of A^""^'^ ^-■'>" ■.;.„., fiairrcKs LlF ■■H c ^' v^ :/. ,.. ^^.V Oo. - ^ r^'-. \ 'f. /. '^, .is^ >^ - c>. ' / ^ '^C^ i ■'- ^ : '^ .^^' .>^ ^-^^. y^ N .:!'> ' (, : 'O'' "^A c^' ^*. * «" 1 \ '■* ,0 ^ % * ' V " * o -iS^' . -v^^ -"^ 5°<. ^^■^ ■r .X*' ■■^i>,^'^' ^Sa ^0'% ^.-% ,/ .^^'^^ -"- ■''i. .^'^' .^ :3 0' •^ . d'^ *^/Slliri^/- ■^;r> a\' - 00. .^^ ,0 o^ o' ^,^> .^^' ' %4 vO A-^' . ' '''^A v^' : ^""^^ '''y\^" r :.%:'■• N / >^ -t.. ^^^. .^ '^^. ■^^ -4 / % I « .^^ "oo"* x^ -^c^. 0° A^' V / - ^ -^ , X -^ ,0^ % ^*ii f . ^mm :.S* WILD SCENES A HUNTER'S LIFE; OK, THE Hunting and Hunters of All Nations, INCLUDING CUMMING'S AND GIRARD'S ADVENTURES. Br JOHN FROST, LL.D. With Thr BOSTONr^ LEE AND SHEPARD, PUBLISHERS. NEW YORK: CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM. oy Cbterod Mooc'Iiif ta Lstot Oongresft, in the jmx one thoniraid clgltt ku^lMJ and flffcy-flve, bf MILLEE, ORTON & MULLIGAN Ji tk« Clerk 8 \Mefi of tne Districi r> >art of the Northern DlMriot of New 1 ofHt. PREFACE. The subject of hunting is one which has a peculiar interest for the people of this country. So large a portion of our territory, even in the most thickly settled States, is still covered with forests abounding in game and beasts of the chase, that almost every citizen occasionally becomes a sportsman or a hunter; and those who never engage in any sport of the hunt- ing kind, nevertheless, are interested in the narratives of those who have distinguished themselves in forest and field. The following pages have been compiled with a view not only to gratify curiosity and afford enter- tainment to the general reader, but to furnish useful information respecting the natural history and habits of animals, and the modes practised by various na- tions in hunting them. (3J PREFACE. The lively and graphic narratives of Mr. Gumming, from which we have so freely borrowed, seem to open an entirely new era in hunting. His astonishing success in attacking whole herds of elephants and giraffes, and assailing groups of lions and rhinoceroses, would seem to establish the principle that a bold front, quick eye, and unflinching nerve, will enable a single man to hold his ground, and destroy or dis- perse a host of the fiercest wild be jts. We com- mend the portions of this volume copied from Mr Cumming's work to the special notice of the reader. The narratives may seem incredible; but we believe them; and the spoils )f the chase brought from Airica by this daring huntsman, afford convincing proofs of the general truthfulness of 'Is statements. The volume is very copiously .mbellished, as seemed necessary from the nature of the subject; and we trust that the delineations ui animals and birds, as well as of hunting scenes, will be recognized as true copies from nature. Considerinsf the lar^re amount of information con- densed into the volume, and the thrilling character of many of the narratives it contains, the compiler believes that it will prove an acceptable offering to th^ reading public. /Ci^m::^ .'^CONTENTS, Boirrma among the Aii^^ .nts HtlNTINQ AMONG THE AnCIENT MEXICANS HcimNO IN THE East Indies- — »** • SXBMS USED IN HUNTING •— • — HvNTma IN England and Scotland BCNTINGTHE BaDGEB HlINTING THE Wild BOAB . — BONTINe THE BUTPALO- .».~— — . .. Hunting THECHA~'^I8•— -^ BONTmO THE Fox '•<'•• -i-^ '••••> • BvamiG THE Hakb «m«— ^ CHAPTER I. CHAPTER 11. CHAPTER ra. CHAPTER IT. CHAPTER V. CHAPTER VL CHAPTER Vn. CHAPTER Vin. CHAPTER IX. CHAPTER X. CHAPTER XI. ... I •'. la — IT — 26 .... M ... 81 ... u -^ 48 .. 4fl •- M (6) CONTENTS. CHAPTER xn. HCNTING THE StAQ CHAPTER Xin. Mode of Hdnting the Indian Antelope CHAPTER XIV. dUHTING THE LlON ON HORSEBACK -► - • 71 CHAPTER XV. UCMTINQ THE MaRMOT- ^ H CHAPTER XVI. BlTHTiNG THE Virginian Deer-.- — ,......♦.►,. 7f CHAPTER XVII. HcwTiNG THE Indian Rhinoceros •• -.^^ .♦•.^ g| CHAPTER XVin. ttONTINQ THE BiSON •«- S8 CHAPTER XIX. UCWTING THE POLAR BEAR •. Qg CHAPTER XX. UOKTING THE AMERICAN BlACK BeAR ..<-... ^05 CHAPTER XXI. tlcWTiNG THE Llama 113 CHAPTER XXII. tlCNTINQ THE ReIN DeER ^ 117 CHAPTER XXIII. A. BiBON Hunt of Mr. Catlin and Mr. Chardon - 128 CHAPTER XXIV. ▲ Bishop Hunting the Tiger .► 185 CHAPTER XXV. Adventures with the Hyaenas .•..^^.. «-.«-......... 141 CHAPTER XXVI. Hunting the Ourang Outang- • • • - ^.^. .«,«-. .«*««.... i^ CHAPTER XXVII. Uuirxmo MoNEiTS • <~><- IM CHAPTER xxvrn. Hunting the Ibex ^•^..-.►.^..^^. iai CHAPTER XXIX. BrNTme the Paca, the Agouti, the Viscacha, and the Chinchilla • • 107 CHAPTER XXX. HCNTINQ THE MOOSB ^.^..,^^^^. ^,^ .^,^. .. . I7J CHAPTER XXXI. Hunting Antelopes with the Cheetah ^^ ^...•...>...*...^..,. I7f CHAPTER XXXIL HCNTIHQ THE KaNOAROO-' *^.^ ^,.^.,^. 18| CHAPTER X XX in. A F&ENCH OrjicEfi Hunting Lionesses- •^•-^ ...<_««> .-.>..» 18( CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXXIV. HUNTINO THE JaGDAR • ^.-^..^.^.^^..^^ .. .. 19i CHAPTER XXXV. llDMLNG THE G.\00 • -•• -• IW CHAPTER XXXVI. Hunting the Ostrich, the Wildebeest and the Obtx 20? CHAPTER XXXVn. Hunting the Springbok and the Quagg a 2o7 CHAPTER XXXVTII. Hunting the African Buffalo aivd the Pallah 213 CHAPTER XXXIX- Hcnting and Hawking in Persia 219 CHAPTER XL. Bhooiing a Lion from a watching place 224 CHAPTER XLI. Hunting the Leopard with Dogs, and Adventures with Buffaloes and Lions 230 CHAPTER XLIL BtR. Cumming's Adventure with a Snake 236 CHAPTER XLIIL HuNTiNa the Blesbok and Boar 243 CHAPTER XLIV. Hunting the Hippopotamus 247 CHAPTER XLV. BiE. Cumming's Adventure with an Extraordinary herd of Blesboks 263 CHAPTER XLVI. Hunting the White Rhinoceros, Lion, Buffalo and Qiraffb ■. . .~— 267 CHAPTER XLVII. Elephant Hunting by Moonught ^.^ 267 CHAPTER XLVIIL VENTURE WITH A MONSTER LlON ...^^ 279 CHAPTER XLIX. I OVTiNO THE Bustard and the Eland 283 CHAPTER L, fTiNG THE Giraffe. — Habits of the Elephant CHAPTER LI. ;. CUMMING CHASED BY A RHINOCEROS « 301 CHAPTER LIL iJTENTURE WITH ELEPHANTS. — HaBITS OF THE LlON ^ ►.- 30« CHAPTER Lni. 'StBPHANT Hunting in the East Indies- • — 32| CHAPTER LIV. dOKTINO THE MaRTEN, SABLE, QeNET AND CiVET 321 CHAPTER LV. lULUJfG, CUtTlMO UP, COOKING AND EATING AM ELEPHANT *—-....-.. ^... _.,,-... . 38| CONTENTS. CHAPTER LVI. tuHTme TM Wild nOBSB AKD THE Aa3 — -— -— 84fl CHAPTER LVIl. JUKTINO THB NTL GhAO THE OCELET, AND THE LYXX ---• — • • —^-.-^..861 CHAPTER LVin. flDMriNG THE Cougar— Hunting ScirtRKELs „.„„.8M CHAPTER LIX. pcjnixa THU American Elk or Wapiti - - 36* CHAPTER LX. HrNiiNO THE Raccoon, the Black-Tailed Deer, and the Mdsk Ox ... — ^..~.^.C| CHAPTER LXl. Hunting the Beaver and the Opossum — ..37 all the Celtic nations to hunting, however, proceeded most pro bably from its being a kind of apprenticeship to war. By it thei- routh acquired that courage, strength, swiftness, and dexterity ii n HUNTING ADVENTUR] ANCIENT CELTIC HUNTER. handling their arms, which made them so formidable in war le their enemies. By it, too, they freed their country from those mischievous animals which abounded in the forests, and furnished themselves with materials for those feasts which seem to have constituted their greatest pleasure. The young chieftains had thus, likewise, 'an opportunity of pay- ing court to their mistresses, by displaying their courage and agility, and making them presents of their game ; nay, so strong, and universal was the passion for hunting among the ancient Britons, that even young ladies of the highest quahty, and great- est beauty, spent much of their time in the chase. They em- ployed much the same weapons in hunting that they did in war, viz., long spears, javelins, and bows and arrows ; having also great numbers of dogs to assist them in finding and pursuing their game. These dogs were much admired among other nations, on account of their swiftness, strength, fierceness, and exquisite •ease of smelling. They .\ ere highly valued by the Celtic nationa. HUNTING AMONG THE ANCIENT MEXICANS 18 MONTEZUMA. CHAPTER 11. HUNTING AMONG THE ANCIENT MEXICANS. VERY circumstance in the character and customs and condition of the Mexicans, under Montezuma and his predecessors of the Aztec race, predisposed them to be active hunters. The Aztecs were a cruel race and delighted in blood. Their forest laws, according to Mr. Prescott,* were as severe as those of the Normans under William the Conqueror. They had human sacrifices. In some of these bloody rites the heart of the victim was torn from the living body, as an acceptable offering to their stern gods. In others, which might be termed gladiatorial sacrifices, the victim was bound by a chain attached to his leg and fastened to a plat* foirr., where he was compelled to fight a fcee antagonist, urtil his * Conquest of Mexico. 14 HUNTING APVENTURBft. |!!lllll!il!!!llilllll|iiliil! GLADIATORIAL COMBAT OF THE MEXICAN death closed the merciless combat. A people accustomed t( spectacles like this, would naturally take peculiar delight in the sports of the chase. Accordingly, we jfind that the Mexicans were very dexterous in hunting. They used bows and arrows, darts nets, snares, and a kind of tube named carbottane, through which they shot by blowing out little balls at birds. Those which the kings and great men made use of were curiously carved and painted, and likewise adorned with gold and silver. Besides the exercise of the chase, which private individuals took either for amusement or to provide food, there were genera hunting-matches, sometimes appointed by the king ; at others, to provide victims for sacrifices. A large wood, generally that of Zacatapec, near me capital HUNTING AMONG THE ANCIENT MEXICANS. 15 was pitched upon as the scene of these grand hunting-matches. Here they chose the place best adapted for setting a number of Bnares and nets. The wood was enclosed by some thousands ot hunters, forming a circle of six, seven or eight miles, according to the number of animals they intended to take. Fire was then sel to the grass in a great number of places, and a terrible noise made with drums, horns, shouting, and whistling. The huntcfs gradu- ally contracted their circle, continuing the noise until the game were enclosed in a very small space. They were then killed or taken in snares, or with the hands of the hunters. The number of animals taken or destroyed on these occasions, was so great, that the first Spanish Viceroy of Mexico would not beheve it with- out making the experiment himself. The place chosen for his hunting-match was a great plain in the country of the Otomies, lying between the villages of Xilotepec and S. Giovani del Rio ; the Indians being ordered to proceed according to their usual customs. The Viceroy, attended by a vast retinue of Spaniards, repaired to the place appointed, where AN OTOMIK HUNTER. ficcoramodations were prepared for them m houses of wood, erected > .r the purpose. A circle of more than fifteen miles was formed by, eleven thousand Otomies, who started such a quantity of game 1€ HUNTING ADVENTURES. on the plain, that the viceroy was quite astonished, and com- manded the greater part of them to be set ai liberty, which was uccordingly done. The number retained, however, was still mcredibly great, were it not attested by a witness of the highest credit On. this occasion upwards of six hundred deer and wild goats, one hundred cajotes, with a surprising number ol hares, rabbits, lind other smaller animals. The plain still retains the Spanish name Cazadero, which signifies the place of the chase. The Mexicans had also particular contrivances for catchirig cer- ain animals. Thus, to catch young asses, the^ made a small fire m the woods, putting among the burning coals a particular kind of stone named cacalottl, i, e. raven or black stone, which bursts with a loud noise when heated. The fire was covered with earth, and a little maize laid around it. The asses quickly assembled with their young, in order to feed upon the maize ; but while they were thus employed, the stone burst, and scared away the old ones by the explosion, while the young ones, unable to fly, were carried off by the hunters. Serpents were taken even by the hands, seizing them intrepidly by the neck with one hand, and sewing up their mouths with the other. This method is still practised. They showed the greatest dexterity in tracing the steps of wild beasts, even when an European could not have discerned the smallest print of their feet. The Indian method, however, was by observing sometimes the herbs or leaves broken down by their feet ; sometimes the drops of blood which fell from them when wounded. Some of the American Indians show s^ilJ greater dexterity in discovering the tracks of their '?'>*»nies, which « an European would be altogether im perceptive HUNTING IN THE EAST INDIES IT HYDER ALL CHAPTER ni. miNTINQ IN THE EAST INDIES. JAUNTING was a favorite diver- sion of the bloody conqueror, Jenghiz Khan, if indeed the word diversion can be applied to a monster whose mind was set upon the destruction of his own species, and who only en- deavored to make the murder of brutes subservient to that of men, by keeping his soldiers in a kind of warfare with the beasts when they had no human enemies to contend with. His expe- ditions were conducted on a plan similar to that of the Mexican* already mentioned ; and were no doubt attended with stiU greatei 18 HUNTING ADVENTURES. success, as his numerous army could enclose a muth greatex space than all the Indians whom the Spanish viceroy could muster. The East Indian princes still show the same inclination to the chase ; and Mr. Blane, who attended the hunting excur- sions of Asoph Ul Dowah, Vizier of the Mogul empire, and Nabob of Oude, in 1785 and 1786, in the time of Hyder Ali, gives the following account of the method practised on this occasion. The time is about the beginning of December ; and the diver- sion is continued till the heats, which commence about the begin- ning of March, oblige them to stop. During this period a circuit of between four and six hundred miles is generally made ; the hunters bending their course towards the skirts of the northern mountains, where the country is wild and uncultivated. The Vizier takes along with him not only his court and seraglio, but a great part of the inhabitants of his capital. His immediate attendants amount to about two thousand ; but he is also followed by five or six hundred horse, and several battalions of regular sepoys with their field pieces : four or five hundred elephants also accompany him ; of which some are used for riding, others for fighting, and some for clearing the jungles and forests of the ame. About as many sumpter horses of the beautiful Persian and Arabian breeds are taken with him. A great number of wheel carriages, drawn by bullocks, Hkewise attend, which are used chiefly for the convenience of the women ; sometimes also he has an English chaise or two, and sometimes a chariot ; but all these, as well as the horses, are merely for show, the Vizier himself never using any other conveyance than an elephant, or sometimes, when fatigued or indisposed, a palanquin. The animals used in the sport are principally about three hundred greyhounds, two hundred hawks, and a few trained leopards for hunting deer. There is a great number of marksmen, whose profession it is to shoot deer ; with many fowlers, who provide game ; as none of the natives of India know how to shoot game with small shot, or to hunt with slow bounds. A vast number of matchlocks are carried along with the com- pany, wth many English pieces of various kinds, 40 oi 50 pairt yiONTING IN THE EAST INDIES- 21 pf pistols, bows and arrows, besides swords, daggers, and sabrei without number. There are also nets of various kinds some foi quails ; and others very large, for fishing, which are carried along with him upon elephants, attended by fishermen, so as always to be ready for throwing into any river or lake that may be met with. Every article that can contribute to luxury or pleasure is likewise carried along with the army. A great number of carts are loaded with the Ganges water, and even ice is transported for coohng the drink. The fruits of the season and fresh vegetables are daily sent to him from his gardens by bearers stationed at every ten miles ; by which means each article is conveyed day and night at the rate of four miles an hour. There are also fighting antelopes, buffaloes, and rams in great numbers ; several hundred pigeons, some fighting cocks, and a vast variety of parrots, nightingales, &c. To complete the magnificence or extravagance of this expe- dition, there is always a large bazaar, or moving town, which attends the camp ; consisting of shop-keepers and artificers of all kinds, money-changers, dancing women ; so that, on the most moderate calculation, the whole number of people in his camp cannot be computed at fewer than 20,000. The Nabob himself, and all the gentlemen of his camp, are provided with double sets of tents and equipage, which are always sent on the day before to the place to which he intends to go ; and this is generally eight or ten miles, in whatever direction mosi game is expected ; so that by the time he has finished his sport in the morning, he finds his whole camp ready pitched for his recep- tion. The Nabob, with the attending gentlemen, proceed in a regular moving court or durbar, and thus they keep conversing together and looking out for game. Many foxes, hares, jackals, and sometimes deer, are picked up as they pass along : the hawks are carried immediately before the elephants, and let fly at what- ever game is sprung, which is generally partridges, bustards, quails, and different kinds of herons ; these last affording excellent •port with the falcons. Wild boars are sometimes started, and either shot or run down by the dogs anl horsemen. Hunting the tiger, however, is *ooked 22 HFNTTNQ AbVENTURES. upon as the pnnciple diversion, and the discovery of one of these animals is accounted a matter of great joy. The cover in which he is found is commonly long grass, or reeds of such a height as frequently to reach ahove the elephants ; and it is difficuh to find him in such a place, as he commonly endeavors either to steal off, or lies so close to the ground that he cannot be roused till the elephants are almost upon him. He then roars and skulks away, but is shot at as soon as he can be seen ; it being generally con- trived that the Nabob shall have the compliment of firing first. If he be not disabled, he continues to skulk along, followed by the elephants; the Nabob and others shooting at him, as often a^ he can be seen, till he falls. The elephants themselves are very much afraid of this terribie animal, and discover their apprehensions by.shrieking and roaring as soon as they begin to smell him or hear him growl ; generally attempting to turn away from the place where he is. When the tiger can be traced to a particular spot, the elephants are disposed of in a circle round him ; in which case he will at last make a desperate attack, springing upon the elephant that is nearest, and attempting to tear him with his teeth or claws. Some, but very few, of the elephants, can be brought to attack the tiger ; and thie they do by curling up their trunks under their mouths, and then attempting to toss, or otherwise destroy him with their tusks, or to crush him with their feet or knees. It is considered as good sport to kill one tiger in the day ; though sometimes, when a female is met with her young ones, two or three will be killed. The other objects of pursuit in these excursions are wild elephants, buffaloes rhinoceroses. Our author was present at the hunting of a wild elephant of vast size and strength. An attempt was first made to take him alive by surrounding him with tame elephants, while he was kept at bay by crackers and other fire-works ; but he con- itantiy eluded every effort of this kind. Sometimes the drivers of the tame elephants got so near him, that they threw strong ropes over his head, and endeavored to detain him by fastening them around trees ; but he constantly snapped the ropes like pack- hreads, and pursued his way to the forest. Some of the strongest HUNTINQ IN THE EAST INDIES. 25 Mid most funous of the fighting elephants were then brought up to engage him ; but he attacked them with such fury that they were all obliged to desist. In his struggle with one of them he broke one of his tusks, and the broken piece, which was upwards of two inches in diameter, of solid ivory, flew up into the aii several yards above their heads. Orders were now given to kill him, as it appeared impossible to take him alive ; but even this was not accomplished without the greatest difficulty. He twice turned and attacked the. party who pursued him ; and in one of these attacks struck the elephant obliquely on which the prince rode, threw him upon his side, but then passed on without offering farther injury. At last he fell dead, after having received up wards of one thousand balls into his body. ■LIPHANT HUMT. HUNTING ADVENTURES. CHAPTER IV. TERMS USED IN HUNTING. j^HE gentlemen of the spor« have invented a set of term?, which may be called the hunting language. The princi- pal a^e these : 1. For beasts, as they are in com- pany : — They say, a . herd of harts, and all manner of deer ; a bey of roes ; a sounder of swine ; a rout of wolves ; a Mchess of martens : a brace or leash of iivcks, foxes, or hares ; a couple of rabbits or coneys. 2. For their lodging; — A hart is said to harbor; a buck lodges ; a roe beds ; a hare seats or forms ; a coney sits ; a fox kennels ; a marten trees ; an otter watches ; a badger earths ; a boar couches. Hence, to express their dislodging, they say, un- harbor the hart ; rouse the buck ; start the hare ; bolt the coney ; unkennel the fox; untree the raarten; vent the otter; dig th# Vadger ; rear the boar. TERMS USED IN HUNTING. 27 3 For iheir noise at rutting time : — A hart belleth ; a buck growns, or treats ; a roe bellows ; a hare beats or taps ; an otter whines ; a boar freams ; a fox barks ; a badger jjhrieks ; a wolf howls ; a goat rattles. 4. For their copulation : — A hart or buck goes to rut ; a roe to tourn ; a boar to brim ; a hare or coney to buck ; a fox to clickit- ting ; a wolf to match or make ; an otter hunts for his kind. 5. For the footing and treading : — Of a hart, they say, the alot ; of a buck, and all fallow-deer, the view ; of all deer, if on ii« grass, and scarce visible, the foiling ; of a fox, the print ; and of other vermin, the footing ; of an otter, the marks ; of a boar, the track ; the hare when in open field, is said to sore ; when she winds about to deceive the hounds, she doubles ; when she beats on the hard highway, and her footing comes to be perceived, she pricketh : in snow, it is called the trace of the hare. 6. The tail of a hart, buck, or other deer, it is called the single ; that of a boar, the wreath ; of a fox, the br^^'h or drag ; and the tip at the end, the chape ; of a wolf the stern ; of a hare and coney, the scut. 7. The ordure of a hart, and all deer, is called fewmets or few- mishing ; of a hare, crotiles or crotising ; of a boar, lesses ; of a fox, the billetting ; and of other vermin, the fuants ; of an otter, the spraints. 8. As the attire or parts of deer, those of a stag, if perfect, are the bur, the pearls, the little knobs on it, the beam, the gutters, the antler, the fur antler, royal, fur royal, and all at top the croches ; of the buck the bur, beam, brow antler, black antler advancer, palm, and spellers. If the croches grow in the fonx. ol a man's hand, it is called a palmed head. Heads bearing Ect above three or four, and the croches placed aloft, all of one height, are called crowned heads ; heads having double croches, are called forked heads, because the croches are planted on the top of the beams like forks. 9. Of the young, they say, a litter of cubs, a nest of rabbits^ a squirrel's dray. 10. The terms used in respect of the dogs, &c., are as follow* 28 HUNTING ADVENTURBS. -Of greyhounds, two make a brace ; of hounds, a couple ; oi greyhounds, three make a leash ; of hounds, a couple and half. They say, let slip a greyhound ; and, cast-off a hound. The string wherein a greyhound is led, is called a leash ; and that of a hound, a lyome. The greyhound has his collar, and the hound his couples. We say a kennel of hounds, and a pack of beagles. 