African male elephant or ot the huge old
giraffe bull. I have made many eftbrts to save the skins
319
^
of these beautiful animals. I succeeded with several young,
and especially with female, specimens, but never in pre-
servin;^ the whole skin of a very old bull undamaged.
The reason lies in the fact that it is an impossibility to
obtain vessels large enough to contain tht; skin, or to
take the necessary quantities ot salt and alum into the
wilderness.
I soon saw the uselessness of my efforts, and after
haxing spoilt three skins I lelt the old bulls undisturbed.
This was doubly hard, because I knew that soon it would
be too late ! No gold on earth would then be able to
re-create these rare creatures ! The female specimens to
be found in the museums of Stutto-art, Munich, Karlsruhe,
and other places, which live again under the hands of the
masterly taxidermist, show in a satisfactory manner that I
was successful at least in bringing them to Europe in
the best condition, thus retaining them tor posterity.
It is much to be deplored that competent men are
not subsidised to enable theni to secure specimens ot
some of the largest mammals. Perhaps it will not be
very long before large sums will be offered for single
specimens. Already a single egg of the Great Auk costs
more than /,"300, and it is not so very long since this
bird died out. The prices of many other zoological
rarities are equall\- high. In the near future the skins
of giraffes now exhibited in the museums as rare objects
will be valued at the highest figure. lUit no money can
bring back to life a species that has dictl out.
Mr. II. A. I)rydcn Informs us that some ten \ c;ars ago
certain native hunters in thc^ service of luiropean traders
^.20
^
Giraffes
killed about three hundred giraffes near Lake Ngarni in
South Africa. When one is told that even then the
skins were worth
/, 4 to ^,6 sterling, in order to be
made into whips tor oxen, there is no room tor surprise
at their wholesale slaughter.
This number was, however, as Mr. P)ryden expressly
states. ow\\ a small one compared t() that ot those killed
A WOUNDEIi BILI, i.lKAM'K AT CLOSE (QUARTERS
south of the Zaml:)esi. There, as has already been re-
marked, as in German East Africa, the animal is already
hunted, and will be perhaps yet more hunted, for purposes
of trade with South Africa ; it is thus doubly to be desired
that a number should be saved for scientitic ends in good
time. The invention of long-range, smokeless, small-
calibre rirtes has of course facilitated the destruction ot the
giraffe. Often those that are not killed upon the spot
VOL. I.
321
21
^
sink aftervvcirds in the thorny acacia-woocls a few days
later, there to fall victims to the vultures and hycenas.
A. H. Neumann, the well-known English elephant-
hunter, remarks truly that he has never heard a sound
from a giraffe. I also have never heard them utter a
cry or even snort. The giraffe appears really to be dumb,
an attribute that is not shared by many, it any, other
animals so far as I know. Neumann says, as I do, that
these wonderful animal-giants exist only in large numbers
in the vast East African [)lains because they cannot
be hunted there by mounted hunters on account of the
climate.
Dr. Heinroth, one of our most distinguished zoologists,
tells me that he has sometimes heard a low bleating sound
made by the giraffe bulls in the Berlin Zoological Gardens.
I leave it to be decided whether this sound is made only
by the im})risoned giraffes or perhaps by the young ones.
It is with the Q:reatest caution that the cjiraffes seek
out water, chiefly about evening time or during the night,
and they can, as already stated, remain several days without
a further supply.
1 was surprised somc^times to hnd cases of giraffes
torn by lions ; lions would only attack them, I think,
in h('rds or in pairs, 'ihc; Icartul blow th(;y gi\e with
their long legs (especially the bulls) might well hold
even a lion in check. Near the Gilei xolcano I killed
a l)ull girafie that had ckêj) scratches on it, evidently made
by lions, and that had the cud of its tail bitten (juite oft.
This indicates thrit lions sometim(;s attack them unsuccess-
full\-. Giraffes generally ket:p to districts where all kinds
322
-^
Giraftes
of game swarm, and are probably not often attacked by
lions.
The German poet Freiligrath has graphically described
a lion riding through his kingdom at night on the back
of a o-iraffe. Such an incident is not beyond the ranee of
possibility, but of course it would have a duration of only
a few moments. The lion would soon kill its steed with
a bite through the vertebrce of the neck. 1 myself can
vouch for this having happened sometimes. Hundreds
of vultures once guided me to a spot where two male
giraffes were lying dead, killed by lions. In such dramas
the genius of some great painter might well find
inspiration.
3-'5
A HAi.r
M\ iiiE w A I i-.Ki i:-^> \i;i.i
XVI
A
Zebras
jNIONG the most familiar of African animals is the
i. \. zebra, which is found in two such absolutely different
tvpcs in the north of ("lerman East Africa as Jujuiis boc/uni
and liqitus granti. Although of late years the numbers
of th(;se animals have been much thinned by l)r(M'ch-
loading
rifles, especially in the hands of the Askari,
there are still large herds of them to be met with on the
open plains.
The zebra is an animal of the plains and scrub
;
it
is not to be found in the prim(;val forests and jungles,
but it scampers up mountains ol some height with
wonderful agilit\'. Zebras are often found in the company
of ostriches,
hartebeests, and gazt^lles
;
they show a
special fondness tor tht; society of gnus. I often found
great h(*rds of zc^bras and whit(;d)earde(l gnus li\ ing
to<'-eth('r
amicably and fre(|uenting the same drinking-
place.
326
-1
Zebras
"
The shyest animal in Africa," a writer has described
the zebra. Nothing could be more inaccurate.
"
It is the
tamest," Mr. F, G. Jackson (the best-known English
judge of the East African fauna) answered me laconically
when I told him ot this opinion in the year 1S96.
As I have constantly to insist, animals only become
shy when they are hunted. And where only natives have
THE WAY IN Willi II I 111 ' ., .i|
I III /M;l:\> III.KMiKIi Wllil
rilKIK SURROUNDINGS IN THE MIMOSA-WOOD WAS VERY RE-
MARKABLE
hunted and the -animals have had no experience of long-
range rifles, European hunters have no difficulty in
getting easy shots at big game. Afterwards the animals
very soon learn to alter their conduct.
I found zebras to be quite among the most trusting
animals of West Africa ;
the sight of large crowds of
these beautiful beasts on the wide plains may well be
329
terniL'ci one ut the grandest spectacles in all the animal
world.
According to statistics piiblishtnl at Dar-es-Salaani
there are abcnit fitt\' thousand zebras in German West
Africa. I cannot conceix'e how any one has the courage to
give such figures. A reckoning is so difficult
;
personally
I should reckon it at a much higher hgurc;at quite several
hundred thousand head ! However this may be, the
fifty thousand is much too low.
It is a curious fact that the striking black-and-white
striped colouring of the zebras does not in anv way
render them noticeable in the surrounding landscape.
According to the light, zebras seem quite difiercmtly
colouretl, even to looking grey all over
; but even when
their black-and-white colouring can l)e discerned close at
hand it seems to harmonise in a remarkable manner with
the colourinij of the velt.
A curious example of protective resemblance is brought
before our eyes when zebras arc; taking their noonday
rest undcT the shadv trees and l)ushes ; the llutteriniJ:
shadows made by the motion of the foliage mingle strangely
with the stripes of the zebras. The assertion thai wild
asses are to be found in (ierman West ^Xlrica is
entirely founded on this tact. Morco\cr zebras verv
often roll in the dust, and then appear quite brcnvn or
red colouretl.
'!
he traxc-ller o\er the East African deserts has no
difficulty in understanding that the wild horses ot luirope
in times long past belonged to the most coveted wild
game ot the then primili\(^ hunting-|,eoplc. Ww. East
^^ Zebras
African carrier prizes zcbra-tlesh very highly, and
places it above all other game to be found in the
same district, as the old beasts are beautifully plump,
especially at the rainy season. This preference of
caravan folk tor zebra-flesh reminds us of the store
set on tlesh of wild horses in the days of primitive
man.
It would be v('rv interestinsf. and at the same time
^
A HERD OF ZEBRAS GLAXCI.XG AT ME ENQUIRINGLY
very sad. to know the number ot zebras that were killed
in former yearsnot only by the hunters, but by the
Askaris ot the patrols and caravans.
Zebras are polygamous, and the old males watch
jealously over their harems. Frequently bloody skirmishes
take place between the herds for the reason that the
females of other herds are taken to re|)lace those that
Whh Flashlio-ht aiul Rifle
^^
-^
have been stolen by beasts ot prey troni tlie male
zebras.
In an article on the domesticity of the zebra in
a Dar-es-Salaam piiljlication I toiind the opinion L;iven
that the wild zebra-herds were degeneratini^' by inter-
breeding'. Ihis statement is the outcome; of sheer
ignorance.
Under the guidance of a very cautious and watchful
male leader the herd teels quite safe ; it the sportsman
wishes to ap[)roach th(^ herd he will h.ive to dixert its
attention. Enveloped in a cloud of dust, the herd gallops
oft to the o[)en plains should its suspicion be aroused
;
then one otten hears the peculiar dog-like barking noise,
which zebras frequently make at night. Zebras are
extraordinarily malicious animals
;
the inmates of otir Zoo-
logical Gardens give us dailv proof of this. Savagery
and maliciousness are peculiar characteristics ot wild
equine species.
'
It is known that when America was discovered
horses wert; not extant there, the native equine species
having long since died out. The great Spanish ex|)lorers
were the first to bring horses from Euroj)e into the
New \\\)rkl. Some that escaped from captivity soon
formed wild herds, and in the course ot time these
multi})lied exceed ingl\'.
In America there is (juestion onl\" ot horses that
ha\e become wild the Texas pony, for instance, which
so distinguished a judge of horseflesh as 1 lerr C G.
Mliller-I)oan-Gusta\sruhe int'ornu^d me is now quite
'
Dîiihstic Animals, bv Julward Ilalin.
-^
Zebras
demoralised, its wildness and troublesoineness having
become so intensified in the course of a few centuries.
As Edward Hahn remarks in his work Douicstic
Auijua/s. half-savage horses were sometimes much
prized, until quite lately, because of their extraordinary
powers of endurance, but feared on account of their ill-
temper and awkwardness. On the high steppes of Asia
especially, the old wild horses which are captured
prove quite unmanageable in the hands of highly
skilled riders.
Of recent years numerous attempts have been made
to tame zebras and to render them serviceable to man,
and the opinion has been widely promulgated that
the zebra is destined in a very short time to be a
beast of burden and a draft horse tor East Africa.
These statements meet with the more credence in that
it is well known that ordinary horses cannot stand the
unhealthy climate of East Africa, and it they do manage
to exist tor a time are not capable of any real work.
South Somaliland constitutes the boundary line ot the
usefulness of horses and camels. Were it otherwise, the
moimted Galla tribes would unquestionably have dispersed
themselves southwards over the fana River in the East
Atrican plains.
Only in the highly improbable event of an absolute
preventive being discovered against the tsetse fiy
-
perhaps also against malaria and other illnesses
-will
the employment of horses become possible in those
lands.
Hitherto, while zebras, like all other sagacious animals,
-1 1 r
00 J
^
have been found capable of bein<^ tamed, the efforts to
make domestic animals of them have always fiilcd. We
know very little as to how man tamed the camel, our
domestic cow. or horse, or in what way the brtêds with
which we are nowadays funiliar came about Whether
the horse be the outcome of the; interbreeding of two
or of many sjjecies, in any case; its j)resent ty})e is due
to thousands ot years ot training and breeding by man.
Perha])s the zebra is also destined to undergo a similar
development
;
but this will not be brought about in a
generation, or even in several generations.
In South Africa ir was observed that zebras allowed
thc;mselves to be harnessed with ponies, and seemed
relatively docile in their company, but that the moment
and this is the whole point of the thingthe moment hard

