| Show I I r 7 f I w wf wI i I Il I l I Ii IiI L A T 1 Ji I I JJ J R c OF AFRICA A I t T Fire Hunting with the Congo Cannibals 1 By Captain Fritz Duquesne Capt Fritz z Duquesne Du was born lorn of ofas Boer parents in South Africa educated in Europe Europa where he won considerable distinction as a swordsman and aud has been a professional hunter of big game most of o f his life Al At the age of 17 he lH was a veteran of o f the Kaffir Ka af f fj j fir wars He served in the Boer war and also in n the Congo In n the recent events evenly even of South kaleidoscopic history hi Cash Oapl Duquesne took a conspicuous part He acted in tn many capacities during the hostilities between the Boers and the British being I I in turn spy military detective vel engineer censor and propagandist He lie was wounded twice in the tho fighting r around arol nd Colenso o When the British succeeded in cutting cable communication between the tho Boer hoer republic and the rest of tho the world Duquesne carried the news of the Boer victories over the tho Mozambique border larder and from there he wrote his hi dispatches to the Petit Bleu the official European Euro can organ of the Boer government lIe He was once captured by the Portuguese and thrown into 4 k J prison P on at Lorenzo Marquis Later he was taken as a prisoner oner to Europe at the request of the British government nt When the t g i i ship that conveyed him and his guard touched at Naples he was lOa suffering from a fever and in consequence was ivas placed in an f gf Italian hospital On his recovery he was allowed to go free EC II c went to Brussels and was sent seni back to the front by Dr Leyds with DUh plans for the seizure of Cape Town by the Boer commanders then the mobilized mobilised in Cape Colony Everything was ready for forthe fore Ij the e taking of o f the city when a traitor having revealed the thc plot Duquesne and a number of others were captured in Cape Town inside the British defenses t This was the climax of o f what has lies come to io be known kno wn a as s the e Cape Town Plot t Some of the pris prisoners odors were sentenced to death who later Inter had their sentence changed to life imprisonment Capt Duquesne was among the Our ther i 1 I L latter Ten months later he lLe escaped from fron ti the tho Bermuda BeHinds prisons got aboard the American yacht Margaret of New r York while whilo the M was coaling at the dock doel and was WM conveyed to Baltimore Back to t I he went again as al war correspondent cor cs and military 1 r writer on oil the Petit Bleu thence to Africa where he took a commission on tho the Congo In East Africa he lIe hunted big game gamet I t t for sport and profit and finally he came to New York to do newspaper and magazine work worle i I NE NB of ot the greatest elephant hunts I ever witnessed I IL L O participated In In Inthe inthe Ini i the northeast central cen central central region of the they ther y r Congo Conga Free Frees State j between Senga a aY Belgian traveling Y I port and Lake LakeI I For ruthless destruction this hunt aunt beat anything I have havo ever hoped I ito to see eee Although I commenced by t joining the hunt I really became a aI I spectator after a short time The hunt fount unlike most elephant hunts was pot inot conducted for tor ivory It was for tor a aI amore more imore useful purpose according to Af African I rican opinion for tor it was for tor food Of I course the ivory had its value and as asI I I was on the spot I hoped to make a anice anice aI I nice sum by purchasing it itI I Elephants have a habit of migrating I from one part of the tile country to an ani anI another i other lother in iu herds of from five to It Itis ItIs I is ls Indeed strange that thal as though by byI I 1 arrangement all the elephants in the then north n rth start on a long march south or orvice orIce orvice vice Ice versa very verj often with no apparent tint PDt reason I have been passed by bj byi I i 20 herds In a week all moving south The Tho way they march Is peculiarly i f intelligent the young and weak ele I even if it they are weakened I i through age are crowded in the cen cenI I tel tor and the rest of the herd that are arc areat arch areat h at the height of their vigor and have I jail all lali their fighting powers march on onI q I the outside Some will even een scout out outa 1 a considerable distance ahead of the herd and on the slightest sign of dan danI daner ger er r give the unmistakable signal of oft I t I alarm which is a short sharp trump trumping I ins ing sport s ot The file he hunt in question took place in int tle t e a middle 1 of the dry dr season which c In Slay May in that district nf nd is ls t its height about the end of off f rune Timp Lookout towers were wore built in inthe InI Inthe the country and native watchers occupied th them m day and night For at I r u night might the he elephants can be heard heardt t After some sarno days natives from the it northern villages who were not then at war with the men of the Senga I 4 country countr who are ere notorious cannibals I land and much feared came in with the news that a number of large herds were on the way south There was much rejoicing on the part of the natives for tor there had been IJ I t many wars during the last year yeal and human flesh esh was cheap and was