11. The following terms and phrases ari more immediately used in the progress of the sport itself. When the hounds, being cast-off, and finding the scent of some game, begin to open and cry, they are said to challenge ; when they are too busy ere the scent be good, they are said to babble ; when too busy where the scent is good, to bawl ; when they run it endwi«.9 orderly, holding in together merrily, and making it good, they are said to be in full cry ; when they run along without opening at all, it is called, running mute ; when spaniels open in the string, or a greyhound in the course, they are said to lapse ; when beagles bark and cry at their prey, they are said to yearn ; when the dogs hit the scent the contrary way, they are said to draw amiss ; when they take fresh scent and quit the former chase for a new one, it IS called hunting change ; when they hunt the game by the heel or track, they are said to hunt counter ; when the chase goes off^ and returns again, traversing the same ground, it is called hunt- ing the foil ; when the dogs run at a whole herd of deer, instead of a single one, it is called running riot ; dogs set in readiness where the game is expected to come by, and cast-off after the other hounds are passed, are called a relay. If they be cast-off ere the other dogs come up, it is called vountlay ; when, finding where the chase has been, they make a proffer to enter, but return, it is called a blemish ; a lesson on the horn to encourage the hounds, is named a call, or recheat ; that blown at the death of a deer, is called the mort ; the part belonging to the dogs of any chase they have killed, is the reward ; they say, take off a deer's skin ; strip or case a hare, fox, and all sorts of vermin ; which is lone by beginning at the snout, and tumfng the skin over tlw •lan down to the tail. HUNTINQ IN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 29 HTTNTING IN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. IN no country is hunting so passion- ately loved as in Great Britain. From the earliest period of history, to the present time, the nobility and gentry of England have taken pride in all '^ui^.^*- the curious lore of the hunter's ait Volumes might be written^we should rather say, scores of vo .umes have been published in that untry, on what is styled by the ancient writers, the " noble arte of vtnerie." To avoid pro- lixity on this part of our subject, we shall, m the next succeeding chapters, give the brief directions of an old writer, on the modes of hunting the Tarious padrupeds of the chase, both on the Island of Great Britain and on the continent; reservmg the so HUNTING ADVENTURES, privilege of recurring to certain branches of the subject Lereaftei Our authority says : Hunting, as practised in England and Scotland, is chiefly performed with dogs ; of which we have various species, ac- commodated to the different kinds of game, as greyhounds, "bloodhounds, terriers, &c. In the kennels or packs, they gene- rally rank them under the heads of enterers, drivers, Hyers, tyers, ifec. On some occasions, nets, spears and instruments for digging f.he ground, are also required ; nor is the hunting horn to be omitted. The usual chases are, the hart, buck, roe, hare, fox, badger, and otter. Hunting is practised in different seasons and manners, and with different apparatus, according to the nature of the beasts which are hunted. With regard to the seasons, that for hart and buck hunting, begins a fortnight after midsummer, and lasts till Holy- rood day ; that for the hind and doe, begins on Holy- rood day, and lasts till Candlemas ; that for fox hunting, begins at Christmas, and holds till Lady-day ; that for roe hunting, begins ftt Michaelmas, and ends at Christmas ; hare hunting commences at Michaelmas, and lasts till the end of February ; and where the wolf and boar are hunted, the season for each begins at Christ- mas, the first ending at Lad5''-day, and the latter at the Purification. When the sportsmen have provided themselves with nets, spears and a hunting horn to call the dogs together, and likewise witk instruments for diggni;/ the ground, the following directions wu be of use to them, in the pursuit of various sorts of game. HUNTING THE BADGER. HI CHAPTER VI. HUNTING THE BADGER. gV^ ^^"^ Badger is found in almost all the temperate /Ij^^lJ^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^ Europe, Asia, and America ; mea- \^0^^^m) ®"^^^ ^^ general about two feet and a half from r ^^ \ ?^^ ^"°"^ ^^ *^^ insertion of the tail. The body S '^H • ^^ ^^^^^' *^^ ^*^&s short and muscular, and th« ^ -^^-^ ^ore feet provided with claws ; the superior part •f the body is of a dirty greyish color, the inferior black : the 8L HUNTING ADVENTURES. hair iu long and rough on the jacn aiiU sides, hut shortei on the throat, breast, and belly. It secretes a fetid substance in an orifice under the tail, which gives it a very offensive smell. It is a soli- tary animal, and resi^^m^= "^ HE Chamois, or Alpine Goati formerly considered as the parent of the domestic breed» has by later naturalists been placed as a distinct species. In its general features, how- ever, with the exception of the horns, which, of a beau- tiful black, rise between the eyes, bend backward, and terminate in hooks, and the want of a beard, the chamois greatly resembles the tame goat. Its height is about two feet three or four inches : its hair is short like that of the doe. of an ; HUNTING THE CHAMOIS. 47 color, varying to blackish-brown. Its habitations are among the Alps the Pyrenees, and the lofty mountains of Asia, bordering on the regions of everlasting ice and snow. It is agreeable, lively, and active beyond expression: its senses are amazingly acute, and by the scent, it is said, will discover the hunter at half a league's distance. They feed in flocks of nearly twenty or more; and those at the outskirts, or perhaps a single sentinel when they per- ceive danger, give notice to the rest by a kind of hissing noise, shrilJ at the beginning, and deeper towards the close, during which they appear in the utmost agitation, striking the ground with their fore feet, bounding from rock to rock, turning, stopping, and looking, till ihe approach of the enemy is ascertained, when off the whole fly like the wind, and defy pursuit amid the awful chasms of the glaciers, on the stupendous precipices of the rocks ; for their spring is astonishing, and they will throw themselves safely down an almost perpendicular height of twenty or thirty feet. It drinks little, and is rather fastidious in its feeding, picking out buds and flowers and the tenderest of the aromatic herbs, which gives to its flesh a delicious flavor. From the description given by M. Saussure, in his Journey on the Alps, Vol. 3, no species of hunting appears to be attended with more danger than this ; yet the inhabitants of Chamouni »re extremely addicted to it. The Chamois hunter generally sets out in the night, that he may reach by break of day the most elevated pastures where the goats come to feed, before they arrive. As soon as he discovers the place where he hopes to find them, he surveys it with his glass. If he finds none of them there, he proceeds, always ascending : whenever he descries any, he endeavors to get above them, either by stealing along some gully, or getting behind some rock or eminence. When he is near enough to distinguish then horns, which is the mark by which he judges of the distance, ho rests his piece on a rock, takes his aim with great composure, and rarely misses. This piece is a rifle-barrelled carabine, into which the bail is thrust, and these carabines often contain two charges. iS HUNTING ADVENTURES. ihoigh they iiave but one barrel ; the charges are put one above another, and are fired in succession. If he has wounded the chamois, he runs to his prey, and for security he hamstrings it ; then he considers his way home : if the road is difficuU, he skins die chamois, and leaves the carcase ," but, if it is practicable, he throws the animal on his shoulders, and bears him to his village, though at a great distance, and often over frightful precipices ; he feeds his family with the flesh, which is excellent, especially when the creature is young, and he dries the skin for sale. But if, as is the common case, the vigilant chamois perceives the approach cf the hunter, he immediately takes flight among the glaciers, through the snows, and over the most precipitous rocks. It is particularly difficult to get near these animals when there are several together ; for then one of them, while the rest are feeding, stands as a sentinel on the point of some rock that com- mands a view of the avenues leading to the pasture ; and as soon as he perceives any object of alarm, he utters a sort of hiss, at which the others instantly gather round him to judge for them- selves of the nature of the danger ; if it is a wild beast, or hunter, the most experienced puts himself at the head of the flock ; and away they fly, ranged in a hne, to the most inaccessible retreats. It is here that the fatigues of the hunter begin : instigated by his passion for the chase, he is insensible to danger ; he passes over snows, without thinking of the horrid precipices they conceal ; he entangles himself among the most dangerous paths, and bounds from rock to rock, without knowing how he is to return. Night often surprises him in the midst of his pursuit ; but he Joes not for that reason abandon it ; he hopes that the same cause wi'.l arrest the flight of the chamois, and that ho will next morning overtake them. Thus he passes the night, not at the foot of a tree, like the hunter ol the plain ; not in a grotto, softly reclined on a bed of moss, but at the foot of a rock, and often on the bare points of shattered fragments, without the smallest shelter. There, ftli alone, without fire, without light, he draws from his bag a bit >f cheese, with a morsel of oaten bread, which make his commoB HUNTING THE CHAMOIS. 49 food ; bread so dry that he is sometimes obliged to bi^jak it between two stones, or with the hatchet he carries with bim to cut out steps in the ice. Having thus made his solitary and frugal repast, he puts a stone below his head for a pillow, and goes to sleep, dreaming on the route which the chamois may have taken. But soon he is awakened by the freshness of the morning; he gets up, benumbed with cold: surveys the precipices which he must traverse to overtake his game; drinks a Httle brandy, of which he is always provided with a small portion, and sets out to encounter new dangers. Hunters sometimes remain in these solitudes for several days together, during which time their families, their unhappy wives in particular sxperience a state of the most dreadful anxiety: they dare not go to rest for fear of seeing their husbands appear to them in a drdam , for it is a received opinion in the country, that when a man a as perished, either in the snow, or on some unknown rock, he apj/^arb by night to the person he holds most dear, describes the pi ice that proved fatal to him, and requests the performance of the Wt duties io his corpse. "After this picture (says M. Saussure,) of the life ivhich the chamois hunters lead, could one imagine that th"s chase would be the object of a passion absolutely unsurmount&ble ? I knew a well-made, handsome man, who had just married a beau- tiful woman: — 'My grand- father, said he to me, lost his life in the chase ; so did my father ; and I am persuaded, that I too shall die in the same manner ; this bag which I carry with me when I hunt, 1 call my grave-clothes, for I am sure I will have no other ; yet if you should offer to make my fortune on condition of abandoning the chase of the chamois, I could not consent. I made some excursions on the Alps with this man; his strength and address were astonishing ; but his temerity was greater than his strength ; and I have heard, that two years afterwards, he missed a step on the brink of a precipice, and met with the fate he had expected.' so HUNTING ADVENTURES. CHAPTER X. HUNTING THE FOX. OX-HUNTING is so common and has st long prevailed in England, that the term "fox-hunting squire" was supposed to be sufficiently accurate for describing an ^ English country gentleman until a recent period. It was the universal passion of the English rural gentry of the last century ; and it is still regarded among a certain class as by far the most delight- ful and exciting of all the sports of the field. Our old friend already quoted treats the art and mystery of Foi Hunting with his accustomed gravity and earnestness. Hunting the fox, he says, makes a very pleasant exercise, and 18 either above or below ground. Hunting the fox above ground. To hunt a fox with hounds, you must draw about groves, thickets, and bushes near viliag-es When you find one, stop up his earth the night before you design to hunt, about midnicht ; while he is out to prey. This ma\ 1* HUNTING THE FOX. 61 i done by laying two white sticks across m his way, which he will imagine to be some trap laid for him; or they may be stopped up with black thorns and earth mixed. The pack should consist of twenty-five couple. The hounds should be at the cover at sun- rising. The huntsman should then throw in his hounds as quietly as he can, and let the two whippers-in keep wide of him on either hand ; so that a single hound may not escape them ; let them be attentive to this halloo, and let the sportsmen be ready to encourage or rate as that directs. The fox ought on no account to be hallooed too soon, as in that case he would most certainly turn back, and spoil all the sport. Two things Mr. Beckford particularly recommends, viz., the making all the hounds steady, and makmg them all draw. '^ Many huntsmen, (says he^ are fond of having them at their horse's heels ; but they never can get so well or soon together, as when they spread the cover ; besides, I have often known, when there have only been a few finders, that they have found their fox gone down the wind, and been heard of no more that day. Much depends upon the first finding of your fox ; for I look upon a fox well found to be half killed. I think people are generally in too great a hurry on this occasion. " There are but few instances where sportsmen are not too noisy, and too fond of encouraging their hounds, which seldom do their business so well as when little is said to them. The hunts- man ought to begin with his foremost hounds, and keep as close to them as he can. No hound can then slip down the wind and get out of his hearing ; he will also see how far they carry the scent, a necessary requisite ; for without it he can never make cast with any certainty." You will find it not less necessary for your huntsman to be active in pressing his hounds forward when the scent is good, than to be prudent in not hurrying them beyond ic when it is bad. It IS his business to be ready at all times, to lend them that assistance which they so frequently need, and which, .vhen they are first at a fault is then most critical. A hound at that time will exert him- self most ; he afterwards cools and becomes more indifferent about 52 HUNTING ADVENTURES. his game. Those huntsmen who do not get forward enough to take advantage of this eagerness and impetuosity, and direct i\ properly, seldom know enough of hunting, to be of much use to hem afterwards. Though a huntsman cannot be too fond of hunting, a whipper- in easily may. His business will seldom allow him to be forward enough with the hounds to see much of the sport. His only thought therefore should be to keep the hounds together, and to contribute as much as he can, to the killing of the fox ; keeping the hounds together is the surest means to make them steady When left to themselves they seldom refuse any blood they can get; they become conceited; learn to tie upon the scent; and besides this, they frequently get a trick of hunting by themselves, and are seldom good for much afterwards. Every country is soon known ; and nine foxes out of ten, with the wind in the same quarter, will follow the same track. It is easy therefore for the whipper-in to cut short, and catch the hounds again. With a high scent you cannot push on hounds too much. Screams keep the fox forward, at the same time that they keep the hounds together, or let in the tail-hounds : they also en- Hven the sport ; and, if dis- cretely used, are always of service ; but in cover they should be given v/ith the greatest caution. Halloos sel- dom do any hurt when you are running up the wind, for then none but the tail-hounds can hear you : when you are run- ning down the wind, you should halloo no more than may be necessary to bring the tail hounds forward ; for a hound that knows his business seldom wants encouragement when he is upon a scent. Most fox hunters, wish to see their hounds run in a good style A pack of harriers, if they have time, may kill a fox, but I defy them to kill him in the «yle in which he ought to be killed ,• HUNTING THE FOX. 63 they must hunt him down. If you intend to tire him or.t, you must expect to be tired also yourself ; I never wish a chase to be less than one hour, or to exceed two ; it is sufficiently long- if properly followed ; it will seldom be longer, unless there be a fault somewhere : either in the day, the huntsman, or the hounds. Changing from the hunted fox to a ^resh one, is as bad an acci- dent as can happen to a pack of fox hnunds, and requires all the ingenuity and observation that man if capable of, to guard against it. Could a fox hound distinguish a hunted fox, as the deer hound does a deer that is blown, (ox hunting would then be perfect, A huntsman should always listen to bis hounds while they are running in cover ; he should be particularly attentive to the head- most hounds, and he should be constantly on his guard against a skirter ; for if there be two scents, he mu%i be wrong. Generally speaking, the best scent is least likely to be that of the hunted fox ; and as a fox seldom suffers hounds to x^ui up to him as long as he is able to prevent it ; so, nine times ov* of ten, when foxes are hallooed early in the day, they are al' ^resh foxes. Th« hounds most likely to be right are the hard-ru. niug line-hunting ones ; or such as the huntsman knows had the load before there arose any doubt of changing. With regard to the fox, if he break over and ope*- country, it IS no sign that he is hard run ; for they seldom at ar\ *ime wiD do that unless they are a great way before the hounds. Also if he run up the wind ; they seldom or never do that when they have been long hunted and grow weak ; and when they run their soiU that also may direct him. All this requires a good ear and nice observation ; and indeed in that consists the chief excellence f a huntsman. When the hounds divide in two parts, the whipper-in, in stop- ping, must attend to the huntsman, and wait for his halloo, before he attempts to stop either ; for want of proper management m this, I have known the hounds stopped at both places, and both foxes lost. If they have many scents, and it is uncertain which V) the hunted (oi let him stop those that are ^rthest down the 64 HUNTING ADVENTURES. wind : as they can hear the others, and will reach them soonest ; in such a case there will be little use in stopping those that are up the wind. When hounds are at a check, let every one be silent and stand still. Whippers-in are frequently at this time coming on with the tail hounds. They should never halloo to them when the hounds are at fault ; the least thing does them harm at such a time, but a halloo more than any other. The huntsman, at a check, had better let his hounds alone ; or content himself with holding them forward, without taking them off their floses. Should they be at fault, after having made their own cast, (which the huntsman should always first encourage them to do) it is then his business to assist them further ; but, except in some particular instances, I never approve of their being cast as long as they are inclined to hunt. -^ The first cast I bid my huntsman make is generally a regulai ane, not choosing to rely entirely on his judgment ; if that should not succeed, he is then at liberty to follow his own opinion, and proceed as observation or genius may direct. When such a cast is made, I like to see some mark of good sense and meaning in it ; whether down the wind, or towards some likely cover or strong earth. However, as it is at best uncertain, I always wish to see a regular cast before I see a knowing one ; which, as a last resource, should not be called forth until it be wanted. The letting hounds alone is but a negative goodness in a huntsman ; whereas this last shows real genius ; and to be perfect, it must be born with him. There is a fault, however, which a knowing hunts- man is too apt to commit : he will find a fresh fox, and then claim the merit of having recovered the hunted one. It is always dan- gerous to throw hounds into a cover to retrieve a lost scent ; anc inless they hit him in, is not to be depended oh. Gentlemen, when hounds are at fault, are too apt themselves to prolong it. They should always stop their horses some distance behind the hounds ; and if it be possible to remain silent this is ihe time. They should be careful not to ride before the hounds or over the scent ; nor should they ever meet a hound in the face unless to stop him. Should you at any time be before the HUNTING THE FOX. 55 hounds, turn your horse's head the way they are going, get out of their track, and let them pass by you. In dry weather, and particularly in heathy countries, foxes will run the roads. If gentlemen at such times will ride close upon the hounds, they may drive them miles without any scent. High mettled fox- hounds are seldom inclined to stop whilst horses are close at their heels. No one should ever ride in a direction which, if persisted in, would carry him amongst the hounds, unless he be at a great distance behind them. I'he first moment that hounds are at fault is a critical one for the sport people, who should then be very attentive. Those who look forward may perhaps see the fox, or the running of sheep, or the pursuit of crows, may give them some tidings of him Those who listen may sometimes take a hint which way he is gone from the chattering of a magpie ; or perhaps be at certainty from a distant halloo ; nothing that can give any intelligence at such a time ought to be neglected. Gentlemen are too apt to ride all together : were they to spread more, they might sometimes be of service ; particularly those who, from a knowledge of the sport, keep down the wind ; it would then be difficult for either hounds or fox to escape their observation. You should, however, be cautious how you go to a halloo. The halloo itself must in a great measure direct you ; and though it afford no certain rule, yet you may frequently guess whether it can be depended upon or not. At the sowing time, when boys are keeping off the birds, yoiz will sometimes be deceived by their halloo ; so that it is best. when you are in doubt, to send a whipper-in to know '.he cer- tainty of the matter. Hounds ought not to be cast so long as they are able to hunt. It is a common idea, that a hunted fox never stops ; but Mr. Beckford informs us that he has known them ston even in wheei-ruis in the middle of a down, and get up m the niiddle of the hounds. The greatest danger of losing a fox is at the first finding him, and when he is sinking; at both which limes he will run short, and the eagerness of the hounds will fre ^uently carry them beyond the scent. 