and continuous work was expected, as trom a horse, they
simply became ill, and died of
"
broken hearts
"
!
The experiences of circus-managers are often interesting
to hear of in connection with animals. I have been told
by one of them that a male zebra, which had lived many
years in thtt menagerie with other zebras, once made its
escape and (lisapi)eared
somewhere in the menagerie, and
C(juld not b(^ caught for some hours. In spite ot the united
efforts ol' the assembled circus (mi)loyes, it was only alter
many hours that the dangerous animal was l^rought back
to his stall, and then onl\ by dint of surrounding it by
boards and bc-ams.
The men who ])rt;ak-in animals for circus performances
are prone to the us(,' of coercion with them, inste.id of
trvino- to develop their sagacitv. In the; case ol zebras,
VOL. I.
22
-^
Zcl)ras
no amount of breakino-in with the use of the whip would
serve to demonstrate that they are tameal^le, in the true
sense of the word. Never for one instant do they go
forward wilHngiy ; instead, they offer resistance at e\-ery
stage, working against the bit with their extraordinarih'
strong lower jaws. Ponies are used to coach them, their
natural sociability fivouring this arrangement. In the
same way in southern countries, when three, iour, or
more mules are harnessed in line, in ninety-nine cases
out of a hundred they will only work with a horse at
their head as leader.
In the case of zebras harnessed together with ponies
in tour-in-hands (in England and elsewhere) the animals
are alwa\"s hall-ted specimens, and are not made to do
much work. They are really not beasts of burden. The
whole thing is merely a game, so to speak. The zebra,
indeed, is not built tor work. The only genuine species
of wild horse lixing in Inner Asia, the liquus pi-zcva/skii,
has a ver\' fivourable build. My opinion on this
i)oint
accords entirely with that of the most distinguished lixing
expert in these matters. Count Lehndorft, with whom 1
discussed them once while we were visiting together
the zebras and wild horses of the Berlin Zoological
Gardens.
Up till now it has been impossible to train zebras in
the way lions, tigers, and other such wild animals have
been trained, yet I do not hesitate to afiirm that these
beasts of prey are less dangerous to handle than the
zebras with their tearful bite.
The character of our cold-blooded horse has been
339
i:^rcatlv improved in the last century, owing to the use
of only stallions of good quality and in good condition
for breeding purposes. Still, even now very troublesome
specimens are found sometimes among these domestic
animals.
In my younger days 1 often occupied myself with the
breaking-in of troublesome horses, and my experience with
them forbids me to entertain any hope of our being able to
use zebras for several generations yet, as a means ot settling
the question of animal transport in West Africa. It should
be remembered that the natives of Cierman East Africa do
not understand horses, and do not even know how to
manage their patient donkeys.
I am of opinion that we shall have very valuable
material in the Wanyamwezi and Masai donkeys, which
hitherto have not been thoroughly appreciated. These
native donkeys show themselves easily satisfied as regards
food, and are comparatively hardened to climatic inlluence.
They are phlegmatic beasts and adapt themselves to all
manner of treatment, and they afford material which in
the course of a tew years, by means of careful breeding,
will be much improved. Their blood is crossed with that
of the Maskat donkey, animals wb.ich come from a dry
climate and are accustomed to a special food. I main-
tain that this is a mistaken policy, as it renders the natixe
clonkevs liable to thost; cattle-diseases with which we are
still unai)](; to coj)e.
It" I maintain the emploxinent ot cajjtive and "tamed"
zebras to be quite unfeasible, and state clearly that the
notion sometimes entc-rtained with regard to mounting
340
-^
Zebras
troops upon zebras is merely Utopian, still I should
like emphatically to uphold the opinion that experiments
ought to be undertaken in the direction of interbreeding
zebras with horses and donkeys in the hope of producing
useful domestic animals in the course ot some generations.
But I believe that such an undertaking must be in the
hands of the State. I am a declared opponent to the
attempted development ot the colonies bv means of State
money, and much wish that private capital and private
enterprise would develop our colonies over the seas so
far as possible
;
still, I believe that in zebra-breeding
lies a fruitful task for the State.
It is a pity that we should have lost the ficulty of
making useful domestic companions for ourselves out of the
rich stores ot the animal world (such exceptions as canaries
and turkeys are hardly worth mentioning). While the
prime\al races of wild horses on the high plains of Asia,
the lujnus przci'alskii, are rapidly approaching extinction,
we have in these zebras of East Africa an incalculable
supply ot what might prove splendid sul)Stitutes ready to
our hand. The duty waxes imperious, I may wêll say,
tor those in power to make the trial whether, after a certain
number of years, the zebra cannot be rendered suitable, in
the hands of man, to enter the ranks of domestic animals.
Only thus can it be preserved from entire destruction.
Whether it be a race susceptible of development, or
whether, like many human races, it be calculated to resist
all outside infiuences, preferring to go under rather than
change, is a matter which will take the breeder many
decades of repeated trials to decide. Quite recently I
341
-^
heard a so-called expert connected with a Gc^nnan /el)ra-
ranche holding- forth upon the methods of a tarmer in
South America, who for years had crossed catl/c i.ût/i
horses, and I could not help wishint^ that scriou;; [jcople
would come to the tore and occupy themselves with this
highly important question !
I greet with joy the fact that Governor Count Gdtzen
has placed the zebra on the list of the animals to be
absolutely preserved in German East Africa.
M-
VJKW NKAR TIIK KlTlMlilX VOLCAXO
XVII
Lions
E"
OUATORIAL East Africa is without doubt as rich
J in lions as any other part of the continent.
Nevertheless, the prospect ot encounterinL^- them is, from
many causes, slighter than used to be the case in South
Africa, and still is in other regions in which horses can live.
In Somaliland, f()r instance, the lion is huntc;d on horse-
back, so that he can be followed imtil he is tired (xit, and
can then be shot. In South Africa they used to hunt lions
with dogs. Neither practice is possible in Equatorial
East Africa, as horses cannot live there, and the does
are useless lor this purpose.
The hunter has therefore to depend upon being
favoured by circumstances often to find himself unarmed
just when his chance has come ! Or else he must have
recourse to nocturnal expeditionsa method which, gene-
rally speaking, is not to my taste. On these night
"
shoots
"
you either fire from some eminence or out of
o4v)
^
a thorn-bush, and there is no tloubt that they are often
fruitful enouiîi. In this way it was that Count Couden-
hove some years ago in SomaHland shot seven lions in
one nioht on the dead body ot an elephant. lie describes
the incident lucidlv in the account ot his travels. I think-
highly of his description. It seems to me absolutely con-
vincing, and without e.xaggeration of any kind.
Count Coudenhove tells us how he was gradually
bewildered l)y the way in which lion after lion kept
turning up continually (juite near him during the night,
and thus went through a bv no means en\ial)le experience.
I have myself had similar experiences on such occasions.
They have given me many interesting opi)ortunities of
studying the habits ot animrils at night time, Ijut I must
say that I don't think much ot the shooting ot lions at
short range from the security ot' a thorndjush as a sport.
The darkness necessitates your shooting more or less by
guesswork ; sleep, so essential to you in these unhealthy
climates, is interfered with, and your day's work is entirely
upset.
I consider every other kind of liondiunting prefer-
alde to these night-shoots, even the iron-plate tra[^ method,
which often has very dangerous and exciting consequences
owing to the lion breaking away with the: iron.
The lion leads a nocturnal existence generalK" speaking,
and rests under trees and in bushes during the day.
l)y da\-, therefore, he is very seldom to be seen. b'\en
when you do sight him, he has generally sighted you
first, and disappears into the thicket before vou can get
a shot at him. .So lar l)ack as i8g6 I xcntured to
344
-i Lions
state, on the strength ot my own observations, that lions
hve sometimes in herds. Most of our knowledge of
lions is derived from the north of Africa, from regions
in which, as far back as we can trace, their numbers
have always been decimated by the inhabitants. Un-
doubtedly lions used occasionally to live in herds at
one time everywhere. The greatest number I have ever
seen in a herd was seventeen. An eminent English
observer has seen as many as twenty-seven on one
occasion. Sometimes two or three lionesses with cubs join
forces in search of prey. Similarly you will find several
male lions together, and male lions with two lionesses
;
old lionesses and ve^y old lions -often with defective
teeth
going about alone. It all depends, seemingly, on