coni con can considered i no longer a luxury by b the fas Cas fastidious 4 natives who really like a van vari variety ari l ety sty in n their food toad A change ch at least once a year is considered necessary s t One morning my boy called me from my hammock and informed me meI I j with a great show of glee that the ele elephants elephants i were coming I jumped for formy fori formy i my arms and Joined the throngs of ofa a excited natives who were collected in InA A 1 clusters and getting orders from i s their chiefs I I Preparing for the Hunt Hunti i Spears with razor edges were glis gUs glistening glistening in tho the sun and rifles and ar arrows arrows arrows rows were prepared for tho the hunt Torches were made and earthenware Jars were filled with burning charcoal and carried by each native nathe These I were to burn the grass grassI I At the edge ed e of the tho forest that skirt skirted skirted ll ed the open veld eld at least natives dr from different villages collected by ap appointment 4 Men who had recently been seen fighting each other and eating t each others relations greeted one an another another another r other with apparent friendship In Instructions Int were given by the chiefs 1 and the natives formed in parties of t from five to nine then without more u ado their glistening naked forms van f l hed into the tho grass which was from fromI I x J 10 to 12 feet in height I ascended a ah h tree on the top of which there was a I 11 platform built for a lookout by the I native hunters I As far as I could see there were werey y signs of native watch towers but not an elephant In sight although tho the dull dullI I appearance of the high grass was i broken here and there by multicolored 1 herds berds of antelope and All Allday Allday it I day I waited even eating my food up in n the tree but not a sign of the quarry I went to my hammock that night somewhat disappointed and to toi todd i add ladd dd to my annoyance I could hear tho the 1 dull monotone of at the native nativo women I witch itch doctors praying for a successful hunt to a hideous fetish that was sot set setup I up not far tar from my hut At sunrise my boy boj woke me mo and after aCter a hearty meal of biltong dried meat I made my way to the tho lookout platform at the edgo edge of the forest An extraordinary sight greeted my vision As far tar as my eye eyo could reach the huge forms of elephants which looked really stately in their surroundings sur surroundings could be he seen strolling carelessly through the high brown withered grass Through my glasses I could see them flapping their huge ears and swinging their trunks to keep away the numberless Insects Insect that attack every living thing In that region Not a sign could I detect of the native nathe hunters The sun had bad passed the zenith and was sliding down the heavens to the west when at a n rough estimate I could see with the aid of my glasses at least from to 1000 elephants before me on the veld yet no sign of the native hunters The day da was gone when a slight breeze sprung up and rocked the golden grass tops to and fro Far away in every direction curling towards the blue sky a circle of sil silver silver silver ver smoke ascended This was the thc first sign of the attack The fires tIres de described described described scribed a circle of perhaps five e miles in diameter In a tho the smoke on the horizon increased to clouds and I could plainly see the fire re eat eating eatIng eating ing Its way through the dry inflammable Inflammable mable grass The elephants nearest the fiery cir circumference circumference circumference commenced to show signs of alarm and with Increased pace moved towards the center of the slowly narrowing circle Jungle Animals Flee in Panic Through tho the smoky atmosphere I could see the sun like a gigantic ball of burnished copper sink behind the gray blue mountains beyond the for tor forest forest est The short tropical twilight lin lingered lingered gored over the land and then all of a sudden darkness with a startling con contrast contrast contrast enveloped veld and forest Far off oa north south east and west glared and danced the red spear pointed flames above the advancing fire ranks first galloping this way and then that at the caprice of the whip whipping whipping whipping ping winds Slowly advanced the fire and small smaller er and more brilliant grew the ter terrible terrible terrible livid circle c Outside tho the inner ring of fire which grew smaller ev every every every ery minute there thero was another traveling travel traveling travelIng ing in the opposite direction and growing larger for the fire was burn burning burning burning ing through the high grass towards a center and away from it About midnight when the smoke had become suffocating animals of ev eVe every every ery er description hastened by fear bolt bolted bolted bolted ed past the tree in which I was perched Here and there thero a rhinoceros rhinoceros rhinoceros eros grunting in its exertions and shoving sho ng its young ahead then crowds of elands wilde wildebeest wildebeest wildebeest beest gemsbok everything went thundering by like a wild cavalry cavalry alry airy charge which lasted well towards morning Lions and leopards skulked past their eyes flaming with the reflected light from the fire