56 HxJNTING ADVENTFRl When a fox is first found, every one ought to keep bcAind tha hounds till they are well settled to the scent ; and when the hounds are catching him, they ought to be as silent as possible ; and eat him eagerly after he is caught. In some places they have a method of treeing him ; that is, throwing him across the branch of a tree, and suffering the hounds to bay at him for some minutes before he is thrown amongst them ; the intention of which is to make them more eager, and to let in the tail-hounds ; during thia mterval also they recover their wind, and are apt to eat him more readily. Our author, however, advises not to keep him too long, Rs he supposes that the hounds have not any appetite to eat him longer than while they are angry with him. Hunting the fox under ground. In case a fox escape so as to earth, countrymen must be got together with shovels, spades, pick- axes, &c., to dig him out, if they think the earth not too great. They make their earths as near as they can in ground that 19 hard to lig, as in clay, stony ground, or amongst the roots of trees ; and their earths have commonly but one hole, and that is straight and a long way in before you come at their couch. Sometimes they take possession of a badger's old burrow, "hf^h has a variety of chambers, holes, and angles. To facilitate this way of hunting the fox, the huntsman m«si be provided with one or two terriers to put into the earth after him, that is, to fix him into an angle ; for the earth often consists of many angles ; the use of the terrier is to know where he lies ; for as soon as he finds him, he continues baying or barking, so shat which way the noise is heard that way dig to him. Youl HUNTING THE FOX. 57 terriers must be garnished with bells hung in collars, to make the fox bolt the sooner ; besides, the collars will be some small defenc€ to the terriers. The instruments to dig withal are these ; a sharp- pointed spade, which serves to begin the trench where the ground is hardest, and broader tools will not so well enter ; the round, hollowed spade, which is useful to dig among roots, having very sharp edges ; the broad, flat spade to dig withal, when the trencli has been pretty well opened, and the ground softer ; mattock i and pickaxes to dig in hard ground, where a spade will do bul jittle service ; the coal-rake to cleanse the hole, and to keep it from stopping up ; clamps, wherewith you may take either fox or badger out alive to make some sport with afterwards. And it would be very convenient to have a pail of water to refresh youi ♦*jrriers with, after they have come out of the earth to take breath AN ENQUSH HUNTXB. '>8 flUNTINO ADVENTURES. ''^x%%j|:a^* CHAPTER XL HUNTING THE HARE. S of all chases, the iiare makes the greatest pastime, so it gives no little pleasure to see the craft of this small animal for her self-preservation. If it be ramy, the hare usually takes to the high-ways; and if she comes to the side of a young grove, or spring, she seldom enters, but squats down till the hounds have overshot her; and then she wil« return the way she came, for fear of the wet and dew that hangs on the boughs. In this case, the huntsman ought to stay one hun- dred paces before he comes to the wood-side, by which means he will perceive whether she return as aforesaid ; which if she do, he must haloo in his hounds ; and call them back ; and thai presently, that the hounds may not think it the counter she came first HUNTING THE HARE. 61 A HARE SITTING IN HER FORM The net. thing to be observed, is the place where the haiB sits tnd upon what wind she makes her form, either upon the North or South wind: she will not willingly run into the wind, but upon aside, or down the wind ; but if she form in the water, it is a sign she is foul and measled ; if you hunt such a one, have a special regard all the day to the brook-sides ; for there, and near plashes she will make all her crossings, doublings, &c. Some hares are so crafty, that as soon as they hear the sound of a horn, they instantly start out of their form, though it were at the distance of a quarter of a mile, and go and swim in some pool, and rest upon some rush bed in the midst of it. Such will not stir thence till they hear the sound of the horn, and then they start out again, and swimming to land, and standing up before the hounds for hours before they can kill her, swimming and using all sub- tleties and crossings in the water. Nay, such is the subtlety of a hare, that sometimes after she has been hunted three hours, she will start a fresh hare, and squat in the same form. Others, after being hunted a considerable time, will creep under the door of a sheep-cot, and hide themselves among the sheep ; or when they have been hard hunted, will run in among a flock of sheep, and will by no means be gotten out till the hounds are coupled up, and the sheep driven into their pens. Some of them will take the ground like a coney, which is called going to the vault Some will go up one side of the hedge and come down the other, the thick- less of the hedge being the only distance between the courses. 62 HUNTING ADVENTIJRES. A hare that has been sorely hunted, has got upon i /uicksct hedge, and run a good way upon the top thereof, and then leaped off upon the ground. And they frequently betake themselves to furze bushes, and leap from one to the other, whereby the hounds are frequently in default. Having found where a large hare has relieved in some pasture or corn field, you must then consider the season of the year, and the weather : for if it be in spring or sum- mor, a hare will not then set iri bushes, because they are often in fested with pismires, snakes, and adders ; but will set in corn fields, and open places. In winter, they set near towns ar.d villages, in tufts of thorns and brambles, especially when the wind is northerly or southerly. According to the season and nature of the place where the hare is accustomed to sit, there beat with your hounds, and start her ; which is better sport than trailing her from her relief to her form. After the hare has been started and is on foot, step in where you saw her pass, and halloo in your hounds, until they have all undertaken it and go on with it in full cry : then recheat to them with your horn, following fair and softly at first, making not too much noise either with horn or voice ; for at the first, hounds are apt to overshoot the chase through too much heat. But when they have run an hour, and you see the hounds are well in with it, and stick well upon it, then you may come in nearer with them because their heat will then be cooled, and they will hunt mors Boberly. HUNTING TFj: STAG. S6 CHAPTER XII. HUNTING THE STAG. TAG hunting has long been th' favorite sport of royal and noble h** iters in Europe. The ancient Romains and Greeks practised it, as may be shown by many passages in the classics. In the middle ages it was one of the chief amusements of the hardy barons ; and it is still practised in Britain, as well as in France and other continental countries, and occasionally in the United States. We quote from our former authority the directions to the hunter for this sport. Gesner, speaking of hart-hunting, observes, that this wild, and subtle beast, frequently deceives its hunter by windings and turn- ings. Wherefore the prudent hunter must train his dogs with words of art, that he may be able to set them on and take them off 66 HUNTING ADVENTURES. at pleasure. First he should encompass the beast in her own lair^ and so unharbor her in the view of the dogs, that so they may never lose her slot or footing. Neither must he set upon every one, either of the herd or those that wander solitary alone, or a httle one ; but partly by sight, and partly by their footing and fumets, make a judgment of the game, and also observe the large- ness of his lair. The huntsman having made these discoveries in order to the chase, takes off the couplings of the dogs: and some on horseback, and others on foot, follow the cry, with the greatest art, observation, and speed ; remembering and intercepting him in his subtle turn- ings and headings ; with all agility leaping hedges, gates, pales, ditches ; neither fearing thorns, down hills, nor woods, but mounting a fresh horse if the first tire. Follow the largest head of the whole herd, which must be singled out of the chase ; which the dogs perceiving, must follow, not following any other. The dogs are animated to the sport by the winding of horns, and the voices of the huntsmen. But sometimes the crafty beast sends forth his httle squire to be sacrificed to the dogs and hunters, instead of himself, lying close the meantime. In this case, the huntsman must sound a retreat, break off the dogs, and take them in, that is, leam them again, until they be brought to the fairer game ; which riseth with fear, yet still striveth by flight, until he be wearied and breathless. The nobles call the beast a wise hart, who, to avoid all his enemies, runneth into the greatest herds, and so brings a cloud of error on the dogs, to obstruct their farther pursuit ; sometimes also bearing some of the herd into his footings, so that he may the more easily escape by amusing the dogs. Afterwards he betakes himself to his heels again, still running with the wind, not only for the sake of refreshment, but also because he can thus more easily hear the voice of his pursuers whether they be far off, or near. But being again discovered by the hunters and sagacious scent of the dogs, ho flies into herds of cattle, as cows, sheep, &c., leaping on a cow or ox, laying the fore-parts of his body thereon, so that touching tho earth only with his hinder feet, he may leave very little. or no scent behind. But their usual manner is, when they see themselvei HUNTING THE 6TA0. 67 «TAG DRINKING. hard beset, and every way intercepted, to make force at their enemy with their horns, who first comes upon him, unless they be pre- vented by spear or sword. When the beast is slain, the huntsman windeth the fall of the beast ; and then the whole company come up, blowing their horna in triumph for such a conquest; among whom the skilfuUest opens the beast, and rewards the hounds with what properly belongs to them, for their future encouragement, for which purpose the hunts- men dip bread in the blood of the beast to give to the hounds. It is very dangerous to go into a hart at bay ; o, which there are two sorts, one on land and the other in water. If i.ie hart be in a deep water, where you cannot well come at him, couple up your dogs ; for should they continue long in the water, it wou.d endanger their surbating or foundering. In this case get a boat, and swim to him, with a drawn dagger, or else with rope that has a noose, and throw It over his horns ; for if the water be so deep that the hart swims, there is no danger in approaching him ; otherwise you must be very cautious. As to the land bay, if a hart be burnished, consider the place ; for if it be in a plain and open place, where there is no wood or covert, it is dangerous and difficult to come into him ; but if he b« 68 HUNTINS ADVENTURES. STAG AT BAY. on the iedge-side, or in a thicket, then, while the hart is staring on the iiounds, you must come softly and covertly behind him, and cut his throat. If you miss your aim, and the hart turn head upon you, then take refuge at some tree ; and when the hart is at bay, couple up your hounds ; and when you see the hart turn head to fly, gallop in roundly to him, and kill him with your sword. The first ceremony, when the huntsman comes in to the death of a deer, is to cry ware haunch, that the hounds may not break in to the deer ; which being done, the next is the cutting his throat, and blooding the yo ingest hounds, that they may the better love a deer, and learn to Jeap at his throat : then the mort having been blown, and all the company come in, the best person, who hath not tali««.^ say before, is to take up the knife that the keeper or hunts- mjM* IS to lay across the belly of the deer, some holding by the forv legs, the person who takes say, is to draw the edge of the knife leisurely along the middle of the belly, beginning near the brisket, and drawing a little upon it, enough in the length and depth to dis- cover how fat the deer is ; then he that is to break up the deer, first elits the skin from the cutting of the throat downwards, making the arber that so the ordure may not break forth, and then with her paunches rewarding the hounds. In the next place, he is to HUNTING THE STAG, $9 presBfU the same person who took say, w a drawn hanger, ta cut off the head of the deer. Which being ione, and the hounds rewarded, the concluiing ceremony is, if it be a stag, to draw a triple mort ; and if a buck, a double one ; «nd then all who have horns, blow a recheat in concert, and immediately a generaJ whoop. A nuxiK 70 U [JNTING ADVENTURES. ANTELOPE. CHAPTER XIII. MODE OF HUNTING THE INDIAN ANTELOPE. ' UNTING quadrupeds with the falcon or hawk is much practised in the Edst. Several species of birds of prey pursue and capture quadrupeds m iheir wild state ; and in Persia, India, and Barbary, falcons and hawks are carefully trained for this purpose. The Indian Antelope is the most common object of this sport. This animal has long, prominently annulated, tapering, plaited, tyjindrical horns, and inhabits Barbary. The hair near the 3ins is longer than on any other part of the body. The femalej HUNTING THE INDIAN ANTELOPE. 71 urant horns. M. Hasselquist gives the following account o** this speciejr . " The cervicapra is larger, swifter, and wilder than thft common rock goat, and can scarcely be taken without a falcon. It is met with near Aleppo. I have seen a variety of this, which IS common in the East, and the horns appear different ; perhaps it is a distinct species. This animal loves the smoke of tobacco ; and, when caught alive, will approach the pipe of the huntsman, diough otherwise more timid than any animal. This is perhaps .he only creature, besides man, that dehghts in the smell of a poisonous and stinking plant." M. Hasselquist describes the manner of hunting these animals in Aral ia, as follows ; " I had an excellent opportunity of seeing this sport near Nazareth, in Galilee. An Arab, mounted on a swift courser, held the faJcon in his hand, as huntsmen commonly do ; when he espied the rock goat on the top of a mountain, he let loose the falcon, which flew in a direct line like an arrow, and attacked the animal ; fixing the talons of one of his feet in the cheek of the creature, and the other into his throat, extending his wings obliquely over the animal ; spreading one towards one of its ears, and the other to the opposite hip. The animal thus attacked, made a leap twice the height of a man, and freed him- self from the falcon ; but being wounded, and losing his strength and speed, he was again attacked by the falcon; which fixed the talons of both his feet into the throat of the animal, and held iX fast, till the huntsman coming up, took it alive, and cut its throat ; the falcon drinking the blood as a reward for his labor. A young falcon which was learning, was likewise put to the throat of the goat ; young falcons being thus taught to fix their talous in the throat of the animal as the most proper part." 72 HUNTING ADVENTURES. ■'-^^^^i.a t CHAPTER XIV. HUNTING THE LION ON HORSEBACK. iHE chase of the lion on horseback is carried on at the Cape of Good Hope, in the follow- ing manner, as described by Dr. Sparrman : << It is only on the plains that the hunters venture to go out on horseback in this chase. If the Hon keeps in some coppice or wood, on a rising ground, they endeavor to teaze it with dogs till it comes out ; they likewise prefer going together, two or more in number, to be able to assist each other, in case the first shot should not lake effect. *' When the Hon sees the hunters at a great distance, he take» to his heels as fast as he can, in order to get out of their sight ; but if they chance to discover him at a small distance from them, he is then said to walk ofl^ in a surly manner, but without putting himself in the least hurry, as though he was above sJiowing any fear, Avhen he finds himself discovered or hunted'. He is there- fore reported hkewise, when he finds himself pursued with vigor, to be soon provoked to resistance, or at least he disdains any longei HUNTINQ THE LION ON HORSEBACK. 73 to fly Consequently he slackens his pace, and at length onlj slides slowly off, step by step, all the while eying his pursuers ftskant ; and finally makes a full stop, and turning round upon them, and at the same time giving himself a shake, roars with a short and sharp tone, to show his indigiiation, being ready to seize on them, and tear them in pieces. " This is the time for the hunters to be on the spot, or to get within a certain distance of him, yet so as to keep a proper dis- tance from each other ; and he that is nearest, or is most advan- tageously posted, and has the best mark of his heart and lungs, must be the first to jump off his horse, and, securing the bridle by putting it round his arm, discharge his piece ; then in an instant recovering his seat, must ride obliquely athwart his companions ; and giving his horse the reins, must trust entirely to the speed and fear of the latter, to convey him out of the reach of the wild beast, in case he has only wounded him, or has missed him. In either of these cases, a fair opportunity presents for some of the other hunters to jump off their horses directly, as they may then take their aim and discharge their pieces with greater coolness and certainty. Should this shot likewise miss (which, however, seldom happens), the third sportsman rides after the lion, which at that instant is in pursuit of the first or the second, and, spring- ing off his horse, fires his piece, as soon as he has got within a proper distance, and finds a sufficiently convenient part of the animal present itself, especially obhquely from behind. If now the lion turns upon him too, the other hunters turn again, to come to his rescue with the charge which they loaded on horseback, while they were flying from the wild beast. « No instance has ever been known of any misfortune happen- ing to the hunters in chasing the Hon on horseback. The African colonists, who have been born in, or have had the courage to remove into the more remote parts of Africa, which are exposed to the ravages of wild beasts, are sometimes good marksman, and aw fax from wanting courage." 74 HUNTING ADVENTURES. WOOD CHUCK, OR AMERICAN MARMOT. CHAPTER XV. HUNTING THE MARMOT. ARMOTS are poor little inoffensive ani- mals, and hardly to be considered game. The species of marmot found in Switzer* land and Savoy, is carried about Eu- rope by the little street musicians who come from those countries. The species of marmot known in this country, is the wood chuck or ground hog, a favorite object of pursuit among school boys. They are caught in the common box trap, or dug out from theif burrows. Our authority, heretofore quoted, gives the following account of the way in which the Marmot is hunted in Switzerland. HUNTII^G THE MARMOT. 1 5 Hunting the Marmot is neither dangerous nor laborious, noi fatal to any one but to the poor animals that are the objects of it. The marmots inhabit the high mountains, where m summer they scoop out holes, which they line with hay, and retire to at the beginning of autumn : here they grow torpid with the cold, and remain m a sort of lethargy, till the warmth of the spring return to quicken their languid blood, and to recall them to hfe. When it is supposed that they have retired to their winter abode, and before the snow has covered the high pastures where their holes are made, people go to unharbor them. They are found from ten to twelve in the same hole, heaped upon one another, and buried in the hay. Their sleep is so profound, that the hunter often puts them into his bag, and carries them home without their awaking. The flesh of the young is good, though it tastes of oil, and smells somewhat of musk ; the fat is used in the cure of rheumatisms and pains, being rubbed on the parts aifected ; but the skin is of little value, and is sold for no more than five or six Bols. Notwithstanding the httle benefit they reap from it, the people of Chamouni go in quest of this animal with great eagerness, and Its numbers accordingl}'- diminish very sensibly. SWISS BOT WITH HIS MARMOT. HUNTING ADVENTURES, CHAPTER XVI. HUNTING THE VIRGINIAN DEER. ACH of the American varieties cf the deer will fall under our notice in the progress of the work. At present, before taking leave of the old writer to whom we are already so much indebted, we will quote his remarks on the hunting of the common Virginian deer, the ani- mal whose flesh is the venison so abundant in our markets. These animals are of the utmost importance to the American Indians. Their skins form the greatest branch of their traffic, by w^hich they procure from the whites in exchange, many of the HUNTING THE VIRGINIAN DEEU. 7? necessaries of life. To all of them the flesh is the principal food throughout the year ; for drying it over a gentle but clear fire, after cutting it into small pieces, it is not only capable of long preserva- tion, but is very portable in their excursions, especially when reduced to powder, which is frequently done. Hunting is more than an amusement to these people. They use it not only for the sake of subsistence, but to fit themselves for war, by habituating them to fatigue. A good huntsman is an able warrior. Those who fail in the sports of the field are never supposed to be capable of supporting the hardships of a campaign ; they are degraded to Ignoble offices, such as dressing the skins of deer, and other employ- ments allotted only to women and slaves. When a large party meditates a hunting match, which is usually at the beginning of winter, they agree on a place of rendezvou-s, often five hundred miles distant from their homes, and where per- haps many of them had never been. When this matter is settled, they separate into small parties, travel and hunt for subsistence aU day, and rest at night. The Indians have their particular hunting countries; but if they invade the limits of those belonging to other nations, the most deadly feuds ensue. As soon as they arrive on the borders of the hunting country, the captain of the band delineates on the bark of a tree his own figure, with a rattlesnake twined rouiid b»m with distended mouth ; and in his hand a bloody tomahawk, By this he impfies a destructive menace to any who shall ii vada their territories, or interrupt their diversion. — The chase is carried on in different ways. Some surprise the deer by using the stale 78 HI3NTING ADVENTURES. »f the head, homs, and hide ; but the general method is performed oy the whoie body. Several hundreds disperse in a line, encom- passing a vast space of country, fire the woods, and drive the animals into some strait or peninsula, where they become an easy prey ; and where foxes, racoons, bears, &c., are also objects of atten* tion, whose furs form articles oPcommerce with the Europeans. The Indians had a stratagem for taking deer by disguising themselves in the skin of the animal, and the old histories inform us that when Maryland was settled by Lord Baltimore's colony, the Indians instructed the colonists in the use of this stratagem. »HE INDIANS IKSTRUCTINO THB COLONISTS OF KABTLAND IN DEER HUNTINQ. UIDIAN RHINOCEROS. HUNTING THE INDIAN RHINOCEROS. 