the time of the year and the mating-season.
It may be laid down as a general rule that lions that
have had their fill are not disposed to attack. In Africa,
where wild lite is so plentiful, they are seldom at a loss
for food. In other countries, in which there is a scarcity
of wild life, they prey upon cattle and give much more trouble
to man. In Africa, by leaving unfinished the prey they
have killed, they often put the native in the way of a
meal, the vultures serving as unwitting sign-posts,
pointing out to the native where the meal is to be found.
From all this it will be evident that it is no easy matter
to study the habits of the animal. Many travellers of
note, some of the most famous African explorers amongst
them, have never come in sight of a lion at all. Very
few have succeeded in bringing down a lion single-
handed.
345
With Flashlight and Riflu
I\Ir. Wallihaii, my American tellcjw-sportsman, says
in his CaDicra Shots al Juo-
Game ihat in thirty yc;ars
of hunting he lias only come once face to face with a
puma, the lion ot America. He has killed several, and
taken excehent photographs of still more. Ijut all these
were started Ijy dogs. This reminds me ot the tact
that 1 only once saw the hv:ena wliich I m\ sc^lt dis-
covered [Hywiia sc/u7/ii{<^si) in a state ot treedom
1)\-
day,
though 1 have accounted for about ninety on various
occasions, and have photographed a great number ot
them by night.
( )ne of my most trustworthy soldiers,
who had long been in the service of the Government
as an Askari, never succeeded in getting a shot at a
lion, although, in accordance with the practice at that
time (since then \ery properly abandoned by order ot the
Governor, Count (.ôtzen), he was given for man\- years
the exclusive right of shooting the wild animals in the
neighbourhood, and had l)roLight down thousands ot all
kindsa line way of turning all the old cartridges in the
niafjâzine to account !
Among tra\ellers and sportsmen who have been
fortunate in British hâst Africa I may mention the
Duk(; A. V. \-on iMecklcnlnirg and I'rince Lichtenstein.
It was in South AtVica that the unrivalled sportsman
F. C. Selous made his mark a good many years ago.
In some instances \-oung lions ot onK' about ten months
old are to Ix- found in search ot pr^\' <"i thoir own
account, apart from tlieir mothers. The young lions which
I ha\e had opportunities of observing, or which I ha\'e
brought home to lun'ope, wore all strongK' marked with
346
->
Lions
spots ; and I remember an experienced African traveller,
who knew a good deal about lions, declaring in conse-
quence that they were leopards.
It is noteworthy that the hâst African lions, as a rule,
have not such strongly developed manes as those in
captivity, or as those from North and South Africa. The
A LIONESS FRIGiriENKD FKuM A CARCASE liV 'J 1 1 E FIASlILIGlir
causes ot the differences in the growth of the manes have
not yet been established. You see man\' full-grown male
lions in East x^trica entirely without manesI have shot
some myselfand a really strong mane seems to be nearly
always the outcome of ca|)tivity. It is said that lions
have small manes generally in very thorny regions. This,
however, does not accord with my observations.
347
->
In those parts of Africa in which I havfi travelled
the lion's favourite prey is the zebra, and in this liking- for
zebra- flesh he is of one mind with the caravan-carriers, who-
also prefer it to any other. b\ill-oTovvn rhinoceroses and
hippopotamuses, and of course elephants, are ncjt molested
by him; but their young ones are preyed upon, as well
as all other animals down to the small antelopes. Trust-
worthy observers tcdl also ot his encounters with porcu-
pines, in which h(^ often sustains damage.
Lions often hunt in combination, driving their prey
towards each other. This I have ascertained beyond dispute
by studying their tracks and by watching them at night.
They seem to communicate with each other l)y their roars.
In poimcing uijon
their prey, especialK' when drinking,
they make astounding springs ;
I have measured some
which covered twenty-four feet. Their fivourite plan
is to take up their position on some high spot, on the
steep bank of a river, say. and sjjring down sideways
from this s|)Ot upon their quarry. Unlike leopards, they
are unaljle to climb trees.
In the dry season great numbers of lions are to be
seen tog('ther at the drinking-places. I)y the stream
alongside which 1 took my best lion-photos I have seen
a group of over thirty lions of all si/('S and ages. In
the early morning 1 could ascertain by studying their
tracks that th(\- were; nioxing al)out in herds. When the
rainy season came along these herds broke up, and the
lions spread al)out over a wide area in pursuit oi prey,
each on his own account.
I camKJt test the accuracy of the well-known narratives.
3T^
-^
Lions
of the faintJLis lion-hunter Jules Gerard, as they have to
do with the lions of North Africa, which are now so
reduced in number. His lions were certainly quite
difterent animals from those which have come under my
observation. He killed about forty, some of them from
secure hiding-places, it must be noted, and was considered
a hero in Algiers in his day. Gerard was undoubtedly
a man of extraordinary courage, but it must be admitted
that many of his stories are so lancitul that they lack the
impress of truth. His story, for instance, of how he saw
two lions ficrhting for a lioness who managed to set them
both at another very powerful male, and how the latter
killed the two original rivals, is very ridiculous
; but I
agree with every line of what he says elsewhere :
"
He
who has not seen a full-grown lion in his savage state,
dead or alive, may well believe in the possibility of single
combat, sword only in hand, with this beast. But he
who /las knows that in an encounter with a lion a man
is like a mouse in the claws of a cat."
The lion has alwa\s had a kind of glamour over him,
and has come to be known as the King ot Beasts. In
common with many experienced observers, I hold that
this title should be given rather to the African elephant.
Lions, as a matter of fact, display widely difterent qualities
in difterent regions and under difterent conditions, as
is the case with other animals. Some of the old and
experienced individuals develop into hunters of men, corre-
sponding with the man-eating tigers of India.
Then there is a great difterence between the lion
sated and the lion hungry. The latterlionesses with
349
-9,
cubs especially are quick to attack, antl consequently
dano'erous. 1 alwciys prefer to shoot the lioness first, the
lion afterwardsas the foruK^r is a])t sometimes to spring
on you while you are aiming at her mate. In this she
compares very advantageously with him. tor he shows no
such
gallantry. Natives have often told me the same
thing.
Lions that arc; not hungry almost always a\()id an
encounter with men.
Of course there are exceptions, as
will be o'athered from mv own account ot a lion-hunt
on the heights of Kiku\ai. Keepers in zoological gardens
have observed the same thing. Lions, they say, show
every
decree of good-humour or ill-tem[)er according to
their age and the way they haxe been reared and looked
after. Wdiat can be done by careful treatment is shown
by the almost |)roverbial methods of the trainer Have-
mann, who mo\es in and out among his animal pupils in
the rJerlin Zoological Ciardens in the friendliest manner,
without ever having to use force with them, simply as
the result of the excellent way in which he looks atter
them.
Although it is often asserted that lions are gi\en, like
leopards, to making their wa\- into houses at night timci
and carrying off human beings from inside, 1 ha\e
come across few authentic cases of this kind. \\ hilc the
Us'anda railway was in course ol construction, two otticials
connected with it were spending the; night in a railway
waty^'ôn, the door of which was lelt open on account ot
the heat.
Awakened by a noise, one ot them, who was
sleei)ing
upon a high bed-contrivance, looked down to
35^
-^
Lions
where his companion had been lying on the floor, and
saw him bein^' dragged away by a lion. The lion would
seem to have killed the sleeper instantaneously with a
bite on the nape of the neck, according to its habit.
This event caused a great sensation throughout East
Africa a tew years ago. IJefore this, it should be noted,
lions had killed about forty of the Indians who were
ON THE GII.e'I VOLCANIC MOUNTAIN
employed on the railway, and who frequently slept in the
open air, and the animals had developed in this way into
regular man-eaters.
At nio'ht the lion alwavs disijlavs great indifference
and freedom from fear with regard to men ; nor is he
much frightened by the lighting of fires, though these
do afford the hunter a certain amount of protection. I
have known several cases in which the natives near mv
oo
^\lth Flashlight and Rifle
-^
camp have l)een preyed upon In' lions in spite of tlieir
ha\in_o- their camp-fires lit though possibly gone clown
somewhat and only smoulderingwhile m\- own camj)
was left unmolested.
Lions have, however, sometimes ap|)roached within
three or four paces ot my camp, and e\en of my own
tent. One dark night a large male lion nearly brushed
against my tent on its way down to the stream by which
it stood. He could have got to the water, either to the
right or to the left, without finding any obstacle in his
path. After drinking he returned the same way to the
velt, and some twenty paces from my tent he stopped
to inspect carefully a large bone, whitened by the sun,
which had been lying there some time. This was
ascertained next morning from his tracks. I set out
after him next morning, but had to break oft' my pursuit
atter about tour hours ot it, as he had turned aside on
to a stony part ot the velt, where his tracks could not
be discerned.
The same indifi'erence is shown by lions during the
night-shoots. They pay no attention to the hunter
waiting inside the tliorndjush when they are making for
the ass or steer tied up as a bait tor them three or four
paces oft, and they can be shot therefore quite easilw
r>om my own observations made at night time, while
I was engaged in i)hotographing the animalsthe lion
does not make a great spring upon his prey, but creeps
up towards it, stretching out its mighty bod)', antl then
is ujjon it like a lightning llash and kills it with a bite
on the back ol the neck.
^
Lions
In I goo I witnessed a very interesting spectacle, I
had been tor several hours following' up the tracks of
some lions when I came suddenly upon an ostrich's nest,
wM'th some young ostriches in it only just out ot their
shells, and with some eggs within a few hours of hatching.
To my astonishment the lions seemed to have disdained
the young birds. On examining the tracks more care-
fully, however, I learnt better. The old ostriches had
evidently espied the lions in good time in the clear
moonlight, and, as the tracks indicated unmistakably, had
enticed them away from the nest by effecting a speedy
retreat. The lions had followed the ostriches for about