which had made a alake alake alake lake of red In the somber sky The sight fascinated me mo it was terrible brutal I felt like a fiend watching destruction in some long past epoch and then my heart swelled and a sad sadness sadness sadness ness almost tearful filled my being when I thought of the horrific brutal brutality brutalIty brutality ity of it all allI I was deep in contemplation of the scene almost forgetting it in the chaos of the thoughts it excited when a hand touched mo me on tho the shoulder I started and turning saw the red eyes and gleaming teeth of my faith faithful faithful faithful ful boy The chief says you must come away from here as this tree may be torn t rn down by the charge of the elephants which are making this way No I answered I will risk it and stay here I want to see Ill stay too said the boy who would have been willing willin to be burned alive alivo with me should it il have been my fate Tho The circle was now very small The Tho loud crackling of the burning grass and the roar of the tho flames was deafen deafening deafenIng deafening ing Above the fires frightful mono tone like a discordant band coming from the distance I heard the tho tramp of the trumping elephants Slaughter of the Herd HerdIt It was now early morning The cold chill of the night had passed and the tho solar heat hent that crept through the choking smoke called my blood to life lICe The east grew gray violet and red In quick succession and the sun rose lose out of oC the hills east of Lake Lalee and lit the world What a sight met my mye eyes e es a sight I never shall forget for forit forit forit it is pressed indelibly on the tho film of my memory To tho the north of my watching place forming a rough circle of at least of a mile milo In diameter stood an irresolute mob of elephants each family forming its own cluster the fighters on the outer edge The Tho hundreds of backs shining like pol leather looked like the roofs of some weird city Tusks gleamed and flared ared in the sun and the mother elephants ele elephants elephants solicitous of the welfare of the tho young kept them as near as pos possible possible possible sible to them and even admired them for playing pranks on each other which they did on every opportunity for tor they did not realize the strange danger anger that threatened them They seemed no less lesa human than human beings Here standing in the tho cruel slowly moving circle of fire each wait waitIng waiting waiting Ing for fora a leader to take them out of danger they stood majestic and noble They might have been the ele dc elephant elephant pliant cavalry of mighty army The fire swept on the smoke gath gathered gathered gathered ered thicker about them The mothers commenced to trump in fear and the huge trunks moved restlessly to and fro over each other writhing like lIko wounded serpents over a lake of pitch Below me mo with a cruel leer on his tattooed face and his sharpened teeth showing s below his heavy lips crept the tho black form to Im of a native cannibal He was a pair of heavy asse goes in his powerful hands Others soon joined him and I knew that the slaughter was about to commence These little mUe cruel cunning natives crawling like snakes in the grass filled me with revulsion I hated them and almost wished I was an elephant so 30 that I could fall on en them and crush them The fire crept In and an the elephants on tho the outer edgo edge screeched in is pain as It burnt them A shot rang out and then a volley from the thundering flintlocks and buzzing ar arrows arrows arrows rows filled the air all and fell rell like lIko rain from the sky With frightful screeches of pain the elephants In chaotic con consternation consternation rushed to the edge of the advancing fire and then in their fear tear r One after aCter another fell un the t terrible r ible onslaught their huge bodies lies quivering as they bled to death from the frightful wounds of ot the asse gaes gacs The cries of the natives were if anything worse than the screeches of the elephants Here and there amongst the tho wounded and dead mammoths mam mammoths mammoths moths lay the prostrate form of a cannibal who had received an arrow that was meant for an elephant Hunters Also Meet Death Everywhere I could see the canni cannibals cannibals cannibals bals rushing in amongst the infuriated infuriated elephants and a d stabbing right and left like fiends reveling in a carnival of death One after another the tho na natives natives tives thes were tusked and crushed to r 4 d f J 3 r f f fJ an rr r i i rs y 7 f s1 T q 11 r ti s ge e 1 tf i v 1 LI t I r r rs y G r t tk yz td f fr r r ti i a f a a r s 4 I 11 f r rt t 1 1 I I L t tb b k kr r 1 I sc i f fr y yd r d a au r u jf l 1 2 f Y 1 e N k 4 tb y i I I COULD SEE BETWEEN BETWEE THE TH CHARGING ELEPHANTS THE MANGLED FORM OF THE BOY death by b the charging elephants The bloody spirit of war had seized them and they rushed into destruction to kill or be killed with the lightness of heart of children playing tag As the fire re crept erelt on the smell of oC burning flesh esh added to the horrible reality An old bull elephant driven mod mad by fear and trumping In anguish charged over tho the fire and came caDic rush rushing rushIng rushing ing down towards my mj tree As of one tt to for ibe 2 hilt r |