81 CHAPTER XVII. HUNTING THE INDIAN RHINOCERCS. HE old name of this the first rhinoceros known to naturalists, was UnicornuSf or one-horned ; but the discovery ol another with only one horn, and yet with specific diflferences sufficiently marked, rendered this n\me no longei descriptive as a specific one. This powerful animal is not distributed ovei the breadth of continental Inaia, but confined to the marshy jungles in the lower valleys of the greal rivers, especially the Granges, and its effluent the Burhampootra The country there has a peculiar character among even Indian countries. The rains come with both monsoons, the north-east as well as the south-west, and they come in very great quantity ; so that, for the greater part of the year everywhere, and the whole of it in many places, the country is a swamp ; a swamp which remains under the shade of that most luxuriant vegetation which it produces, despite the great heat of the sun. This is the grand residence of the rhinoceros ; and it points out what must have been the character of vegetation in those places from which the rhinoceros has vanished, when that animal was alive in them. The characters of this one are : — a single horn on the nose ; th^ skin is marked with deep furrows or plaits behind the shouldeis and the thighs ; and there are also deep folds under the throat. The skin is indeed folded and furrowed in many places, as if it were too large for the owner. The hairs on the skin are hard and smooth ; but they are so few, as scarcely to make any appear- ance, excepting a few on the tail and the margins of the ears. The head is short and triangular ; but the nasal bones are well developed, and form a strong vault, on the summit of which the base of the horn rests. The eyes are very small ; and there are two strong incisive teeth in each jaw. When in nealth, the skin «f the animal is blackish grey with a slight tinge of violet When 82 HUNTl^a ADVENTURES. full grown, it attains the length of eight or nine feet ; but it does not stand much more than half the height of the elephant. It ia a strong and powerful animal a .d easily excited, in which state it is equally bold and perseveri g in its attacks. What the natural enemies of the rhinoceros may be, it is not easy to say ; though its proneness to make the attack, which has no reference whatever to the finding of its food, would lead us to suppose that this pugna- cious instinct has not been given to it in vain. In consequence of its boldness and strength, the hunting of the rhinoceros is one of the most splendid and hazardous of the wild sports of the East. I is to be sought for in the jungles, and is often found in parties of about half a dozen, led on by the biggest cf the whole, as is the case with the herds of elephants. In tht tall vegetation of the Indian jungle, the sportsmen cannot hunt for this animal unless they are mounted on elephants ; and they find it necessary to go in bands, so that while some of the elephants are receiving the charge of the rhinoceros, the others may take aira and wound them. A single one is said, in the first instance, to seek safety in a retreat into a closer part of the jungle ; but, if again roused, it advances to the attack. Its object appears to be to get at the elephant on the side ; and passing the horn in beW it, to wound it in the belly, or fairly rip it open. The elephant is also said not to attempt using the tusks, which would not, of course, be able to toss so weighty an animal. What may be done in a state of nature we have no means of knowing, for no- body has recorded, and probably nobody ever saw a battle between a rhmoceros and an elephant in wild nature, nor probably between a rhinoceros and any other creature. But in cases of hunting the elephant does not appear to have any means of warding otf the attack ; but wheels round, and receives it on the hinder nart of the body, on which the horn has not much efl^ect in the W9 ; of laceration ; but the impetus of the animal is such, that it lurls the elephant to *he earth ; and this it will continue to dr. agcin and again for some time. It is not unhkely that me eiepnant, :i free in wild nature, would continue to receive these attacks till its opponent were exhausted. HUNTING THE BISON. 8S EUROPEAN BISON ASSAILED BY WOLV CHAPTER XVIIL HUNTING THE BISON. E must be can ful to distinguish be- tween the two speciea of Bison, the European species, and the Ameri can. Speaking of the former, a late writer Cuvier considers it as certain that this animal. the largest, or at least the most massive of all e!!tisting quadru* pe<'s after the rhinoceros, an animal still to be found in some of 54 HUNTING ADVENTURES. the Tiithuanian forests, and perhaps in those of Moldavia, Wal- lachia, and the neighborhood of' the Caucasus, is a distinct species which man has never subdued ; nor do we think that any one who takes the trouble to consider the evidence on which Cuvier*3 conclusion was founded will be of a different opinion. Following out this subject with his usual industry and ability, that great naturalist goes on to state (^Ossemens Fossiles) that if Europe possessed a UruSy a Thur of the Poles, different from the Bison or the Aurochi of the Germans, it is only in its remains that the species can be traced ; such remains are found, in the skulls of a species of ox different from the aurochs, in the superficial beds of certain districts. This Cuvier thinks must be the true Urus of the ancients, the original of our domestic ox, the stock perhaps whence our wild cattle descended ; while the aurochs of the pre- sent day is nothing more than the Bison or Bonasus of the indents, a species which has never been brought under the yoke. This ancient species is fast following its extinct congener, the Vtus. Pallas observes, that it is remarkable that the aurochs does not exist in any of the vast forests of Russia and Northern Asia, whence (if it had penetrated therein) hardly any thing could have eradicated it. As late as the reign of Charlemagne it was not rare in Germany, but the range of the species is now nearly confined to the mountainous country between the Caspian and Black Seas. The American Bison has many points of similarity with the Aurochs. In both we have the huge head, and the lengthened pinous processes of the dorsal vertebrae for the attachment of the brawny muscles that support and wield it. In both we have the conical hump between the shoulders in consequence, and the shaggy mane in all seasons ; and each presents a model of brute fjrce, formed to push and throw down. Before we describe the habits of the American bison, the modes of hunting it, and the uses to which the several parts of the anima. are put, it may be well to give some idea of the vast wildernessej Wh^re it roams in unrestrained freedom. We know not how to convey this idea better than in the words of Washington Irving HUNTING THE BISON. 85 AMERICAN BISON. who possesses the magic art of converting the reader into a spectatoi of the scene described. In his Tour on the Prairies^ the follow ing panoramic views are presented to us ; — ** After a toilsome march of some distance through a country cut up by ravmes and brooks, and entangled by thickets, we emerged upon a grand prairie. Here one of the characteristic scenes of the ' far west' broke upon us, — an immense extent of grassy, undulating, or, as it is termed, < rolling* country, with here and there a clump of trees dimly seen in the distance like a ship at sea, the landscape deriving sublimity from its vastness and simplicity. To the south-west, on the summit of a hill, was a singular crest of broken rocks, resembling a ruined fortress. It reminded me of the ruin of some Moorish castle crowning a height in the midst of a lonely Spanish landscape. To this hill we gave the name of Ciff Castle. *'The prairies of these great hunting regions differed, in the character of their vegetation, from those through which I had hitnerto passed. Instead of a profusion of tall, flowering plants, and long flaunting grasses, they were covered with a shorter growth gg HUNTING ADVENTURES. of herbage called buffalo-grass, somewhat coarse, but, at the propel season, affording excellent and abundant pasturage. At pn sent it was growing wiry, and in many places it was too much parched foi grazing. << The weather was vergmg into that serene but somewhat and season called the Indian summer. There was a smoky haze in the atmosphere that tempered the brightness of the sunshine into a golden tint, softening the features of the landscape, and giving a vagueness to the outlines of distant objects. This hazmess was daify increasing, and was attributed to the burning of the distant prairies by the Indian hunting parties. We had not gone far upon the prairie before we came to where deeply-worn footpaths were Been traversing the country. Sometimes two or three would keep parallel to each other, and but a few paces apart. These were pronounced to be traces of buffaloes, where large droves had passed."— p. 153. Turn we now to a more refreshing scene : — ''About ten o'clock in the morning we came to where this Hne of rugged hills swept down into a valley, through which flowed the north fork of the Red River. A beautiful meadow, about half a mile wide, enamelled with yellow autumnal flowers, stretched for two or three miles along the foot of the hills, bordered on the opposite side by the river, whose banks were fringed with cotton-wood trees, the bright foliage of which reiresned and delighted the eye, after being wearied by the contemplation of monotonous wastes of brown forest. <' The meadow was finely diversified by groves and clumps of trees, so happily disposed that they seemed as if set out- by the hand of art. As we cast our eyes over this fresh and delightful valley, we beheld a troop of wild horses quietly grazing on a green lawn about a mile distant to our right, while to our left, at nearly the same distance, were several buffaloes, some feeding, others re posing and ruminating among the high rich herbage, under the shade of a clump of cotton-wood trees. The whole had the appear ance of a broi.d, beautiful tract of pasture- land, on the highly orna- mented estate of some gentleman-farmer, with his cattle grazing about the lawns and meadows." — p. 220. HUNTING THE BISON. 87 The American male bison, when at its full size, is said to weigh 2000 lbs., though 12 or 14 cwt, is considered a good weight in the fur countries. Dr. Richardson gives eight feet and a half as its length, exclusive of the tail, which is twenty inches, and upwards of six feet as its height at the fore-quarters. The head is very large, and carried low ; the eyes are small, black, and piercing , the horns are short, small, sharp, set far apart, for the forehead is very broad, and directed outwards and backwards, so as to be nearly erect, with a slight curve towards the outward pointing tips. Tho hump is not a mere lump of fatty secretion, like that of the zebu, but consists exclusive of a deposite of fat, which varies much in quantity, of the strong muscles attached to the highiy-developed spinous processes of the last cervical and first dorsal vertebrae, forming fit machinery for the support and movement of the enormous head. The chest is broad, and the legs are strong ; the hind parts are narrow, and have a comparatively weak appearance. The tail is clothed with short fur-like hair, with a long, straight, coarse, blackish-brown tuft at the end. In winter the whole body is covered with long shagged hair, which in summer falls off, leaving the blackish wrinkled skin exposed, except on the forehead, hump, fore-quarters, under-jaw, and throat, where the hair is very long and shaggy, and mixed with much wool Catesby observes that on the forehead of a bull the hair is a foot long, thick and frizzled, and of a dusky black color, that the length of this hair, hanging over their eyes, impedes their flight, and is frequently the cause of their destruction, but this obstruction of sight is in some measure supphed by their good noses, which are no small safeguard to them. A bull, says he, in summer, with his body bare and his head muffled with long hair, makes a very formidable appearance. In summer, the general color of the hair is between dark-umber and liver-brown, and lustrous. The tips of the hair, as it lengthens in winter, are paler, and before it is shed in summer much of it be- comes of a pale, dull, yellowish-brown. In the female the head is smaller, and the hair on the foreparts is not so long as i is in the male. Congregating in vast herds, these animals are said to cover Uie 88 HUNTING ABVENTURES. CAPTAIN LEWIS THE TRAVELLER. wide- extended savannahs of the more southern districts of the north for miles in extent. '* Such was the muhitude," say Lewis and Clarke, speaking of an assemblage of bisons as they crossed the water, " that although the river, including an island over wkich they passed, was a mile in length, the herd stretched, as thick as they could swim, completely from one side to the other." The same travellers, speaking of another of these grand spectacles, say, — " If it be not impossible to calculate the moving multitude which darkened the whole plains, we are convinced that 20,000 would be no exaggerated number." Catesby, after stating that they range in droves, feeding on the open savannahs morning and «?vening, says that in the sultry time of the day they retire to shady Tivulets and streams of clear water gliding through thickets of tali HUNTING THE BISON. 89 canes. Dr. James had an opportunity of observing them on such occasions, and he thus describes their march : — <' In the middle of the day countless thousands of them were seen coming in from every quarter to the stagnant pools ;" and in another place he says, that their paths are as frequent, and almost as conspicuous as the roads in the most populous parts of the United States. The bisons, in truth, are a wandering race, the motives of their restlessness being, either disturbance by hunters or change of pas- ture. After the fire has cleared the prairie of all the old herbage, the delicately tender grass which springs up in the r'^om of the old wiry bents that fed the flame, offers the most grateful food to the migratory bisons ; such spots are well-known to the hunter as points of attraction to these animals. In the winter, when the snow hes deep over the vegetation, they scrape it away with their feet to get at the grass. Fierce and terrible are the fights among the bulls in the rutting season, and perilous is the condition of the man who then approaches them. For the greatest part of the year the bulls and cows live in separate herds ; but at all seasons, according to Dr. Richardson, one or two old bulls generally accompany a large herd of cows. These powerful beasts are in general shy, and fly from the face of man till they are wounded ; they then become furious, and pursue their enemy with the most vindictive spirit, as we shall presently see ; but we must first say a word or two on some of the different modes of hunting them. Du Pratz and Charlevoix give several particulars of the chase of these animals by the Indians. li the rifle be used the hunter is careful to go against the wind, for the sense of smelling is so exquisite in the bison that it will other- wise get scent of him and precipitately retire. If he gets within rifle-distance, he is careful so to take his aim that the beast may drop at once, and not be irritated by an ineffectual wound. But the great hunting is, or rather was, somewhat after the manner of the Scottish *< tinchel.'* A great number of men divide and form a vast square. Each band sets fire to the dry grass of the savannah where the herds are €''*^ding. When the affrighted 90 HUi7TINa ADVENTURES. beasts perceive the fire approaching on all sides, they retire in con- fusion to the centre of the square, where the bands close upon them, and kill them as they are huddled together in heaps without hazard ; 1500 or 2000 beeves have been given as the produce of such an expedition. Captain (now Sir John) Franklin gives us the following infoi- mation. After stating that the Stone Indians are so expert with the bow and arrow that they can strike a very small object at a considerable distance, and shoot with sufficient force to pierce through the body of a bufl^alo when near, he thus describes a buffalo or bison pound : — ^^The buffalo pound was a fenced circular space, of about a hun- dred yards in diameter; the entrance was banked up with snow, to a sufficient height to prevent the retreat of the animals that once have entered. For about a mile on each side of the road leading to the pound, stakes were driven into the ground at nearly equal distances of about twenty yards ; these were intended to represent men, and to deter the animals from attempting to break out on either side. Within fifty or sixty yards from the pound, branches of trees were placed between these stakes to screen the Indians, who lie down behmd them to await the approach of the buffalo. The prmcipal dexterity in this species of chase is shown by the horsemen, who have to manoeuvre round the herd in the plains so as to ursfe them to enter the roadway, which is about a quarter of a mile broad. When this has been accomplished, they raise loud shouts, and, pressing close upon the animals, so terrify them tha they rush heedlessly forwards towards the snare. When they have advanced as far as the men who are lying in ambush, they also rise, and increase the consternation by violent shouting and firing guns. The affrighted beasts having no alternative, run directly to the pound, where they are quickly despatched, eithei with an arrow or gun. There was a tree in the centre of the pound, on which the Indians had hung strips of buffalo flesh, and pieces of cloth, as tributary or grateful offerings to the Great Master ji life ; and we were told that they occasionally place a man in thfl I HUNTING THE BISON. 93 tree to sing to the presiding Spirit as the buffaloes ar*» advancing, wrho must keep his station until the whole that have entered are Rilled." The same author further proceeds as follows ; — " Other modes of killing the buffalo are practised by the Indians with success ; of these, the hunting them on horseback requires most dexterity. An expert hunter, when well mounted, dashes at the herd, and chooses an individual which he endeavors to separate from the rest. If he succeeds, he contrives to keep him apart by the proper man- agement of his horse, though going at full speed. Whenever he can get sufficiently near for a ball to penetrate the beast's hide he fires, and seldom fails of bringing the animal down ; though, of course, he cannot rest the piece against the shoulder, nor take a deliberate aim. On this service the hunter is often exposed to COTisiderable danger from the fall of his horse in the numerous holes which the badgers make in these plains, and also from the rage of the bufl'alo, which, when closely pressed, often turns sud denly, and, rushing furiously on the horse, frequently succeeds in wounding it, or dismounting the rider. Whenever the animal shows this disposition, which the experienced hunter will readily perceive, he immediately pulls up his horse and goes off' in another direction." The reader will find some animated descriptions of such encounters in " The Tour on the Prairies," before alluded to. '<■ When the bufl^aloes are on their guard," as Captain Franklin observes, '^ horses cannot be used in approaching them ; but the hunter dismounts at some distance and crawls in the snow towards the herd, pushing his gun before him. If the buffalo**s happen to look towards him he stops, and keeps quite motionless, until their eyes are turned in another direction ; by this cautious pro- ceeding a skilful person will get so near as to be able to kill two or three out of the herd. It will easily be imagine J this service cannot be very agreeable when the thermometer stands 30° or 40° below zero, as sometimes happens in this country." This chase of the bison is not unattended with danger, *« for," says Catesby, "when woundfed they are very furious, which 94 Hl^NTING ADVENTURES. cautions the Indians how they attack them in Of en savannahs where no trees are to screen them from their fury. Their hoofs more than their horns, are their offensive weapons, and whatever opposes them is in no small danger of being trampled into the earth." Dr. Richardson, in his ^< Fauna Borealis Americana^'' observes that the bisons are less wary when they are assembled together in numbers, and that they will then often blindly follow their leaders, regardless of, or trampling down, the hunters posted in their way.' He further states that, though the gait of these animals may appear heavy and awkward, they will have no great difficulty in overtaking the fleetest runn<'r, and gives the following account of che determined violence with which a wounded bison assails its enemy : " While I resided at Carlton house," writes Dr. Richard- son, "an accident of this kind occurred. Mr. Finnan M'Donald, one of the Hudson's Bay Company's clerks, was descending the Saskatchewan in a boat, and one evening, havmg pitched his tent for the night, he went out in the dusk to look for game. It had become nearly dark when he* fired at a bison-bull, which was galloping over a small eminence, and as he was hastening forward to see if his shot had taken effect, the wounded beast made a rush at him. He had the presence of mind to seize the animal by the long hair on its forehead as it struck him on the side with its horn, and, being a remarkably tall and powerful man, a struggle ensued, which continued until his wrist was severely sprained, and his arm was rendered powerless ; he then fell, and after receiving two or three blows became senseless. Shortly after- wards he was found by his companions lying bathed in blood, being gored in several places, and the bison was couched beside him, apparently waiting to renew the attack, had he shown any signs of life. Mr. M' Donald recovered from the immediate effects of the injuries he received, but died a few months afterwards. Many other instances might be mentioned of the tenaciousness with which this animal pursues its revenge ; and I have been told of a hunter having been detained for many hours in a tree by an old m TMTi 'ill ' pi'ti! la l(liiii|»iiiii{i;i] HUNTINQ THE BISON. f^ ih, which had taken its post below to watch him. When i contends with a dog, it strikes violently with its fore feet, and in that way proves more than a match for an English bull-dog." The same writer says, that the favorite Indian method of killing the bison is by riding up to the fattest of the herd on horseback, and shooting it with an arrow ; and he speaks of the imposmg spectacle which is afforded when a large party of hunters are engaged in this way on an extensive plain, and of the skill and agility displayed by the young men on such occasions. The norses, it appears, seem to enjoy the sport as much as their riders, and are very active in eluding the shock of the animal, should it turn on its pursuer. It should be remembered, on such occasions, that, when the bison runs, it leans very much first to one side for a short time, and then to the other, and so on alternately. Dr. Richardson also confirms Captain Franklin in the asser- tion, that the most generally practised plan of shooting the bison 18 by crawhng towards them from to leeward, and that in favorable places great numbers are taken in pounds. To facilitate their approach to the bisons, the Indians some- times clothe themselves with the skin of the white wolf, whicb the bison does not fear. »d HHNTING ADVENTURES. POLAR BEAR. CHAPTER XIX. HUNTING THE POLAR BEAR. HE Polar Bear is generally from six to eight feet long. The fur is long and white, with a tinge of yellow, which becomes darker as the animal advances in age ; the ears are small and round, and the head long. It inhabits Greenland and Lapland, and is ^ found as far north as eighty de- grees. He walks heavily, and IS very clumsy in his motions ; his senses of hearing and seeing appear very dull, but his sriell is very acute ; and he does not appear destitute of some degree of understanding, or at least of cunning. Captain King, who visited the shores of the Arctic Ocetan in 1836, relates a curious instance of the cunning of this animal. <'oach. They proved to be a she-bear and her two cubs ; but the cubs were nearly as large as the dam. They van eagerly *o the fire, and drew out from the flames part of the flesh of the pea-horse, which remained unconsumed, and ate it voraciously. The crew from the ship threw great pieces of the flesh, which ihey had still left, upon the ice, which the old bear carried away singly, laid every piece before her cubs, and dividing them, ga7e each a share, reserving but a small portion for herself. As she was carrying away the last piece, they levelled their muskets at the cubs, and sh .