a hundred yards with long springs, but had then, seeing
the pursuit was hopeless, fallen back into their ordinary
stride. In this way the ostriches succeeded in saving
their threatened brood. It was intensely interesting thus
to learn how clever these great birds are in evading
the attack ot their dangerous enemies.
WTat the natives say about lionesses being more
aggressive and dangerous than male lions is quite borne
out by my photographs, the lioness in every case being
the tirst to pounce on the prey, and the lions always
coming second into action. Here I would repeat that
lions as a rule hunt only at night, never during the
daytime, except at the coolest time of the year. During
the hot season and in the middle of the day they rest
in the shade. In captivity also lions show their sensitive-
ness to heat, and lion-trainers always find that on hot
summer days their pupils are but little disposed to show
off their accomplishments.
VOL. I.
oDo -o
AX'ith I'lashlio-ht and Rifle
"9^
This reminds me that hons were probably to be
fount! in Greece not so very loni^' a-iô, as tliey still are
in Asia, though in very small numbers. These lions
sh(nv themselves ca])able of bearing quite high degrees
of cold, if they do not go so tar north as their near kin
the tiger. The Siberian tiger, a recognised species of
the genus, li\es in the midst ot snow and ice, protected
against the coldest season by a thick winter coat. Idie
pair ot splendid Siberian tigers in the Ik'rlin Zoological
Gardens show by the way they thrive and breed that,
living as they do the whole year in the open air, they are
excellently suited in our climate, as is the corres|)onding
species ot lion trom NortlvEastern Asia. The tempera-
ture goes down alniost to treezing-point also on the
uplands of East Africa, and on cold nights the roar of
the lion resounds far and wide over the x'elt.
;54
A TRIO I SAW TOCKTIIER OX SEVERAL OCCASIONS : A GNU BULL,
A I'lIOMSdN's CAZELLE, AND A CUCKENUK (lAZELLE
XVIII
A Lion-Hunt
A\:
T the end of January
1897 I arrived in Kikiivu with
1 \. ci small caraxan. I had come from X'ictoria Nyanza,
where I had been down with malaria for several months.
Alone and helpless, I had a hard tussle for my life, but
thanks entirely to the untiring care given me by two officers,
Mr. C. W. Hobley and Mr. Tomukins, stationed at Fort
Mumia, I succeeded, against all probability, in shaking
oft^ the fever.
In May 1896 the ex})loring expedition, which I had
been able to join, had set out troni the German Coast
with about
420
men, and, after traversing some entirely
unknown regions, had reached \dctoria Nyanza.
I cannot here enter upon the story of the varied and
in some cases very interesting experiences met with on
this stage ot the expedition. Mere I propose to recount
only what ha|)pened to me on Januar\- 25th, when on
my way to the coast of Kikuyu. I was traversing for
the first time that recently ex|)lored country in order to
355
^
get back to the sea and to Europe, for, in view of my
weak condition aiter the fever, this was my intention at
the time.
Down to the time of my illness I had had all kinds
of hunting experiences, but on my journey to Kikuyu
I had tew opportunities of sport, and I was in anv case
too feeble to undertake much in the way of exertion.
After we had attained the higher uplands my strength
began to come back to meastonishingly quicklv.
indeedand with this sudden improvement in my health
came back natural!) all my zest and keenness for
sport.
Upon the desolate plateau of the Mau primeval forests,
with their endless bamboo-thickets, or in the woods
between the Naiwasha Lake and b\)rt Smith in Kikuvu,
I had not come across much in the way of wild life.
My ritle kept silence tor days together.
On January 24th 1 enjoyed the hospitality of the
commander ot the English station, who (as is always the
pleasant custom in English colonies) not onK' in his
private capacity, but also officially, showed e\ery possible
consideration tor me and my caravan, lending us milking
cows, pro\iding us with donkeys and pro\isions, and
doing everything in his power to help us and turlher
our plans.
Mr. llall, die commander of Eort .Smith in Kikuyu.
a man ol most attractive personalitx', is one ol the: most
experienced of African hunters, and is a sportsman ot the
right sort. W'c soon got talking of the one great theme
out there-
-big-game shooting.
-.
A Lion-Hunt
Shortly before our arrival Mr. Hall had been tossed
three times Ijy a bull rhinoceros at which he had shot.
Three of his ribs had been broken, and for months he
had been obliged to keep to his bed. Alter his recovery
from thds he had an encoimter with a leopard, which he
had also shot and wounded. One ot liis Askaris saved
him by a timely bullet from this dangerous assailant,
which left him an undesirable memento, however, in the
shape ot several wounds and a long-continued stiffness
ot one leg.
These mishaps were not to keep him from hunting
again now as much as he could. Pre\'iously, indeed, he
had been shooting big game year after year without any
kind ot ill-luck.
Our talk was mof.t interesting. We "swapped"
experiences, and Mr. Hall said that lions were to be
met with in plenty a few miles from the fort on the xAthi
plain, which is always rich in wild lite. Corporal Ellis
(ot L) Company ot the I'loyal Engineers) confirmed this,
and suggested that I should break my journev, and, after
a day's rest in the fort, spend a night in his camp, hve
hours' journey away, and go out thence with him on a
lion-hunt. He himself had shot a lioness right in front
of his camp a fortnight before. I had already made a.
number of fruitless efforts to get a shot at a lion, and
had not much confidence in succeeding now. I decided,
however, to accept this friendly invitation.
Taking farewell cordially of Mr. Hall, I set oft with
Corporal Ellis, and after a march of several hours we
reached the camp. He was in charge of a cattle-station
359
With Mashlight and Rifle ^
there, and had a large nundjer of Askaris under his
command.
1 was interested in examining the skin of the h'oness,
and we agreed to set torth on our shoot earlv next
morning. ddiis we dith On crossing a small stream,
quite an insignihcant one in the dry season, after we had
been several hoLirs on our way towards Mount Nairobi,
I pitched camp and ordered some ot the men to bring
firewood. The getting ot this took about four hours, as
none is to be got on the grassy Athi plains. Corporal
Ellis was against our halting here, tor, in his opinion, we
should be in danger from the lions during the night.
1 held firmly to my decision, however, confessedly still
sceptical as to so many lions really being forthcoming.
Ellis, five men of our following, and I now made a little
detour to tolknv the course of the stream, the upper
part of which was covered for some miles by scant)'
growth.
On the plain we saw a nund)er of gnus {Coiinoc/icc/cs
a//)0///l)a//is). Grant's gazelle {GazcIIa graiili), Cc^kc^'s harte-
beest iylhiba/is cokci), Thomson's gazelle {(iaze/Ia thonisoui),
zebras, and ostriches ; but they wcM"e all very shy.
When we turned back towards camp, still lollowing
the riverwith an imfavourable wind blowing1 must
say 1 was not sanguine ot our having an\' sport ; but we
had been only a (juarter of an hour on the wa\', two of
our party on one; side ot the stream, we oursehes on the
other, when suddcnl}" a cry,
"
.Simba ! Sind)al SImba
I^wana ! Kubwa Sana!" ("A lion, master! A big
lion!") rang in our ears. The men on the other bank.
360
-*
A Lion-Hunt
starting back in alarm, poiiitetl with wild gestures towards
a small clump ot reeds in the water.
To hear ;md to bolt was the work of an instant,
even tor mv reserve carrier Ramadan, a great strong
Swahili, who had stood the test on other occasions.
Obeying a lirst inn)ulse I followed him ten paces, seized
him by the neck, and ordered him to remain. He turned
round, his whole body trembling, and went back with
me, and we novv sought to make out the lion among the
reeds, from which a pool of about live yards' breadth
divided us. We could not do so, however, though the
men on the other side still motioned to us excitedly that
a big lion was there. In another moment something
moved among the reeds in Corporal Ellis's directionhis
Martini- Henrv rano; out, and a larye lioness, showing
that she had l)een grazed, came tor us with a sudden
spring. For a second her head otiered me a tair mark,
and with a lucky shot at seven or eight paces I brought
her down dead.
The bullet, a
4/5
steel one as usual, settled side-
ways in the nape of the neck, killing immediately, as
always happens with such shots. I have preserved it
in my collection of S-millimetre bullets as a souvenir of
the occasion.
My joy was intense! The corporal congratulated me
heartily, and our return was heralded by all the men with
shouts of glee. Twelve men carried our booty back to
the camp. In the stomach we found the remains of a
zebra.
After a quick breakfast we set out again to shoot
^61
With ri;islili'>lU and Rifle
soiiK'lhiiiL;' tor our clinncr. I'^llis, who wciil ahead, tiacd on
sonic loii!^' shots at hartchccsts, hut iWd not l)rinL;' an\'
of them (h>\\'ii. Mcanwhih' I hccamc conscious ot the
symptoms ol an attack ot dyscntcr\'. whicli I ma\- men-
tion pai'cnthcticalK' I iôl rid ot in a lew (li\ s h\ (hiu
of drastic treatment.
Whc-n I liad been tollowin^- Idlis hir ahout halt an liour,
I saw to my rii^ht. at not too lon^' rau'^'c, a male I'homhon's
o:azcllc which I r<'Sol\'ed to ect. Mc-tioninii' to m\' men
to rt;main wliere they wxn'c;, I adxanced cautiousl\' as hest
I could. Soon I had L^'ot to a distance ot
300
yards
from my three .Xskaris, and out ol si^hl ol them
1)\'
reason oi st:\'eral s]!L;iu swellings ol the ground in hetwcen.
Just
as I was on the point ot lirin^' at the i^'azelle, Irom
a distance; of ahout se\cntv -fi\c paces, m\- e\'e was caught
l)y somethiuL;' yellow a hundred |)aces beyond it which
1 at once; saw to l)e a lion's h,ead. At the same moment
1 heard a well-known sound to m\- ri^ht, and turning-
round (|uickl\' saw a lare(; dark-maned, ^rowlin^' lion,
standing- still in the; oi'ass a hundi'ed to a lumdred and
twent\- paces awav. d'o all appearance, he liad espied
(jr scented the slalkiiiL;' hunter, and it was luck\- he had
not come nearer, as he mi^ht so easil)' ha\(; done, lor
all m\ atlention had been centred on the gazelle.
1 stood like a man bciunnhed ! 'I'wo lions l)etore me!
U was a larec order in the then slate of m\ nerves
alter m\
lone- illness. It was b\- no means an ,iL;re(;able
situation toi' me, conscious as 1 was ot my
compai-ativc
helplessness. I could reckon on onl\' one sliot. l'(.)r
sul)se(|uent shots I should have to reload, and in spite
;62
'^
A
Liuii-llunt
THE y\.\\.V.
OSTKICIl WAS ii) i;k >kk,\ m-.ak I hi: M..^r
,TRICH-S NEST. I OFTEN CAME
ll'ON THEM IN ITIE
AUTUMN
J)
^ ^
o
^
of long practice, 1 sliould find it clitticult to shoot again
if cither of the Hons came tor inc.'
There I stood, then, with my ritle raisech face to
face with the nearer of my two adversariesshall 1 call
them
?
-the old dark-maned lion. A moment passed

thusa moment that seemed like eternity, and that yet,
looked back upon now, seems a moment ot (ecstasy. The
old lion eyed me, still growling away, but remaining
quite still, with his head up and his tail to the ground.
The other animal, a lioness apparently, remained lying
half-concealed in a clumij ot tall o^rass. The Qfazelle had
got to within twenty paces ot me and had then tied
away at tull speed.
1 experienced a not unnatural desire tor the appearance
of mv men upon the scene, and this now happened, as
I gathered trom a shout thev gave me^l did not dare
to look round. They were calling out to me what sounded
like
"
Simba. ik^ kali sana !
"
(" d hat lion is a very dan-
gerous one !
"). I retired backw<u"ds step by step, keeping
ready to tire at an\- moment, until at last I found myself
again ncâr m\ men. 1 beckoned to them, l)ut they
were not to be induced to advance the seventy paces or
so that dixided us until 1 ordered ihem in the; most
perem])t()ry wa\' to do so.
As soon as 1 had l)y me my
"
BcU'uti Boy," who held
^
'I'liL- meclKinisin of the millimetre mat;a/.iiie-rinc a few years aiô
was unreliable accordiiiLi; to my experience and that of man\' sportsmen.
Tlierefore I preferred the single-loader. A checlc through the jamming
of the cartridge occasionally made the rille useless, and it toolc some
time to get it right.
-*
A Lion-Hunt
in rccidincss a "450 double-barrelled ritle, and my two other
Askaris,
"
Baruti bin Ans
"
and
"
Ramadan," one of whom
carried a 12-bore fowling-piece loaded with sUiii^, for
a final shot at close quarters, I coukl restrain myself no
longer, and, against the wishes of my followers, 1 sent
a l)ullet alter the slowly receding lion, which only grazed
him.
It was with difficulty now that I controlled mv excite-
ment. I loaded again, however, and got in another shot
at the lion, which was now moving to one side. This
shot also was not well aimed, hitting high up on one of
his hind-paws. At once the lion turned round as quick
as lio;htninof, but did not vet attack me. Instead, roarinQf
terribly, he whirled himself round ten or a dozen times,
biting in mad tur\- at his damaged paw. He reminded
me exactly of a plucky iox or jackal, badly wounded.
This exhibition, however, aftbrded me the best of
opportunities lor further shots. I fired three times, two
of my shots doing good execution. Soon he collapsed
completely. When we came up to him, approaching with
all the caution due in the case of such an animal, he was
already dead.
The lioness meanwhile had taken to fiight.
Our joy was without bounds. Corporal Ellis, who
had come up to within about 200 paces ot us while
I was firing my last three shots, and had been a witness
of the entire scene, congratulated me heartily, adding
that he had not expected to see such marksmanship.
I must admit he was right r^bout the mmiber ot lions
which infested that neio^hbourhood, and also that it was
365
vcrv incautious ol me to tackle two lions without waiting
tor liini.
Xcxt morning I sent two messengers ^îth the news
to Mr. Hall at Fort Smith, and two others with a letter
lor tr.msmission to the leader of the expedition which
was presently to pass over the same route. 1 told him
of the chance he would have of getting some lion-shooting,
and afterwards I learnt that he saw eight lions together
on the same spot where 1 had shot mine, and that he
had fired at them at long range without result.
My second lion was also a large old black-maned
animal, whose scarred and seamed skin told of many
a struggle with his own kind. It is noteworthy that,
whereas the lions in certain other regions of Africa
those for instance to be met with tipstream in the Rutu