- them both dead ; and in her retreat, they wounded the dam, out not mortally. *^ It would have drawn tears of pity from any but unfeeling minds, to have marked the aflx3Ctionate concern manifested by this poor beast, in the last moments of her expiring young. Though she was sorely wounded, and could but just crawl to the place where they lay, she carried the lump of flesh she had fetched away, as she had done the others before, tore it in pieces, and laid it down before them ; and when she saw that they refused to eat, she laid her paws first upon one, and then upon the other, and endeavored to raise them up. All this while it was piteous to hear her moan. When she found she could not stir them, she went offj and when at some distance, looked back and moaned ; and that not avaihng to entice them away, she returned, and smelling around them, began to lick their wounds. She went oflT a second time as before ; and having crawled a few paces looked again behind her, and for some time stood moaning. But, still her cubs not rising to follow her, she returned to them again, and with signs of inexpressible fondness went round first one and then the other, pawing them, and moaning. Finding at last that they were cold and lifeless, she raised her head towards the ship, and growled her resentment at the murderers ; which they re- turned with a volley of musket balls. She fell between her cubs, and died licking their wounds," Many otner mstances might be quoted, illustrative of the cnaracter of these singular animals. — animals which are perhaps more characteristic of those dismal regions to which they are IM |:UNTINO ADVENTURES. confined, than ti 5 animals of almost any her rfe^ion. The? dwell, as it were, upon the very verge of the living world being found as far to the north as the restless foot of human discovery has penetrated ; and they are perhaps the only animals not de cidedly and habitually inhabitants of the sea, which are found in every longitude, and are in all longitudes exactly the same. We cannot say positively that they range across the pole of the earth's rotation, and pass from Asia to America, and from America to Asia by that route, because there is a zone round the pole of which we have no knowledge. But as the observations of the recent voyagers for discovery in the Arctic regions, corroborated by some other circumstances, lead us to conclude that the latitude of the magnetic pole (or poles) has the maxium of cold, and that the climate of the pole of rotation is not so severe, we may there- fore suppose, without any violent straining of theory, that, in the perpetual day which reigns there for a longer period than in the limits of their habitation southward, the polar bears range over the whole polar zone, till those confines where the sea is too clear of ice for their habits ; and that they are thus the only animali which have the command of all the meridians on the globe HUNTING THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR. 105 THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR. CHAPTER XX. HUNTING THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR. HE black bear is found throughout North America, from the shores of the Arctic Sea to its southern extremity. That they must have ex- isted in great numbers throughout this extent of country, before its settle- ment by Europeans, may be easily behoved, fron? the immense number of skins which can even now be procured of this animal. About thirty-six years ago, one hundred and ninety-two thousand four hundred and ninety-seven bear skins were exported from Gluebec ; in the year 1S22, the Hudson's Bay Company exported thrte thousand skins of the black bear. On the wooded portions of the rocky mountains. Captains Clark and Lewis saw black bears, and subsequently found them on the great plains of the Columbia, and in the tract of country lying between these plains and the Pacific Ocean. Occasionally they 106 HUNTING ADVENTURES. are found hroughout the territories of the United States, ii th« wooded ard mountainous regions, and in unsettled districts. Tneif skins are of great use to the inhabitants as a substitute for manufactured woollens, such as blankets, &c. Under ordinary circumstances the black bear is not remarkable foi its ferocity, nor is it in the habit of attacking man without being provoked. When wounded, he turns on his enemy with prodigious erergy and defends himself daringly. During the couprng season, this disposition is more fully shown, as the males are then more ex«ited, and are consequently less lazy and clumsy than the)^ are in the autumn. If this bear is taken when young it is easily domesticated, and taught many tricks ; he is frequently to be seen exhibited by showmen as a " learned" bear. In the northern part of the American continent, the subter- raneous retreats of the black bear may be easily discovered by the mist which uniformly hangs about the entrance of the den, as the animal's heat and breathing prevent the mouth of the cave from being entirely closed, however deep the snow may be. As the black bear usually retires to his winter quarters before any quantity of snow has fallen, and does not agam venture abroad till the end of March or the beginning of April, he therefore spends at least four months in a state of torpidity, and without obtaining food. It is therefore not very surprising, though the bear goes mto his winter quarters excessively fat, that he should come forth in the spring a melancholy picture of emaciation. The black bear is sometimes destroyed by blocking up the mouth of the cave with logs of wood, and then suddenly bseak- ing open the top of it, they kill the animal with a spear or gun ; *his method is, however, considered both cowardly and waiuon, a? the bear can neither escape nor offer the sHghtest injury lo his merciless destroyers. The northern Indians display greal in- genuity in the manner in which they throw the noose around the neck of this animal, but the barbarous way in which they despatch him with the hatchet or tomahawk, after having drawn him to the top of his hole, has Httle in it to admire. Sometimes he is caugh* in traps, strong steel cnes chained » HUNTING THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR. 109 HUNTERS. t tree and laid m a path which has been partially stamad with blood, by drawing a newly killed carcass along it. At other times a noose, suspended from a strong bough, is substituted for the trap, in a path similarly prepared. The bear, whose sense of smell is exceedingly keen, alway follows upon the track along which a dead animal has been drawn, even although it has left no trace perceptible by the human senses. The common mode of hunting this bear is by two or three well-trained dogs. When he finds that he is pursued, he gene rally pushes forward for eight or ten miles, and sometimes more, in nearly a straight course. But when the dogs come up to him, he turns and strikes at them with his paws, the blows of which are so severe, that one of them taking effect, would instantly fell the strongest dog to the ground. The great art in training the dogs consists in teaching them to avoid these blows, and keep harassing the animal till he is exhausted. When that is the case, he climbs a tree to the height of twenty or thirty feet, at the root of which the dogs remain and *' give tongue " till the hunter makes his appearance. When the hunter appears, the bear drops to the ground, not for the purpose of attacking him, but of making a new effort at escape from the no v increased number of his pursuers. But, as he is heated by the effort of climbing and by the fall, though bears, from their form and alsG the nature of their covering, fall with much less injury than any JIO HUNTING ADVENTURES, Other animal of the same weight, he is much more an toyed by the doc^s than before. This makes him take to a tree again for refuge, he then dimbs as high as it will bear him, and endeavors to con- ceal himself among the thick foliage. The hunter now strikes against the trunk of the tree as if he were felling it, which soon puts the bear in motion. He makes his way to the extremity of a long and lofty branch, at which he draws himself partially into 'Jie form of a ball, and drops down, often from such a height as »hat he rebounds up again for several feet, as if he were an elastic substance. He rises again from this fall, still uninjured, and seeks safety by flight as before. His exertions are, however so much greater than those of his pursuers, that, whatever may be his strength, they in time wear him out, and he is ultimately shot, either when standing up to give battle to the dogs, or when attempting to hide himself behind the trunk of a tree. Such is the mode of bear hunting where there are trees ; but in the large open prairies he runs much farther, and the hunt is one of greater ardor, unless when he is shot at an early stage ; but, if the marksman is not skilful, shooting is rather a dangeroui matter while the bear is unexhausted, as the pain arouses all his strength, and arms him with the most desperate powers of revenge so that he would be too much both for dogs and hunter. Tree ing a bear in a canoe, as represented in the opposite engraving »8 a rice operation ; but it is not an easy mode of capture. HUNTING THE LLAMA. iia '^'5iyVfwiSS^4^ LLAMA, CHAPTER XXI. HUNTING THE LLAMA. ^r-^-^^-^vAPT. GEORGE SHELVOCRE, rui ^11) Ar c^ Englishman, who sailed round the ^J*^^ \ world in 1719-22, thus describes the tSC^-^ Hamas which ae saw at Arica in "For the carriage of the guana the people at Arica generally use that sort of nttle camels ^, ., ^^^^^ ^he Indians of Peru tall ilamas ; the Chilese, chilihnegue; and the Spaniards, cameras de la tierra, or W..C ;e sneep. 1 he heads oi these animaJs are small m pieportion 114 HUNTING ADVENTURM. to their bodies, and are somewhat in shape between the head oft horse and that of a sheep, the upper lip being cleft, Lke that of hare, through which they can spit to the distance of ten paces Rgainst any one who offends them ; and if the spittle happens to fall on the face of a person, it causes a red, itchy spot. Their necks are long and concavely bent downwards, like that of a camel, which animal they greatly resemble, except in having no bunch or their backs, and in being much smaller. Their ordinary height is from four feet to four and a half, and their ordinary burden does not exceed an hundred weight. They walk, holding up their heads, with wonderful gravity, and at so regular a pace, as no beating can quicken. At night it is impossible to make them move with their loads, for they He down till these are taken off, and then go to graze. Their ordinary food is a sort of grass, called yeho, somewhat like a small rush, but finer, and has a sharp point, with which all the mountains are covered exclusively. They eat little, and never drink, so that they are easily maintained. They have cloven feet, like sheep, and are used at the mines to carry ore to the mills ; and, as soon as loaded they set off without any guide to the place where they are usually unloaded. '^ They have a sort of spur above the foot, which renders them sure-footed among the rocks, as it serves as a sort of hook to hold by.* Their hair, or wool rather, is long, white, gray, and russet, in spots, and fine, but much inferior to that of the vicunna (vigonia,) and has a strong and disagreeable scent. " The vicunna is shaped much hke the llama, but much smaller and lighter, their wool being extraordinarily fine, and much valued. These animals are often hunted after the following manner : — Many Indians gather together, and drive them into some narrow pass across which they have previously extended cords about four feet from the ground, having bits of wool or cloth hanging la ^hem a> Bmall distances. This so frightens them that they dare not pass, and they gather together in a string, when the Indians kill them with sioiicb ueu to me tiUdsi ol leainer lUoago. ftnouiu nay guanacov • This i» lat»'^ou4. HUNTING THE LLAMA. 115 happen to be among the flock, these leap over the cords, and a>« followed by all the vicunnas. These guanacos are larger and more corpulent, and are also called viscachas. ♦< There is yet another animal of this kind called alpagnes (alpa- cas,) having wool of extraordinary fineness; buu their legs are shorter, and their snouts contracted in such a manner, as to give them some resemblance to the human countenance. ^eing killed at a HUNTING THE REIN-DEER. 119 much shnrter distance. It is to be observed that the hunters neve? appear openly, but employ stratagem for their purpose ; thus, by patience and ingenuity, rendering their rudely-formed bows, and still worse arrows, as effective as the rifles of Europeans. When two men hunt in company, they sometimes purposely show them- selves to the deer, and when his attention is fully engaged, wait slowly away from him, one before the other. The deer follows, and when the hunters arrive near a stone, the foremost drops behind it and prepares his bov/, while his companion continues walking steadily forward. This. latter, the de&r ytill follows unsuspectingly and thus passes near the concealed man who takes a deliberate aim and kills the animal. When the deer assemble in herds, there are particular passes which they invariably take, and on being driven to them are killed by arrows by the men, while the women with shouts drive them to the water. Here they swim with the ease and activity of water-dogs, the people in kayaks chasmg and easily spear mg them ; the carcasses float, and the hunter then presses forward and kills as many as he finds in his track. No springs or traps are used in the capture of these animals, as is practised to the southward, in consequence of the total absence of standing wood."* Captain Franklin describes the mode in which the Dog-rib Indians kill the rein-deer, which he had from Mr. Wentzel. " The hunters go in pairs, the foremost man carrying in one hand the horns and part of the skin of the head of a deer, and in the other a small bundle of twigs, against which he, from time ta time, rubs the horns, imitating the gestures pecuhar to the animal His comrade follows, treading exactly in his footsteps, and holding the guns of both in a horizontal position, so that the muzzles project under the arms of him who carries the head. Both hunters have A fillet of white skin round their foreheads, and the foremost has a itrip of the same round his wrists. They approach the herd by degrees, raising their legs very slowly, but setting them down some- what suddenly, after the manner of a deer, and always takmg care to lift their right or left feet simultaneously. If any of the * Private JoumaL 120 HUlTTINa ADVENTITRES. herd leave off feeding \o gaze upon this extraordinary phenomenon, It instantly stops, and the head begins to play its part b} licking Its shoulders, and performing other necessary movements. In this way the hunters attain the very centre of the herd without exciting suspicion, and have leisure to single out the fattest. The hindmost man then pushes forward his comrade's gun, the head is dropped, and they both fire nearly at the same instant. The deer scamper off, the hunters trot after them ; in a short time the poor animals halt to ascertain the cause of their terror ; their foes stop at the same moment, and having loaded as they ran, greet the gazers with a second fatal discharge. The consternation of the deer in- crsa'ocs; and sometimes a great part of the herd is destroyed within the space of a few hundred yards." In a country which affords such an uncertain supply of food, and whose climate is so severe, through a great part of the year, as Lapland, the progress of civilization can never be very considerable. The people must of necessity lead a wandering life, unitmg the hunting and the pastoral character ; but incapable, from physical causes, of pursuing the arts of agriculture, or entering largely intc the communications of commerce. But what civilization exists, or may exist amongst them, is wholly to be ascribed to their best possession — the rein-deer. It is not, therefore, incompatible with the great arrangements by which the universe has been created, and is supported, to believe that the rein-deer has been specially bestowed upon the inhabitant') of the polar regions, as an improve- ment of their necessary lot, in the same way that the locality of the camel has been fixed in the sandy and stony deserts of Asia and Africa. The poor Laplander knows the value of the faithfu* creature which aflfbrds him food, clothing, and the means of trana port ; and he offers his homage of thanksgiving to the Great Author of nature, who has given him this companion of his wanderings. Whether the native of the polar regions hunt the wild deer amidsi the icy mountains, be hurried by his aid across the frozen wastes,— or wander with his family and his herds, till the long winter begins, almost without any gradation, to succeed the short summer, — the livea ^f the Laplarder ard of ihf -ein-deer are inseparably united. ME. OEOROB CiTLUr A BISON HUNT. CHAPTER XXIII. A BISON HUNT OF MR. CATLIN AND M. CHARDON. R. GEORGE CATLIN, an Amer. can artist, resided for many years among the wildest of the Wester© Indians, of whose manners, cus toms, and character, he has giveii the most lively and amusing Qescription in his ^'Letters and Notes." From this work we copy the following extract, which includes an account of one of his hunting excursions, while he was in the Indian country The several tribes of Indians inhabiting the regions of the Upper Missouri, are undoubtedly the finest looking, best equipped, and nest beautifully costumed of any on the Continent. They live in b. country well-stocked with buffaloes and wild horses, which furnish tM m an excellent and easy Hving ; the'r atmosphere is pure, which produces good health and long Ufa and they- are the most inde- pendent and the happiest races of Indians I have met v/ith ; they are all entirely in a state of primitive wildness, and consequently are picturesque and handsome, almost beyond description. Nothing 124 fllTNTING ADVENTURES. in the world, of its kind, can possibly surpass in beauty and grace, some of their games and amusements — their gambols and parades, Df which I shall speak and paint hereafter. As far as my travels have yet led me into the Indian country, 1 have more than realized my former predictions, that those Indians who could be found most entirely in a state of nature, with the least knowledge of civilized society, would be found to be the most cleanly in their persons, elegant in their dress and manners, and enjoying life to the greatest perfection. Of such tribes, perhaps the Crows and Blackfeet stand first ; and no one would be able to uppreciate the richness and elegance (and even taste, too,) with which some of these people dress, without seeing them in their own country. I will do all I can, however, to make their looks as well as customs known to the world ; I will paint with my brush and scribble with my pen, and bring their plumes and plumage, dresses, weapons, &c., and every thing but the Indian himself, to prove to the world the assertions which I have made above. Every one of these red sons of the forest (or rather of the prairie j is a knight and lord— his squaws are his slaves ; the only things which he deems worthy of his exertions are to mount his snorting steed, with his bow and quiver slung, his arrow-shield upon his arm, and his long lance glistening in the war-parade ; or, divested of all his plumes and trappings, armed with a simple bow and quiver, to plunge his steed amongst the flying herds of bufl^loes, and with his sinewy bow, which he seldom bends in vain, to drive deep to life's fountain the whizzing arrow. The buffalo herds, which graze in almost countless numbers on these beautiful prairies, afford them an abundance of meat ; and 80 much is it preferred to all other, that the deer, the c\, and the antelope sport upon the prairies in herds in the greatest security ; as the Indians seldom kill them, unless they want their skins for a dress. The buffalo (or more correctly speaking, bison) is a noble animal that roams over the vast prairies, from the borders of Mexico on the south, to Hudson's Bay on the north. Their size is some what above that of our common bullock, and their flesh of a delicious flavor, resembhng and equalHng that of fat beef. Their flesh A BISON HUNT nj AMERICAN BISON. FEMALE IN THE DISTANCE. wheh is easily procured, furnishes the savages of these vast regions the means of a wholesome and good subsistence, and they live almost exclusively upon it — converting the skins, horns, hoofs and bones, to the construction of dresses, shields, bows, &c. The buffalo bull is one of the most formidable and frightful looking animals in the world when excited to resistance : his long shaggy mane hangs in great profusion over his neck and shoulders, and often extends quite down to the ground. The cow is less in Btature. and less ferocious ; though not much less wild and frightful in hex appearance. The mode in which these Indians kill this noble animal is spirited and thrilling in the extreme ; and I must in a future epistle, give you a minute account of it. I have almost daily accompanied parties of Indians to see the fun, and have often shared in it myself; but much oftener ran my horse by their sides, to see how the thing was done — to study the modes and expressions of thebe splendii icenes, which I am industriously putting upon the canvas. 128 HUNTING ADVENTURES. They are all (or nearly so) killed with arrows and the lance, while at full speed ; and the reader may easily imagine, that these sccRes aflord the most spirited and picturesque views of the sporting kind that can possibly be seen. At present I will give a little sketch of a bit of fun I jomed in festerdfiiy, with Mr. M'Kenzie and a number of his men, without the company or aid of Indians. I mentioned the other day, that M'Kenzie's table from day to Jay groans under the weight of buffalo tongues and beaver's tails and other luxuries of this western land. He has within his Fort t spacious ice-house, in which he preserves his meat fresh for any length of time required : and sometimes, when his larder runs low, he starts out, rallying some five or six of his best hunters (not to hunt, but to 'y of a luxuriant vegetation. When their privacy is invaded by man, a restless and constantly recurring curiosity seems to be their prevailing filing at first, and at last the intruders are frequently pelted with stones, sticks, and fruits heavy and hard, more especially if they make any demonstration of hostility. Robert Lade thus speaks of their behavior when he went to hunt some of them near the Cape : — "I can neither describe all the arts practised by these animals, nor the nimbleness and impudence with which they returned after being pursued by us. Sometimes they allowed us to approach so near them, that I was almost certain of seizing them; but when I made the attempt, they sprung, at a single leap, ten paces from me, and mounted trees with equal agility, from which they looked with great indifference, and seemed to derive pieasurt? from our astonishment. Some of them were so large, that if our interpreter had not assured us that they were neither ferocious nor dangerous, our number would not have appeared to be sufficient to protect us from their attacks. As it would serve no purpose to kill them, we did not use our guns" (we respect the good feeling of honest iobert and his companions) ; " but the captain happened to aim lit a very large one which sat on the top of a tree, after having fatigued us a long time in pursuing him. This kind of menace however, of which the animal perhaps recollected his having sometimes seen the consequences, terrified liim to such a degree, that he fell down motionless at our feet, and we had no difficulty in seizing him. But whenever he recovered from his stupor it requirea all our dexterity and efforts to keep him. We tied hifl 156 HUNTINa ADVENTURES. paws together ; but he bit so furiously that we were under the necessity of covering his head with our handkerchiefs." Indeed, those who have only seen these agile creatures in menageries, or in a reclaimed state, can have no idea of the wild activity of the tribe in their native woods. Swinging and leaping from tree to tree, ever on the hunt for fruits and birds' nests — they are most unconscionable plunderers of eggs — they lead a merry life, which is, however, often cut short by those mighty snakes that frequently lie in ambush near their careless, unsuspecting prey. These serpents are the greatest enemies of the monkeys, with the exception of the common persecutor — man. He, indeedj is sometimes touched by compunctious visitings, when it is too late. " Seeing me," says a South American traveller, speaking of a monkey, '' nearly on the bank of the river in a canoe, the creature made a halt from skipping after his companions, and, being perched on a branch that hung over the water, examined me with attention and the strongest marks of curiosity, no doubt taking me for a giant of his own species, while he chattered prodigiously, and kept dancing and shaking the bough on which he rested, with mcredible strength and agility. At this time I laid my piece to my shoulder, and brought him down from the tree into the stream ; but may I never again be a witness to such a scene ! The mise- rable animal was not dead, but mortally wounded. I seized him by the tail, and taking him in both my hands to end his torments, swung him round and hit his head against the side of the canoe ; but the poor creature still continuing ahve, and looking at me in the most affecting manner that can be conceived, I knew no other means of ending his murder than to hold him under the water till he was drowned, while my heart sickened on his account, for his dying little eyes still continued to follow me with seeming reproach, till their light gradually forsook them, and the wretched animal expired. I felt so much on this occasion that I could neither taste of him nor his companions when they were dressed, though I saw that they afforded to some others a delicious repast.' The repentant writer and his party were driven to the commis* Bion of the act for the want of fresh provisions ; and many of the HUNTING MONKEYS. 