\ alleyoften have no manes, but are quite smooth like
lionesses, these lions which lix'e in Kikuvu, which is
a relatively cold district and lies high, are provided with
abundant manes ot a dark colour.
Now ensued a triumphal march to the camp, followed
l)y a caretui skinning of this second lion and the pre-
[âration of both skins. Corporal Ellis thought it \\as
time for him to return to his cnvn camp, as he did n;)t
wish to tra\-erse the plain towards ex'ening.
Merely for the purpose ot Ijringing down some game
b\' way ot provisi(Mis, 1 set out again about two hours
before sunset and succeedetl in gc;tting several Thomson's
ga/êlles. I stalked a harteb(,;est buck tor a long dis-
tance, which I had wounded, i)Ut could get no chance
of killing him.
-.66
P*?^
->
A Lion-Hunt
While thus engaged, I had again got out of sight
of iny men, and now again I heard the same warning
growls just as I had at midday ! Looking to one side
I saw first one, then a second, then a third, then a fourth
lionall with manes ! There was a distance of only
about one hundred and twenty-five paces between me and
the nearest of them.
This time I lost my nerve. I tried to retreat, with
the result that the nearest lion made two springs forward
and then began to creep slowly towards me. 1 remained
standing motionless. The lion remained stretched out
watching me. Minutes passed thusten long minutes at
leastand now my nien were to be seen some distance
away. As soon as they came in sight of the lions and
took in my position, my trusty
"
Baruti Boy"no Swahili,
but a member of a branch of the Manyema race suspected
of cannibalismwas the first to come up to me, with my
450-rifie in his hands. The others followed him slowly,
but they did not dare to come very far, and were not to
be induced to come right up to me.
The lions were now getting much disquieted, and began
to growl. They made a majestic and unique picture,
standing out in sharp outline against the velt in the
rays of the setting sun, the undulating ground behind
them blending with the far horizon in the quivering,,
glistenincr twilieht. As the warning growls and the whole
demeanour of the animals were very difterent from those
of the lion I had shot in the morning, 1 came to the
conclusion that they were hungry, and therefore would
prove dangerous to deal with ;
and having no reserve
VOL. I.
369
24
rifle, as already mentioned. I l)acked cautiously to where
mv men were. Now followed a
"
Schauri
"
a conference
with them, in which I endeavoured to make them come
on with me, but in vain.
At last I sent l)ack two carriers, who had returned
from securing- the two antelopes I had shot, to the camp
for reinforcements. Without waiting for their arrival,
however, I determined, beinof now mvself a^-ain, and
having at last induced my men to approach within two
hundred paces of the lions, to manage the thing single-
handed. I fired at the nearest of them, but missed. At
once he came springing towards us, but at about the
twentieth s|)ring he stopped, roared, and then wheeled
round slowly. Upon this all the lions made ofi"! walking
at first, then at a trot, and finally at an awkward kind of
a gallop
going two by two. Later they parted C()m[)any,

still in pairs. Ihus began one of the most interesting
and exciting adventures of my whole i(Uirney.
We followed the hindmost ot the two pairs for about
half an hour over the plain, always in the direction of
the setting sun. We ran iminterrujjtedly, except when
the lions stood still and e\ ed us ; then we walked. Wê
gasped for Ijreath presently, only two of \uv men kec-ping
up with me. Ikit I had become so set on bagging these
two lions that 1 achieved what was probablx the quickest
and longest run ot m\' life and 1 have memori(;s ot many
wagers won over long runs ! 1 was determined to get a
shot at him, ('o^7/c (juc cofifc !
Soon their distance from us was narrowed to about
403 paces
then it went up to 500

again, and 600.
0/
o
-i
A Lion-Hunt
But on we went, still iâsping, over the plain. Pre-
sently it looked as though all our efforts were to go tor
nothingthe distance between us was growing greater.
Suddenly I canK- to a quick decision. Perhaps by a
miracle I might bring off a hit, even at such long range !
I fired, and could distinctly see where the bullet struck,
about ten paces behind one of the lions. He took it
OKGKICH SUPERINTENDINC THK TRANSPc^RT OF A YOUN(; LION
INTO CAM I'
in very bad part ! He turned round, remained standing
where he was and roared, beating violently with his tail.
The further lion also stopped in his flight. I fired a
second shotthen a third, this one at the further lion.
He showed his anger in the same waystanding still,
roarinof and beatincr with his tail.
There ! The fourth or fifth bullet has found Its
billet! The lion hit comes rushing at us with long
3/1
-^
sj)rings.
Suddenly hv. breaks down then three or four
more
staggering
crooked
springs, and suddenK' he; col-
lapses
growling rather than roaring in his tur\. I