15» WHITE-EYELID MONKEY, family are considered most excellent eating — by those who can get over the appearance of the animal and of its bones when cooked There are not many, however, who can sit down to a dish of monkeys without feeling that it is rather a cannibalish proceeding. The Mangabey, or White-eyelid Monkey,* belongs to the genus cercocebus. Western Africa is his locality. The Man- gabey, with its upper eyelids of a dead white, was so named by Buffon, from the erroneous supposition that his specimens were brought from that territory in Madagascar. In a state of captivity it is a most unwearied droll — frolicsome and good-natured withal. Sir William Jardine mentions a female in Mr. Wombwell's mena- gerie that was most lively, and gives a figure of her, no easy task, for she was never at rest for one moment ; and her activity was increased when she perceived that she was noticed. " She per- formed," says Sir William, ^< many of the attitudes of the most experienced harlequins. * * "^ She was remarkably cleanly and careful r ot to soil her person. When feeding, she seldom put her head to the food or dish, but hfted and conveyed it to her mouth." Her diet consisted of bread and milk p;-incipally, and regetables occasionally : like Potemkin, she was very fond of a * Cercocebus fuliginosus 160 HUNTING ADVENTURES. carrot. The large troops in which the Green Monkeys assemble have been remarked by many travellers. It was one of these societies, most probably, that afforded M. Adanson the excellent sport, on the enjoyment of which he dwells with so much satis- faction. The poor animals were surprised in the midst of their tricks ; and M. Adanson declares that nothing could be more entertaining than the endeavors of the httle wretches to escape from the slaughtering gun which the traveller seems to have worked most unrelentingly. Though he killed twenty-three in less than one hour, within a space of twenty toises, and wounded, we dare say, many more, not one of the sufferers screamed during the whole time ; but the rest gathered together in companies, knit their brows, gnashed their teeth, and yelled as if they intended to attack him. We wish they had with all our hearts, and to some purpose, too, though we have great respect for philceophers in general, and for zoologists in particular. The fuU-maned Colobus, or full-bottomed Monkey, is a native of the forests of Sierra Leone. It is called by the natives the king of the monkeys, on account of its colors, and the camali which represents a sort of diadem. Its fur is highly esteemed. The head and shoulders are covered with long yellow and black hairs, forming a sort of mane-like hood or pelerine. The face is brown ; the body is covered with short jet black hair ; the tail is snow white and tufted. Its great beauty causes it to be hunted by the natives with great activity. Bows, arrows, and lances, are employed in hunting it, and snares and traps for its capture. It is rarely seen, however, out of its native country. The Guereza is a monkey of the Colobus genus. Its general color is black, but its sides and the back are ornamented with long pendent white hairs, forming a fringe-like mantle, its face encircled with white, tail ending in a white tuff. Native country. South and West Abyssinia, where ii is hunted by the natives, who con- sider it a mark of distinction to possess a buckler covered with its skin, the part used being that covered with the ong flowing whit* hairs. rri*l/-MANED COLOBUS. 11 HUNTING THE IBEX. 163 THE IBEX. CHAPTER XXYIIL HUNTING THE IBEX. HIS bold and powerful animal, armed with huge sweeping horns, inhabits the Alpine heights of Europe, and Western Asia. It associates in small troops, con- sisting of a male and a few females. The horns of the male curve boldly over the back, their anterior surface presenting a series of regular protuberances or partial rings; their length is often three feet. In the female thev are smaller. The hair ( f the Ibex in summer is short and 164 HUNTING ADVENTURES. close; m w.nter 'tong and thick; its color is yellowish grey, a black streak extending along the spine ; the croup is white, as are also the under parts of the body, a dark tint abruptly dividing the white from the general color above. The chin is bearded, The Ibex stands two feet six or eight inches in height, and is extremely active and vigorous. The chase of the Ibex is as arduous as that of the chamois, the animal leading its pursuer, unless he can steal upon it unawares with his rifle, a dangerous track over steep and rug- ged mountain pinnacles, along the brink of precipices, and over fearful chasms ; scaglie) at no great distance, and pasture of tender grass, roots, and the bark of trees. They collect around their retreats bones, dried leaves, and whatever they find in the neighborhood : if any- thing is missing in their districts, it is to be found with certainty piled up in these situations the following day. As they are arxi- mals that avoid the light, having little power of vision, they are not to be seen in the day-time, unless at d;iwn, or towards evening after sunset. The night, and especially when the moon shines, is the proper time for seeking their food. Those among the Biscachas which are called Chinchillas, and which may be said to belong to the first species, inhabit oniy the mountains and cold situations ; in size they are like a rabbit, and are clothed with a fine long fur. Their agility is surprising ; they are seen leaping from rock to rock as if they had the faculty of flight. The others, indicated above, inhabit the level country, in warm situations. . . . Fierce and courageous, they defend themselves with all their might against the do^s, and sometimes even attack the legs of the hunters. I shall speak in my travels, as a fitter place, of th© three curious modes in which they are driven out of their retreats,* that is ♦.:• say, with water, with fire, and by rubbing "ticks to gather." Vi^i^. HUNTING THE MOOSB. 178 THE MOOSE. CHAPTER XXX, HUNTING THE MOOSE. fHIS animal is the largest of the genus Alces, oeing higher f^ the shoulders than the horse; its horns weigh sometimes near fifty pounds ; accordingly, to bear this heavy weight, its neck is short and strong, taking away much of the elegance 6f propor- tion so generally predominant in the deer ; but when it is asserted that the elk wants beauty or majesty, the opinion can be enter- tahied by those who have seen the female only, the young, or the mere stuffed specimens ; for those who have had the opportunity of viewing the animal in all the glory of its full-grown horns, amid the scenery of his own wilderness, no animal could appear more majestic or more imposing. It is however the aggregate of his appearance which produces this effect; for when the proportions of its structure are considered in detail, they certainly wul seera destitute of the harmony of parts which in the imatrination pro- 174 HUNTING ADVENTURES. duces the feeling of beauty. The head measuring abcre two feet m length, is narrow and clumsily shaped, by the swelling upon the upper part of the nose and nostrils ; the eye is proportionably small, and sunk ; the ears long, hairy, and asinine ; the neck and withers are surmounted by a heavy mane ; and the throat fur- nished with long coarse hair, and, in younger specimens, encum- bered with a pendulous gland : these give altogether an uncouth character to this part of the animal. Its body, however, is round, compact, and short ; the tail not more than four inches long ; and the legs, though very long, are remarkably clean and firm ; this length of limb and the overhanging lips have caused the ancients to flmcy that it grazed walking backwards. The hair of the ani- mal is coarse and angular, breaking if bent. Its movements are rather heavy, and the shoulders being higher than the croup, it does not gallop, but shuffles or ambles along, its joints cracking at every step, with a sound heard to some distance. Increasing its speed, the hind-feet straddle to avoid treading on its fore-heels, tossing the head and shoulders like a horse about to break from a trot to a gallop. It does not leap, but steps without effort over a fallen tree, a gate, or a split fence. During its progress, it holds the nose up, so as to lay the horns horizontally back. This atti tude prevents its seeing the ground distinctly ; and as the weight is carried very high upon the elevated legs, it is said sometimes to trip by treading on its fore-heels, or otherwise, and occasionally to give itself a heavy fall. It is probably owing to this occur- rence that the elk was believed by the ancients to have frequent attacks of epilepsy, and to be obhged to smell its hoof before it rould recover; hence the Teutonic name of /^/enc^ (miserable j, and the reputation, especially of the fore-hoofs, as a specific against the disease." (Smith.) Dr. Richardson gives the following succinct account of their habits and food, and of the mode of hunting them. *' In the more northern parts the moose-deer is quite a solitary animal, more than one bemg very seldom seen at a time, unlesa during the rutting season, or when the female is accompanied by her lawns. It his the sense of hearing in very great perfection HUNTING THE MOOSE. 177 and is the most shy and wary of all the deer species ; an j on this account the art of moose-hunting is looked upon as the greatest of an Indian's acquirements, particularly by the Creeks who take to themselves the credit of being able to instruct the hunters of every other tribe. The skill of a moose-hunter is most tried ir the early part of the winter ; for during the summer, the moose, as well as other animals, are so much tormented by musquitoes, that they become regardless of the approach of man. In iha winter the hunter tracks the moose by its foot-marks in the snow, and it is necessary that he should keep constantly to leeward o/ the chase, and make his advances with the utmost caution, for the rusthng of a withered leaf or the cracking of a rotten twig is suffi- cient to alarm the watchful beast. The difficulty of approach is increased by a habit which the moose-deer has of making daily a sharp turn in its route, and choosing a place of repose so near some part of its path that it can hear the least noise made by on^e that attempts to track it. To avoid this, the judicious hunter, instead of walking in the animal's footsteps, forms his judgment from the appearance of the country, of the direction it is likely to have taken, and makes a circuit to leeward until he again finds the track. This manoeuvre is repeated until he discovers, by the softness of the snow in the foot-marks, and other signs, that he is very near the chase. He then disencumbers himself of every- thing that might embarrass his motions, and makes his approach in the most cautious manner. If he gets close to the annnal's lair without being seen, it is usual for him to break a small twig which, alarming the moose, it instantly starts up ; but, not fully aware of the danger, squats on its hams, and voids its urine, pre- paratory to setting off. In this posture it presents the fairest mark, and the hunter's shot seldom fails to take effect in a mortal part. In the ructing season the bucks lay aside their timidity, and attack every animal that comes in their way, and even con- quer their fear of man himself. The hunters then bring them within gun-shot by scraping on the blade-bone of a deer and by whistling, which, deceiving the male, he bhndly hastens to the •pot to assail his supposed rival. If the hunter fails in giving it a 178 HTTNTINQ ADVENTURES. mortal wound as :t approaches, he shelters himself from its f try behmd a tree, and I have heard of several instances in which the enraged animal has completely stripped the bark from the trunk of a large tree by striking with its fore-feet. In the spring-time, when the snow is very deep, the hunters frequently run down the ■noose on snow-shoes. An instance is recorded in the narrative of Captain Franklin's second journey, where three hunters pur- sued a moose-deer for four successive days, until the footsteps of the chase were marked with blood, although they had not yet got a view of it. At this period of the pursuit the principal hunter had the misfortune to sprain his ankle, and the two others were tired out ; but one of them, having rested for twelve hours, set out again, and succeeded in kilHng the animal after a further pur- suit of two days' continuance. Notwithstanding the lengthened chase which the moose can sustain when pursued in the snow, Hearne remarks that it is both tender-footed and short-winded ; and that, were it found in a country free from underwood, and dry under foot, it would become an easy prey to horsemen and dogs. The same author informs us that in the summer moose- deer are often killed in the water by the Indians who have the fortune to surprise them while they are crossing rivers or lakes, and that at such times they are the most inoffensive of animals, never making any resistance. *' The young ones in particular," says he, "are so simple, that I remember tc have seen an Indian paddle his canoe up to one of them, and take it by the poll, without experiencmg the least oppo- sition, the poor harmless animal seeming at the same time as con- tented alongside the canoe as if swimming by the side of its dam, and looking up in our faces with the same fearless innocence (hat a house- lamb would, making use of its fore foot almost every instant to clear its eyes of musquitoes, which at that time were remarkably numerous. The moose is the easiest to tame and domesticate )f any of the deer kind.*' HUNTING ANTEL.PES. 179 CHAPTER XXXI. HUNTINO ANTELOPES WITH THE CHEETAH. THE cheetah, or hunting leopard is spread extensively throughout Africa and India. Mr. Bennett ob- serves that '< Chardin, Bernier, Tavei* nier, and others of the older travellers, had related that in several parts of Asia it was customary to make use of a large epotted cat in the pursuit f game, and that this animal was youze in Persia, and cheetah in India ;" but the statements of these writers were so imperfect, and the descriptions given by them so incomplete, that it was next to impossible to recognize the par- ticular species intended. We now, however, know with certainty that the animal thus employed is Fells jubata of natumWsts, which inhabits the greater part both of Asia and Africa. It is common in India and Sumatra, as well as in Persia, and is well known in Senegal and at the Cape of Good Hope ; but the ingenuity of the savage natives of the latter countries has not, so far as we know, been exerted in rendering its services available in the chase, in the manner so successfully practised by the more refined and civilized inhabitants of Persia and Hir dostan. The cheetah differs in one or two places from the typical of *ts race. The Felida in general possesses a broad, rounded paw, uo HUNTING ADVENTURES. THE CHEETAH. armed with sharp-hooked and completely retracile claws '^iiich are protruded at pleasure ; but in the cheetah the foo being narrow, and more hke that of a dog, the claws from the Li[ity of the spring-ligatures, are partially retraced and are consequently worn and blunted at the points. As large in the body as the leopard, the cheetah is superior to that animal in height, and differs from it also in general figure. In the first place, the limbs, unfitted for chmbing, are long, slender, and tapering, and the body, which is deficient in length, reminds one in some degree of that of the greyhound. The skin of the cheetah is an article of some importance in tr»^e in Senegal, but is neglected at the Cape of Good Hope , this animal called linpard by the Dutch colonists is indeed rare in that district, but the skin is occasionally seen worn by Kaffre chiefs, bv vvay of distinction. In Africa, me rude natives never dream of employing the cheetah, as a means of procuring food : thev know not its value at the chase. In Persia and India, it has, however, been employed from an early period. In the * Field HUNTING THE ANTELOPE. \6\ Sports of India," the mode of coursing with the cheetah is inns described. They (the cheetahs), are led out in chains, with Winds over their eyes, and sometimes carried out in carts, and when antelopes, or deer, are seen on a plain, should any of them be separated from the rest, the cheetah's head is brought to face it, and the blinds taken off. He immediately crouches, and creeps along with his belly almost touching the ground, until he gets within a short distance of the deer, who, although seeing him approach, appears so fascinated that he seldom attempts to run away. 'I'he cheetah then takes a few surprising springs, and seizes the deer by the neck. If many deer are near each other, they often escape by flight, their number perhaps giving them confidence. We may add to this, that the cheetah takes advantage of every means of making its attack, and that when unsuccessful in its effort, it returns sullenly to its keeper, who replaces the hood, and reserves him for another opportunity. When, however, he has grappled with the quarry and fixed himself upon its throat, drink- ing the Ufe-blood warm, his nature breaks out with all its violence, so that it requires seme management to separate him from his victim. Partly awed by the keeper's voice, partly enticed by pieces of meat, and a ladleful of the blood, he is induced to relin- quish the prize, and submit to be again hooded. In all this we are reminded of the art of falconing. In captivity the cheetah is gentle, familiar and playful, h becomes greatly attached to those who feed or notice it. The disposition of these beautiful creatures is, indeed, frank and con- fiding, and consequently there is little trouble in rendering them perfectly domestic. Their voice of pleasure is a pur; of uneasi- ness or hunger, a short reiterated mew. 182 HUNTING ADVENTURES. THE KANGAROO. CHAPTER XXXII. HUNTING THE KANGAROO. - -| ^^ UNTING the Kangaroo is an amusement peculiar Co New Holland. The followmg sketches of it, are from an English periodical. We copy literally. These sketches of what may now ^^^ ^ he considered -^ the favorite colonial sport of Australia, have heen derived from the Sketch-book of a Settles who was so struck with the novelty of the chase, that ^ e has attempted to portray a few of VUJSQ A BOOMKE; OB, KANGAEOO HUlfTWO. HUNTING THE KANGAROO. 185 Its oddities. Every one familiar with the writings of Sydney Smith will recollect his ludicrous 'portrait of the Kangaroo; ** a monstrous animal, as tall as a grenadier, with the head of a ralibit, a tail as big as a bedpost, hopping along at the rate ol five hops to a mile, with three or four young Kangaroos looking out of its false uterus, to see what is passing." That extraordinary animal, the Kangaroo, discovered by Captain Cook, is now so well known, that a description of it, in addition to our illustrations, would be superfluous. Our countrymen pursued it in New Holland with greyhounds, and the leaps which it took surprised those who beheld it clear obstacles seven or eight feet high. In size it equals a sheep, some of the largest weighing 140lbs ; and the flesh is represented by those who have tasted it as being a httle like venison. The tail is said to make rich and savory soup. The species breed pretty freely in England, and has been kept with success in our parks. Of Kangaroos there exist a great variety of different species : among the larger ones is the common Kangaroo, called the "Forester" and '^ the Old Man" in New South Wales; and the red and woolly Kangaroos. They associate together in herds of greater or less extent upon the open downs and forests devoid of underwood, feed exclusively upon grass and vegetables ; and though never fat, are held in high estimation by colonial epicures. The native name for the Kangaroo is" boomer ;'^ hence the boomerang, the strange-looking, angular implement with which the Australians kill the animal ; and the throwing of which has puzzled our mechanicians, and amused our boyhood. The natives are very cunning in taking the kangaroo. They go forth to the chase armed only with a slender spear and a short stick ; depending more on their own subtlety and acuteness, when in pursuit of wild animals, than on the efficiency of their weapons. The scrnb natives go out in large parties, and surround their game, drive them towards large nets, in which they become entangled. Mr. Angas, in his " Savage Life and Scenes in K^ ralia and New Zealand," tells us tha he has seen single 186 HUNTING ADVENTURES. nets of this kind forty feet«^^ length, and curie t sly manufactu -od out of the fibres of bulrush ro^ ^. Mr. Angas relates , the following interesting picture of the chase ; ** In the hollow valleys bordering upon the scrub we frequently put up kangaroos.. These timid creatures, which we disturbed while they were feeding, immediately took to the desert; and many a famous chase we had after them, over gum bushes and the rough surface of the loose hmestone rocks. It is an extra- ordinary sight to see so large an animal clearing the bushes, and springing high into the air with such astonishing agility. To-day we put up a ' boomer ' and a couple of dogs : we took after the former, the dogs following close upon his track. Down-hill our horses were the losers, the kangaroo gaining on us rapidly by his enormous flying leaps ; but at two miles the dogs closed with him, and we came up as he stood at bay. He was a noble crea ture, and fougir desperately with his fore-paws ; a single kick with his hind feet would have laid any one of the dogs dead. It was a cruel sight to see the poor beast struggling hard for life beneath the bright sky, in his own free deserts ; his large and eloquent eyes filled with tears, and his head and shoulders covered with blood.' The same tourist next gives us the following animated descrip- ti6n of a sporting excursion : '' About thirty miles to the north-west of Boston Bay is a range of mountains called the Marble Range, near which is a beautiful lake of fresh water, known as Waungarrie Lake. I started with two companions, on horseback, to visit this interesting tract of country, which was only known to a few of the settlers, and promised to afl^ord good subjects for my pencil. At three miles from the settlement we reached ^ the Swamp,' so called from a reedy lake adjoining the farm. Several other stations were passed, belonging to flock-owners and agricultural settlers, and we then struck into a grassy country studded with casuarina and Banksia trees. Farther on, the aspect of the scene was very HUNTINa THE KANGAROO. 187 iimilar to that of the districtap^^WK'Mount Beri*<5iT*4i^^^fike Hawden, towards Rivoli Bayj^Mere, also, I otserved the bi^uif^ tufa, much of which was ^Jf^^^^^'^y F^!l»iJ^^^&*f\? larger tha^ ^ a wafer, and lying very thiclfto' scattered over mer^rcm^. We V met Smith and Hawson recurnwg^ frcmi hunting in the scrub, each with a large kangaroo slung acr^^^h|(Rcsaddle, and their^stock- vvhips curled round their shouldersT^^^Ss^ej presented admirable examples of full bush costume, in their blue wooflen shirts, with appendages of pannikins, tether-ropes, and rifles. We prevailed upon them to accompany us ; and the kangaroos and an emu that we had killed were planted (to use a colonial term) in the boughs of a she-oak tree, to remain in safety until our return. Upon the open scrubby plains and the low grassy hills, we observed numerous kangaroos. They frequenily appeared in flocks of eight or ten at a time, and give constant sport to the dogs. *< The rain poured down heavily until near sunset, when it cleared off, and we were amply rewarded for our ride by the enchantmg prospect before us. The mountains of the Marble Range, rising abruptly, and presenting their steep sides of quartz to the evening sun, sparkled in its rays as <;hough inlaid with diamonds ; and a richly verdant country stretched out all around, scattered with park-hke trees, in the centre of which, surrounded by green banks of velvet turf, lay Waungarrie Lake. The calm surface of the water mirrorred the sunset clouds, and was besprinkled with multitudes of black swans ; while some kangri- roos were quietly feeding near the water, undisturbed by dogs or savages, for no traces of the natives were discernible. "My companions had already built a tolerably snug shelter of boughs for the night, and we sat down in front of it, with our pannikins of tea, around a blazing fire, busied in roasting kangaroo steaks upon the ashes. The night was mild, with thunder and lightning. This country, which is entirely uninhabited, would afford an excellent district for sheep or cattle, and I know of no situation more enticing for a settler's homestead, in the neighbor* hood oi Port Lincoln, than the banks of Waungarrie Lake." 18S HUNTING ADVENTURES. CHAPTER XXXIII. A FRENCH OFFICER HUNTING LIONESSES. HE following narrative js from the French Journal des Chasseurs, to which it was contributed by Mr. Jules Gerard, as a remi- niscence of his service in Algeria : .\\wviriL-»ir^ -^^^5-x-^=-^- — :-j.-^ fv-r^ "I knew cf a lar^e old M.„.i.«x..i ^ <^ ^.^^v^x.^..-.^ ^■c-^^s^L^s, hon m the Smauls coun- try and betook myself in that direction. On arriving I heard that he was in the Bonarif, near Batnah. My te... '-^ ~ not yet pitched at the foot of the mountain, when I learned that . -vs at the Fed Jong, where, on my arrival, I found that he had gained the Aures. After travelling one hundred leagues in ten days in the trace of my brute without catching a ghmpse of anything but his foot-prints, I was gratified on the night of the 22d of August with the sound of my lord's voice. I had established my tent in the valley of Ouslen. As there is only one patn across this thickly covered valley, I found it an easy task to discover his track and follow it to his lair. At six o'clock in the evening I alighted upon t hillock commanding a prospect of the country around. 1 was ftccompanied by a native of the country and my spahi, one carry- aig my carbine, the other my old gun. As I had anticipated, th6 HUNTING THE LIONESS. 189 .ion roared under cover at dawn of day ; but instead of advancing toward me, he started off in a westerly direction at such a pace that it was impossible for me to come up with him. 1 retraced my steps at midnight and took up my quarters at the foot of a tree upon the path which the lion had taken. The country about this spot was cleared and cultivated. The moon being favorable, the approach of anything could be descried in every direction. I mstalled myself and waited. Weary after a ride of several hours over a very irregular country, and not expecting any chance that night, I enjoined my spahi to keep a good watch, and lay down. I was just about to fall asleep when I felt a gentle pull at my burnous. On getting up I wis able to make out two lions, sitting one beside the other, about one hundred paces off, and exactly on the path in which I had taken up my position. At first I thought we had been perceived, and prepared to make the best of this dis- covery. The moon shed a light upon the entire ground which the hons would have to cross in order to reach the tree, close to which all within a circumference of ten paces was completely dark, both on account of the thickness of the tree and the shadow cast by the foliage. My spahi, like me, was in range of the shadow, while the Arab lay snoring ten paces off in the full light of the moon. There was no doubting the fact — it was this man who attracted the attention of the Hons. I expressly forbade the spahi to wake up the Arab, as I was persuaded that when the action was over he would be proud of havmg served as a bait even without knowing it. I then prepared my arms and placed them against the tree and got up, in order the better to observe the movements of the enemy. They were not less than half an hour traversing a distance of one hundred metres. Although the ground was open, I could only see them when they raised their heads to make sure that the Arab was stiJl there. They took advantage of every stone and every tuft of grass to renaer iheni- selves almost mvisible ; at last the boldest of them came up crouch* mg on his belly to within ten paces of me and fifteen of the Arab His eye was fixed en the latter, and with such an expression thai I "'as afraid I had waited too long. Tho second, who had stayec? 190 HTTNTrN-G ADVENTURES. a few paces behind, came and placed himself on a leve. with an'' about four or five paces from the first. I then saw for the first time that they were full-grown lionesses. I took aim at the first, and she came rolling and roaring down to the foot of the tree. The Arab was scarcely awakened when a second ball stretched the animal dead upon the spot. The first bullet went in at the muzzle and came out at the tail; the second had gone through the heart. After making sure tliat my men were all right, I looked out for the second lioness. She was standing up within fifteen paces, looking at what was going on around her. I took my gun and leveled it at her. She squatted down. When I fired she fell down roaring, and disappeared in a field of maize on the edge of the road. On approaching I found by her moaning that she was still alive, and did not venture at night into the thick plantation which sheltered her. As soon as it was day I went to the spot where she had fallen, and all I found were blood-marks showing her track in the direction of the wood. After sending the dead honess to the neighboring garrison, who eelebrated its arrival by a banquet, I returned to my post of the previous night. A little after sunset the Hon roared for the first time, but instead of quitting his lair he remained there all night roaring hke a mad- man. Convinced that the wounded lioness was there, I sent on the morning of the 24th, two Arabs to explore the cover. They returned without daring to approach it. On the night of the 24th there was the same roaring and complaining of the lion on the mountain and under cover. On the 25th, at five in the evening, [ had a young goat muzzled, and proceeded with it to the moun- tain. The lair was exceedingl}^ difficult of access. Nevertheless [ succeeded at last by crawling now on my hands and now on my belly in reaching it. Having discovered certain indications of the presence of the inhabitants of this locality, I had the goat un- muzzled and tied to a tree. Then followed the most comical panic on the part of the Arabs, who were carrying my arms. Seeing the]iij:*^.lves in the middle of the lion's lair, whom they could distinctly smell, and hearing the horrified goat calling them with all ts might, was a position perfectly intolerable to them HUNTING LIONESSES. 191 After consulting together as to whether it were better lo ciimb up a tree or clamber on a rock, they asked my permission to remain near the goat. This confidence pleased me and obtained them the privilege of a place by my side. I had not bee-n there a quarter of an hour when the lioness appeared ; she found herself suddenly beside the goat, and looked about her with an air of astonishment. I fired, and she fell without a struggle. The Arabs were already kissing my hands, and I myself believed her dead, when she got up again as though nothing was the matter, and showed us all her teeth. One of the Arabs who had run ^ward her was within six paces of her. On seeing her get up ne clung to the lower branches of the tree to which the goat was tied, and disappeared like a squirrel. The honess fell dead at the foot of the tree, a second bullet piercing her heart. The first had passed out of the nape of the neck without breaking the skull bone. 192 HUNTING ADVENTURES. iS^j^^^ THS JAOITAR. CHAPTER XXXIV. HUNTING THE JAGUAR. HE Jaguar is the largest and most formidaole among the Cats of the New World, in the warmer regions of which he exercises the same crael tyranny as the Lions, and Tigers, and the Leo» pards, of the burning chmates of the Old. He appears to be almost universally spread over the southern division of the American comment from Paraguay to Guiana ; but there is no satisfactory proof of his having been observed to the north of the Isthmus of Panama. In the neighborhood of inhabited places he is daily becominf: more and more rare, the r;ivages which he commits upon the flocks, and the high price that 13 given for his skin, forming a double incentive to his destruction. His habits and manners are almost precisely the same as those of the other large animals of his tribe ; but he is spoken of as even m(;re indolent and cowardly. Like them he generally watches for his prey in a concealed ambush, whence he darts upon it unawares, bearing it at once to the earth by his great musculaf HUNTING THE JAGUAR. l93 Strength, and depriving it of all power of resistance cr of flight. Occasionally, however, when urged by hunger, he prowls abroad more openly, and will even venture to attack man ; but rarely if he tinds him on his guard. M. Sonnini relates that one annoyed h'm and his party for two successive nights, during his travels in Guiana, constantly hovering about them, watching an opportunity f()r falling on his prey, but retreating into the bushes the moment he perceived himself observed, and disappearing with such rapidity that it was impossible to get a shot at him. According to the same author and to M. D'Azara, these animals climb with great dexterity, swim with almost equal skill, and are able to carry cJ the bodies of their victims, even of the largest quadru- peds, such as horses and oxen, to a place of security where they can sat'ate their appetites without risk of disturbance. The natives of Paraguay have a bold .and singular mode of hunting the Jaguar. The hunter folds his pouch round his left arm, by way of shield, and taking a spear m his right hand, fearlessly assails him in his lair, and generally with success. 13 194 HUNTING ADVENTUR3S. THE GNOO. CHAPTER XXXV. HUNTING THE GNOO. MONG modem hunters Mr. Roualeyi Gordon Gumming deserves the high- est rank. He has just published a work entitled " Five years of a Hunter's Life in the Far Interior of South Africa," which gives the most thrilling and entertaining narratives i ©f his hunting the animals of tha/ ^" region, such as the Lion, Elephant Giraffe, Rh-'noceros, Hippopotamus dnd the various kinds of antelopes with which the country abounds To indulge in his favorite pursuit without restraint he gave up his commission in the British army, and bought a train of vagons at one of the towns near the Cape of Ciood Hope, HUNTING THE GNOO. 195 THE HARTEBEEST. and taking with him a supply of articles of trade an { a traiit of Hottentots, Bushmen, and Dutchmen, he set off into the interior on a trading and hunting expedition. This was repeated five times in five successive years, and the result was his obtain- ing about thirty tons of trophies of the chase, which he carried to liondon, where he exhibited them as proofs of the truth of hia story. We shall copy freely from his book. The reader will observe that he uses certain peculiar terms, such as trek, to travel with wagons ; inspan, to yoke the oxen and attach them to the wagons ; outspan, to unyoke and loose the oxen ; spoor, the track of a wild animal ; &c. The following is his account of hunting the Gnoo and the Hartebeest, and of the peculiar habits of the African Wild Dogs. On the morning of the 12th I rode northeast with attendants, and after proceeding several miles through an open country we entered a beautiful forest of cameeldorn trees, and rode along beneath a range of steep rocky hills. The country gave me the idea of extreme antiquity, where the hand of man had wrought no change since the Creation. In a finely wooded broad valley or opening among the hills, we fell in with a magnificent herd of about sixty blue wildebeests. As they cantered across the grassy sward tossing their fierce-looking, ponderous he^ds, their shaggjf 196 HUNTING ADVENTURES. manes and long, black, bushy tails streaming in the breeze, the^ presented an appearance at once striking and imposing; and to a stranger they conveyed rather the idea of buffaloes than anything belonging to the antelope tribe, to which, indeed, wildebeests, both black and white, are but remotely aUied, nothwithstanding the classification of naturahsts. About midnight on the 16th, weary with tossing on my restless couch, 1 arose, and taking my two-grooved rifle, a pillow, and a blanket, I held for my shooting-hole beside the fountain. The remainder of the night was very cool, with a southerly breeze At dawn I looked from my hole, and, seeing no game approach- ing, I rolled my blanket tight around me and tried to sleep. Id this manner I had lain for about half an hour, when I was suddenly startled by a large, heavy animal galloping past within six feet of me. I at once knew that it must be either some beast which had oeen coming to drink and had got my wind, or one hunted, which, according to the custom of deer and the larger antelopes, had rushed for refuge to the water in its distress. In the latter con- jecture I was right ; for, on cautiously peeping through the stones which surrounded my hole, t had the pleasure to behold a fine bull brindled gnoo dash into the waters of the fountain within forty yards of me, and stand at bay, followed by four tearing, fierce- looking wild dogs. All the four had their heads and shoulders covered with blood, and looked savage in the extreme. They seemed quite confident of success, and came leisurely up to the bull, passing within a few yards of me, their eyes glistening with ferocious glee. My anxiety to possess this fine old bull, and also a specimen of the wild dog, prevented my waiting to see more of the fun. I deliberated for a few seconds whether I would shoot the bull fii^l or one of the hounds, and ended by shooting the gnoo and the largest hound right and left. The bull, on receiving the ball, bounded out of the fountain ; but suddenly wheehog about, he re-entered it, and staggering violently for a moment, subsided in its vaters. The hound got the bullet through his heart, and springing forward from his comrades, instantly measured his HUNTING THE GNOO. 19" ength upon the gravel. I then quickly reloaded my rifle, lyin<3 on my side ; a proceeding which, I may inform those who have not yet tried it, is rather difficult to accomplish. While I waa thus occupied the three remaining hounds reluctantly withdrew, and described a semicircle to leeward of me for the purpose o obtaining my wind, and more correctly ascertaining the cause of their discomfiture. Having loaded, I re-opened my fire, and wounded another, when they ail made off. I could not help feeling very reluctant to fire at the jolly hounds. The whole affair remined me so very forcibly of many gallant courses I had enjoyed in the Scottish deer-forest with my own noble deer-hounds, that I could not divest myself of the idea that those now before me deserved a better recompense for the masterly- manner in which they were pursuing their desperate game. One hound, in particular, bore a strong expression of dear old Factor in his face, a trusty stag-hound bred by myself, whose deeds, though not renowned in verse like Ossian's Oscar and Liiath, were perhaps little inferior either in speed or prowess to those famed m ancient song. Having summoned my men, and with considerable difficulty dragged the ponderous carcass of the old bull out of the water, we found that he had been cruelly lacerated by the hounds. It appeared to me that they had endeavored to hamstring him. His hind legs, haunches, and belly were dreadfully torn ; he had iost half his tail, and was otherwise mutilated. Poor old bull ! I could not help commiseratins: his fate. It is melancholy to reflect that, in accordance with the laws of nature, such scenes of pain must ever be occurring ; one species, whether inhabiting eartht air, or ocean, being produced to become the prey of another. At night I watched the water, with fairish moonlight, and shot a large spotted hyaena. I continued here hunting hartebeests until the 21st, when I inspanned at an early hour, and trekked due east until sundown, when I halted near a small fountain of fine water, having per- formed a march of about twenty-five miles. Our road lay through a wi*J, uninhabited country, producing sweet grass in abundance, 19^ HUNTING ADVENTURES. A WILD DOG. fcut destitute of water. On the morning of tne 22d, hav.ng breakfasted, I road southwest, with after riders, and found the g^me abundant, but wild and shy, having been recently hunted by Boers. The wild dogs, or " wilde honden,*' as they are termed by Dutch Boers, are still abundant in the precmcts of the Cape colony, and are met with in great numbers throughout the interior. These animals invariably hunt together in large organized packs, varying in number from ten to sixty, and by, their extraordinary powers of endurance, and mode of mutuaJ assistance, they are enabled to run into the swiftest, or overcome the largest and most powerful antelope. I have never heard of their attacking the buffalo, and I believe that the animal pursued in the present instance is the largest to which they give battle. Their pace is a long, never-tiring gallop, and m the chase they relieve one another, the leading hounds falling to the rear when iatigued, when others, who have been husbanding their strength, »ome up and relieve them. Having succeeded in bring!. ig then HABITS OF THE WILD DOG. 199 ^jUarry to bay, they all surround him, and he is irr.nediaiel},' dragged to the ground, and in a few minutes torn to pieces and ccnsumed. They are of a bold and darmg disposition, and do not entertain much fear of man, evincing less concern on his approach than any other carnivorous animal with which 1 am acquainted. On disturbing a pack, they trot leisurely along before the intruder, repeatedly halting and looking back at him. The females bring forth their young in large holes, in desolate open plains. These burrows are connected with one another under ground. When a troop of wild dogs frequentmg those holes observe a man approaching, they do not, as might be sup- posed, take shelter in the holes, but, rather trusting to their speed, they rush forth, even though the intruder should be close upon them, and retreat across the plain ; the young ones, unless very weak, accompany them. The devastation occasioned by them among the flocks of the pastoral Dutch Boers is inconceivable. It constantly happens, that when the careless shepherds leave their charge in quest of honey or other amusement, a pack of these marauders comes across the defenceless flock. A sangui- nary massacre in such cases invariably ensues, and incredible numbers of sheep are killed and wounded. The voracious pack, not content with killing as many as they can eat, follow resolutely on, tearing and mangling all that come within their reach. Their voice consists of three different kinds of cry, each bemg used on special occasions. One of these cries is a sharp, angry bark, usually uttered when they suddenly behold an object which they cannot make out. Another resembles a number of monkeys chat- tering together, or men conversing while their teeth are chattering violently from cold. This cry is emitted at night when large numbers of them are together, and they are excited by any parti cular occurrence, such as being barked at by domestic dogs The third cry, and the one most commonly uttered by them, is a sort of rallying note to bring the various members of the pack together when they have been scattered in following several individuals of a troop of antelopes. It is a peculiarly soft, melodi- ous cry, yet, nevertheless, it may be distinguished at a g^reat 200 HUNTING ADVENTURES. distance. It very much resembles the second note uttered by thp euckoo which visits England during the summer months, and, when heard in a calm morning echoing through the distant wood- lands, it has a very pleasing effect. They treat all domestic dogs, however large and fierce, with the utmost scorn, wailing to '^ceive their attack, and then, clannishly, assisting one another, they generally rend them in pieces. The domestic dogs most cordially reciprocate their animosity, and abhor their very voices, at what distance soever heard, even more than that of the lion, starting to their feet, and angrily barking for hours. This interesting though destructive animal seems to form the connecting hne betweer th« wolf and t^e hyaena. HUNTING THE OSTRICE 203 CHAPTER XXXVI. HUNTIlyngside the horse, and keeps clear of him when at full speed, and m all LiUds of country. When a herd of antelopes is seen, a consultation is held, and the most experienced determine the point towards which they are to be driven The field (as an English sportsman would term it) then disperse, and while some drive the herd in the de- sjred direction, those with the dogs take their post on the same hne, at the distance of about a mile from each other ; one of the worst dogs is then slipped at the herd, and from the moment he singles out an antelope the whole body are in motion. The object of the horsemen who have greyhounds is to intercept its course, and to slip fresh dogs, in succession, at the fatigued animal. In rare instances the second dog kills. It is generally the third or fourth ; ana even these, when the deer is strong, and the grouno Ckvoi^ble. often fail. This sport, which is very rxhilaraiing, wan HUNTING AND HAWKING IN PERSIA. 