cannot
explain how it came about, l)Ut 1
now put
aside all caution and common sense. I ran on to within
1 20
paces of the wounded
animal, firedand missed!
Now came the critical
moment. ( )n Ik; came again with
a succession of frenzied springs. I knelt tcj m\- next
shot so as to manage it (juietly and make dead certain
of it. Again he collapsed. Now for it ! One more
shot at a hundred paces, and my third lion springs into
the air, tumbles over backwards, and talis dead.
In the madness of our delight we rushed up to where
he lay, spoilt by this success and forgetting all caution.
However, it was all right. He was quite deadpan
even finer specimen than the one killed at middiiy, and
with a still darker mane. We skinned him quickly, as
soon as our rear-guard came up to us, about ten minutes
later. Head and paws were left unsevered from the rest
of the skin. In the stoniach we found nothing in con-
trast with the lion shot in tht;. early morning, whose
stomach we had found full of zebra-llesh and great pieces
of skin. This explained how this third lion came to be
so much more full of fight.
Now something occurred which is rare indeed in
Africa with the native. My men lost the way, and
as we started on our return journey just as the sun
was setting we soon stra\ed. Six men were told
oft' to carry the heavy skin in relays of threeand our
progress was made under ver\ unsatisfactory
conditions
-< -)
J/
-
-^
A Lion-Hunt
owing to the anxiety of my men to get out of the
"
Plain
of Lions," and to the way in which thev
himgr
toQêther
hke sheep. Wîthin fifteen minutes, as is the way in
the tropics, It was (juite dark, and two hours went by
before we reached camp, halt owing to a lucky chance. I
had to march at the head of my little caravan all the
time.
When at last, however, we reached our goal all our
troubles were forgotten, and we gave way to our feedings
of joy. By the light of the camp-fire the skin was spread
out, to be cleaned next morning. Four sentries kept
watch all that night, but although lions were to be heard
roaring in the distance, nothing happened of any im-
portance.
Next morning a deputation of my men came to salute
me and christen me with pomp and ceremony. I was
dubbed
"
Bwana Sinba
"
(" The Lion-Lord "), instead of
"
Bwana ndege
"
("The Bird-Lord"), which appellation
I had acquired on the coast, because I shot birds (often
on the wing, to the astonishment of the natives) and
collected their skins.
On the stock of my trusty rifle, supplied, like all my
weapons, by Altmeister Reeb of Bonn, I inscribed the
words,
"
Three lions,
25
Jan.
97."
Fresh messages went now to Fort Smith. To Mr.
Hall I wrote again, now recommending him in my turn
to come and hunt lions in this neiofhbourhood ;
and as
I intended to remain for a few days, some additional
provisions were forwarded froni Port Smith for my carriers.
Mr. Hall himself was unable to avail himself of my
imitation, as he was expectinL;' Mr. 15arclay from Uganda
that day. 1 got to know Mr. Jjarclay later at Kibwezi,
and was able to shcnv him m\ trophies, of which he had
heard a good deal.
Eight more days I spent upon the plain without
getting another shot at a lion. We had to content our-
selves with hearing the roaring of lions at night, bv way of
lullaby. The trementlous effect of this roarine as heard
in the stillness of the African night is indescribable.
The Hesh of all my three lions was devoured the
same night by hy:enas, and the bones as well. There was
nothing left of them. Hyaenas are in great force in
Kikuyu, because the
"
Wakikuyu
"
the natives
give
their dead to them to devour instead of burying them.
The 25th of January, 1S97, will always remain a
red-letter day in my memory, and would do so even
it I had not my three fine lion-skins, prepared by the
cunning hand of Robert Banzer. to serve as decorations
to my room of African trophies.
END OF VOL. 1,
Piiiiled bv llazcll, W'atstiti <i~' I'tiiry, Lif., I.iiiuinii iiiid Aylisbuiy.
72U1
AMNH LIBRARY
100127095

Dr. Schillings' Zoological Expedition in East Africa

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-if one may put it thusevery shot tells.

have killed with discretion and strict moderation, and

generally photographicof the

a study quite as im})ortant as that of their anatomy,

are a people of Seniitic origin. The linguistic evidence

NATIVES LICENSED TO CARRY FIREARMS AND HUNT BIG GAME

creatures of exceptional intelligenceand seals and rein-

photographs which, in addition, have been more

pass current, and are oftcji

"lUNUl"' -TO WORK.

unfortunately plays too big a role in Kast Africa. The

and 1 passed during my illness on the borders ol the

will hnd so much to win his sym-

-Nyika is to be seen garbed

go to form another style of velt vegetation.

stragglers perhaps from flocks of these winter guests

l)r()vid(xl rich enjoyment, dawn, hastening up, ottered the

the l\imurri-nnirri of the natives

make their appearance,

\\ity or more- -to kill a lar^;': old ImiII.

-the beautiful soft ivory

the caravan had lived entirely on the flesh of wild

came very near tulhlmc^nl.

-a great solid, impressive mass,

and in a few^ seconds I managed, thanks to my size, in

-sometimes they are most

settle down again upon

just when the camera is no good. The

"iMaoic!"is tlndr word tor ever) thing that [)asses their

great furrows in the sand of the

that an elephant was somewhere about. I sprang up,

has yet been conveyed home to any ot the German

the branches would break before him like matchwood.

ready to shoot at any moment. Hour after hour goes by

^the Zoological Gardens in Berlin. There he con-

will perhaps help also to modifv x\\v. impression derived

a victim to the sweet palm-wine of which he had drunk

prevents the sun's rays from

and this is the whole point of the thingthe moment hard

going about alone. It all depends, seemingly, on

-the old dark-maned lion. A moment passed

those for instance to be met with tipstream in the Rutu

going two by two. Later they parted C()m[)any,

then it went up to 500

growling rather than roaring in his tur\. I

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