219 the delight of the late King of Persia, Aga Mahomed Khan, whose taste is inherited by the present Sovereign. The novelty of these amusements interested me, and I was pleased, on accompanying a party to a village, about twenty miles (rom Abusheher, to see a species of hawking, pecuhar, I believe, to the sandy plains of Persia, on which the Hubara,* a noble epecies of bustard, is found on almost bare plains, where it has no shelter but a small shrub called geetuck. When we went in quest of them we had a party of about twenty, all well mounted. Two kinds of hawks are necessary for this sport ; the first, the cherkh (the same which is flown at the antelope), attacks them on the ground, but will not follow them on the wing ; for this reason, tne Bhyree, a hawk well known in India, is flown the moment the hubara rises. As we rode along in an extended line, the men who carried the cherkhs every now and then unhooded and held them up, that they might look over the plain. The first hubara we found afforded us a proof of the astonishing quickness of sight of one of the hawks; ^ ed to be loose, and the man who held him gave a wb irew him off his hand, and set off at full speed. "V ne same. At first we only saw our hawk skimmm^ ^ ^ plain, but soon perceived, at a distance of more than a mile, the beautiful speckled hubara, with his head erect, and wings outspread, running forward to meet his adver- sary. The cherkh made several unsuccessful pounces, which were either evaded or repelled by the beak or wings of the hubara, which at last found an opportunity of rising, when a bhyree was instantly flown, and the whole party were again at full gallop. We had a flight of more than a mile, when the hubara aliorhted, and was killed by another cherkh, who attacked him on the ground. This bird weighed ten pounds. We killed several * The Hubara usually weighs from seven to eleven pounds. On its head is a tuft of black and white feathers; the back of the head and neck are spotted black j the side of the head and throat are white, as well as the under part of the bodj'; the breast is slate-colored ; the feathers of the wing are greenish-brown, speckled with lihick; the bill of a very dark-grey ; and on each side of the neck is a large And handsome tuft of feathers, black and white alternately. iJ20 HI7WTING ADVENTUR158. Others, but were not always successful, having seen our ha ivka twice completely beaten during the two days we followed th s fine sport. The inhabitants of the country over which we hunted are all Arabs. They hve, like their brethren in other parts, almost entirely on camels' milk and dates. Their care appears limited to the preservation of the animal and the propagation d^ the tree, which yield what they account the best of this w-rld's luxuries ; and these not only furnish this lively race of me:; with food, but with almost all the metaphors in which their language abounds. Of this we had an amusing instance : amongst others who accom- panied the Eichee on this sporting expedition was a young officer, who measured six feet seven inches : he, like others, had lain down to take an hour's repose, between our mornmg and evening hunt. An old Arab, who was desired to awake him, smiling, said to his servant, " Entreat your date tree to rise." We had a hearty laugh at our friend, who was not reconciled to this com- parison of his commanding stature to the pride of the desert. If we were amused by the field-diversiims of the Persians and Arabs, they were equally so with our mode of hunting. The Eichee had brought a few couples of English fox-hounds, intend- ing them as a present to the heir-apparent, Abbas Meerza. With Uiis small pack we had several excellent runs. One morning we killed a fox, after a very he. '"d chase ; and while the rest of Um 'fiUlJTING AND HAWKING IN PERSIA. 221 FOX. party <\ ire exulting in their success, cutting off poor reynard's brush, praising the hounds, adding some two feet to a wall theii horses had cleared, laughing at those who had got tumbles, and recounting many a hair-breadth escape, I was entertained by listening to an Arab peasant, who, with animated gestures, was narrating to a group of his countrj^men all he had seen of this noble huut. "There went the fox," said he, pointing with a crooked stick to a clump of date trees ; " there he went at a greal rate ; I hallooed, and hallooed, but nobody heard me, and I thought he must get away ; but when he was quite out of sight, up came a large spotted dog, and then another and another ; they ail had their noses on the ground, and gave tongue, whow, whow, whow, so loud that I was frightened : — away went these devils, who soon found the poor animal ; after them galloped the Faringees*, shouting and trying to make a noise louder than the dogs : no wonder they killed the fox among them ; but it is certainly fine sport. Our Shaikh has no dogs like these." This last remark ♦ Farinoee, wnicb is a corruption of Frank, is the name given to as £tux>peaa ^♦T*'- all Asia. 222 HUNTING ADVENTURES was assent^a u by all present, and the possession of a breed of dogs, which their Shaikh had not, added not a little, m the eyei of those peasants, to the character of the mission. ♦ ♦ * * * ,|f Some gentlemen had accompanied the mission whose chief object was to see Persepolis and other remains of ancient splen- dor. These motives were unintelligible to the Persians. The day we left the ruins, Aga Meer, as we were riding together, ex- pressed his surprise at men devoting their time to such pursuits. " What can be the use," said he, " of travelling so far and rumiing so many risks to look at ruined houses and palaces, when they might stay so comfortably at home ?" I replied with some feehng of contempt for my friend's love of quiet, " If the state of a man's circumstances, or that of his country, does not find him work, he must find it for himself, or go to sleep and be good for nothing. Antiquaries," I continued, " to whose praiseworthy researches you allude, by directing, through their labors and talents, our attention to the great names and magnificent monuments of former days, aid in improving the sentiments and taste of a nation. Be- sides, though no antiquary myself, I must ever admire a study which carries man beyond self. I love those elevating thoughts •that lead me to dwell with delight on the past, and to look forward with happy anticipations to the future. We are told hy some that such feelings are mere illusions, and the cold, practical phi- losopher may, on the ground of their inutility, desire to remove them from men's minds, to make way for his own machinery ; but he could as soon argue me out of my existence as take from me the internal proof which such feehngs convey, both as to my origin and destination." " There goes a Goor-kher" (wild ass), said Mahomed Beg, the Jelloodar,* who was riding close behind ; and away he galloped. Away I galloped also, leaving unfinished one of the finest speeches about the past and the future that was ever commenced. We pursued the goor-kher several miles, when we gave up the •hase as hopeless. Oi our return, however, we founil plenty ol * Persian ^oom. HUNTING AND HAWKING IN PERSIA. 223 Other game ; five hares were killed by our dogs and three by hawks. When at Sfe^'raz, the Elchee had received a present of a very fine Shah-Baz, or x^yal falcon. Before going out I had been annused at seeing Nutee Beg, our head falconer, a man of great experience in his department, put upon this bird a pair of leathers, which he fitted to its thighs with as much care as if he had been the tailor of a fashionable horseman. I inquired the reason of so unusual a proceeding. '* You will learn that," said the cons**- quential master of the hawks, "when you see our sport:" and I was convinced, at the period he predicted, of the old fellow's knowledge of his business. The first hare seized by the falcon was very strong, and the ground rough. While the bird kept the claws of one foot fastened in the back of its prey, the other was dragged along the ground till it had an opportunity to lay hold of a tuft of grass, by which it was enabled to stop the course of the hare, whose efforts to escape, I do think, would have torn the hawk asunder, if it had not been provided with the leathern defences which have been mentioned. The next time the falcon was flown, gave us a proof of that extraordinary courage which its whole appearance, and par- ticularly its eye, denoted. It had stopped and quite disabled the second hare by the first pounce, when two greyhounds, which had been slipped by mistake, came up, and endeavored to seize it. They were, however, repulsed by the falcon, whose boldness and celerity in attacking the dogs and securing its prey excited our admiration and astonishment. We had some excellent sport with smaller hawks and part- ridges. I was particularly pleased with one bird which kept hovering over our heads till the game was sprung, and then de- scending like a shot, struck its prey to the ground. ^24 HUNTING ADVENTURES. LION, LIONESS AND CUBS. CHAPTER XL. SHOOTING A LION FROM A WATCHING PLACE. ^^NE of Mr. Cummings' mrxJes of ii Ji hunting in Africa, was to have a hole dug near a fountain or piece of water, and concealing himself in it, to wait for the approach of the wild animals who would resort to it to drink The following extract from his book shows the success of this stratagem On the afternoon of the 3d of Sep tember I watched the fountain. Toward sunset one blue wilde- beest, six zebras, and a large herd of pallahs were all drinking before me. I lay enjoying contemplation for at least fifteen HUNTING A LION. 227 minutes, and most of them having slaked their thirst, I sent a ball through the heart of the best headed pallah. I then took a long shot at the blue wildebeest bull, and sent the other ball into his shoulder. I now came to the camp, and ordered the pallah to be placed in front of my hole beside the water, to attract the lions. Having taken my coffee, I returned to the water with Kleinboy and Mollyee. It was bright moonlight. We had scarcely lain down, when the terilble voice of a lion was heard a little to the east ; the jackals were feasting over the remains of the white rhinoceros of yesterday, and only one or two occasionally came and snuffed at the pallah. Presently a herd of zebras, accompanied by elands, approached the water, but were too timid to come in and drink : a troop of wild dogs now came boldly up, and were walking off with the pallah, when I fired into them. They made off, but immediately returning and again seizing my pallah, I fired again, and wounded one of them. Soon after we had lain down a thundering clattering of hoofs was heard coming up the vley, and on came an immense herd of wildebeest. They were very thirsty, and the leading cow very soon came boldly up and drank before me. I sent a ball through her ; she ran sixty yards up the slope behind me, and fell dead. Her comrades then thundered across the vley, and took up a position on the opposite rising ground. In two minutes the hyaenas and jackals had attacked the carcass of this wildebeest. Soon after this a lion gave a most appalling roar on the bushy height close opposite to us, which was succeeded by a death-like stillness which lasted for nearly "a minute. I had then only one shot in my four barrels, and I hastily loaded the other barrel of my Westley Richards, and withr breathless attention kept the strictest watch in front, expecting every moment to see the mighty and terrible king of beasts approaching ; but he was too cunning He saw all the other game fight shy of the water, so he made a circuit to leeward to get the wind off the fountain. Soon after he roared I heard a number of jackals bothering him, as if telling him .0 come across the vley to the wildebeest : he growled from side to side, as if playing with them, and after this all was stiU» 228 ' HUNTING ADVENTURES. JACKAL. I had listened with intense anxiety for about fifteen min'i es longer, when I heard the hyaenas and jackals give way on either side behind me from the carcass of the wildebeest, and, turning my head slowly round, beheld a huge and majestic hon, with a black mane which nearly swept the ground, standing over the carcass. He seemed aware of my proximity, and, lowering his head, at once laid hold of the wildebeest and dragged it seme distance up the hill. He then halted to take breath, but did not expose a broadside, and in a quarter of a minute he again laid hold of the wildebeest and dragged it about twelve yards further toward the cover, when he again raised his noble head and halted to take breath. I had not an instant to loose ; he stood with his rig'nt side exposed to me in a very slanting position ; I stretched my left arm across the grass, and, taking him rather low, fired ; the ball took effect, and the lion sank to the shot. All was still as death for many seconds, when he uttered a deep growl, and, slowly gaining his feet, limped toward the cover, roaring mournfully as he went. When he got into the thorny bushes he siumbled through them as he moved along, and m half a minute I heard him halt and growl fearfully, as if dying. 1 hod now every reason to believe that he was either dead or would dit immediately, and that if I did not seek him till the morning I knew very well that the hyaenas and jackals would destroy him. I accordingly went up to camp, and, having saddled two horses, I and Martin rode ta seek him, taking all the dogs, led in strings by the natives. On reaching the carcass of the wildebeest we slipped the dogs, and HUNTING A LION. 229 .hev went off after the hyaenas and jackals: we listened in vain for the deep growl of the lion, but I was persuaded that he was dead, and rode forward to the spot where I had last heard him growl. Lassie, now coming up, commenced barking at a bush m front of me, and, riding round, I had the immense satisfaction lo behold the most magnificent old black-maned lion stretched out before me. The ball had entered his belly a little before the flank, and traversed the length and breadth of his body, crippling him in the opposite shoulder. No description could give a correct idea of he surpassing beauty of this most majestic animal, as he lay still warm before me, 1 lighted a fire and gazed with delight upon his lovely mane, his massive arms, his sharp yellow nails, his hard and terrible head, his immense and powerful teeth, his perfect beauty and symmetry throughout ; and I felt that I had won the noblest prize that this wide world could yield to a sports- man. Having about fifteeen natives with me, I sent for rheimi and the iechter-uit, and we bore the lion to camp. 230 HUNTING ADVENTURES. CHAPTER XLL BUNTING THE LEOPARD WITH DOGS, AND ADVENTURES Will BUFFALOES AND LIONS. N the morning of the 22d, say» Mr. Gumming, I rode into camp, after unsuccessfully fol- lowing the spoor of a herd of elephants for two days in a westerly course. Having partaken of some refreshment, I saddled up two steeds and rode down the bank of Ngotw^ani with the Bushman, tc seek for any game I might find. After riding about a mile along the river's green bank, I came suddenly upon an old male leopard, lying under the shade of a thorn grove, and panting from the great heat. Although I was within sixty yards of him, he had not heard the horse's tread. I thought he was a h"oness, and, dismounting, took a rest m my saddle on the Old Gray, and sent a bullet into him. He sprang to his feet, and ran half way down the river's bank, and HUNTING THE LEOPARD, ETC. 231 Blood to look about him, when I sent a seconc bi Ilet into his person, and he disappeared over the bank. The ground being very dangerous, I did not disturb him by following then, but I at once sent Ruyter back to camp for the dogs. Presertly he returned with Wolf and Boxer, very much done up with ti.e sun. I rode forward, and on looking over the bank the leopard started up and sneaked off alongside of the tall reeds, and was instantly out of sight. I fired a random shot from the saddle to encourage the dogs, and shouted to them ; they, however, stood looking stupidly round, and would not take up his scent at all. I led them over his spoor, again and again, but to no purpose ; the dogs seemed quite stupid, and yet they were Wolf and Boxer, my two best. At length I gave it up as a lost affair, and was riding down the river's bank, when I heard Wolf give tongue behind me, and, galloping back, found him at bay with the leopard, immediately beneath where I had fired at him ; he was very severely wounded, and had slipped down into the river's bed and doubled back, whereby he had thrown out both the dogs and myself. As I approached he flew out upon Wolf and knocked him over, and then, running up the bed of the river, took shelter in a thick bush: Wolf, however, followed him, and at this moment my other dogs came up, having heard the shot, and bayed him fiercely. He sprang out upon them, and then crossed the river's bed, taking shelter beneath some large tangled roots on the opposite bank. As he crossed the river I put a third bullet into him, firing from the saddle, and as soon as he came to bay, I gave him a fourth, which finished him. This leopard was a very fine old male, in the conflict the unfortunate Alert was wounded, as usual, getting his face torn open ; he was still going on three legs, with all his breast laid bare by the first water-buck. In the evening I directed my Hottentots to watch a fine poo! m the river, and do their best while I rode to a distant pool Beveral miles up the Ngotwani, reported as very good for game, to he all night and watch : my Totties, however, fearing '' Tao," disobeyed me. On reaching the water I was bound for, I found i • 232 HUNTING ADVENTURES. very promising, and, having fastened my two horses to a tret beneath ihe river's bank, I prepared a place of conceahnent cose by, and lay -lown for the night. The river's banks on each side were clad with groves of shady thorn trees. After I had lain some time, squadrons of buffaloes were heard coming on, until the shady grove on the east bank of the water immediately above me was alive with them. After some time the leaders ventured down the river's bank to drink, and this was the signal for a general rush into the large pool of wrter: they came on like a regiment of cavalry at a gallop, making a mighty din, and obscuring the air with a dense cloud of dust. At length I sent a ball into one of them, when the most tremendous rush followed up the bank, where they all stood still, Hstening attentively. I knew that the buffalo was severely wounded, but did not hear him fall. Some time after I fired at a second, as they stood on the bank above me ; this buffalo was also hard hit, but did not then fall. A little after I fired at a third on the same spot; he ran forty yards, and, falling, groaned fearfully: this at once brought on a number of the others to butt their dying comrade, according to their benevolent custom. I then crept in toward them, and, firing my fourth shot, a second buffalo ran for- ward a few yards, and, falhng, groaned as the last ; her comrades, coming up, served her in the same manner. A second time I crept in, and, firing a fifth shot, a third buffalo ran forward, and fell close to her dying comrades : in a few minutes all the otner buffaloes made off, and the sound of teeth tearing at the flesh was heard immediately. I fancied it was the hyasnas, and fired a shot to scare them from the flesh. All was still ; and, being anxious to inspect the heads of the buffaloes, I went boldly forward, taking the native who accompanied me along with me. We were within about five yards of the nearest buffalo, when I observed a yellow mass lying alongside of him, and at the same instant a lion gave a deep growl. I thought it was all over with me. The native shouted "Tao," and, springing away, instantly commenced blowing shrilly througn a charmed piete of bone which he wore on his necklace. I ADVENTURE WITH A LION. 233 ictreated to the native, and we tnen knelt down. The lion con* tinued his meal, tearing away at the buffalo, and growling at his wife and family, who, I found next day by the spoor, had accom- panied him. Knowing that he would not molest me if I left him alone, I proposed to the native to go to our hole and lie down, but he would not hear of it, and entreated me to fire at the lion. I fired three difl^erem shots where I thought I saw him, but without any effect; he would not so much as for a moment cease munch ing my buffalo. I then proceeded to lie down, and ^'as soon asleep, the native keeping watch over our destinies. Some time after midnight other lions were heard coming on from other airts, and my old friend commenced roaring so loudly that the native thought it proper to wake me. The first old lion now wanted to drink, and held right away for the two unfortunate steeds, roaring terribly. I felt rather alarmed for their safety ; but, trusting that the lion had had flesh enough for one night, I lay still, and listened with an attentive ear. In a few minutes, to my utter horror, I heard him spring upon one of the steeds with an angry growl, and dash him to the earth ; the steed gave a slight groan, and all was still. I listened to hear the sound of teeth, but all continued still. Soon after this " Tao" was once more to be heard munching the buffalo. In a few minutes he came forward, and stood on the bank close above us, and roared most terribly, walking up and down, as if meditating some mis- chief. I now thought it high time to make a fire, and, quickly collecting some dry reeds and httle sticks, in half a minute wo had a cheerful blaze. The Hon, which had not yet got our wind> came forward at once to find out what the dense was up ; but, not seeing to his entire satisfaction from the top of the bank, he waa proceeding to descend hj a game-path into the river-bed within a few yards of us. I happened at the very moment to go to this spot to fetch more wood, and, being entirely concealed from the lion's view above by the intervening high reeds, we actually met ^ce to face ! The first notice I got was his sudden spring to one side, accom' panied by repeated angry growls, while I involuntarily made a 234 HUNTING ADVENTURES. convulsive spring backward, at the same time giving a ftarful shriek, such as I never before remember uttering. I fancied just as he growled that he was coming upon me. We now heaped on more wood, and kept up a very strong fire until the day dawned, the lions feasting beside us all the time, notwithstanding the remon- strances of the little native, who, with a true Bechuana spirit lamenting the loss of so much good flesh, kept continually shoul ing and pelting them with flaming brands. The next morning, when it was clear, I arose and inspected the buffaloes. The three that had fallen were fine old cows, and two of them were partly consumed by the lions. The ground all around was packed flat with their spoor; one particular spoor was nearly as large as that of a borele. I then proceeded to inspect the steeds : the sand around them was also covered with the h'on's spoor. He had sprung upon the Old Gray, but had done him no further injury than scratching his back through the skin : perhaps the lion had been scared by the rheims, or, on discovering hif •pare condition, had preferred the buffalo. ADVEXTURE WITH A 6NAKE< 235 A PYTHON. CHAPTER XLIL MR. CUMMINGS ADVENTURE WITH A SNAKE. ^ N the 25th, after breakfast, I started with bea ding and provisions to hunt for a few days on the other side of the hills. We visited the first water, and established a place of conceal- ment with rocks and green boughs on the rock. While we were making this bothy a wild boai hove in view, but, observing us, he escaped* We then held on to the further ravine, and on my way thither I nearly rode down a fine old bastard gemsbok, which got away among the rocks. I repaired an old hiding-hole at this water 236 HUNTING ADVENTURES. Duildmg it up with fragments of rock. I then sent the steeds to a proper distance, put out my fire, and lay down to watch for the night. First came a pallah, closely followed by a wild dog. The pallah escaped ; the wild dog presently returned, and, observing my retreating men, barked loudly ; ten minutes after, about eight wild dogs came up the glen and drank. Night now set in, and the moonlight very faint. Presently an occasional loud displace- ment of rock and stone announced the approach of large game : it was two old buffaloes ; they came and drank, and went away without approaching within shot. Soon after, fourteen buffaloes came ; but before these had finished drinking, they got an alarm, and charged panic-stricken up the rugged mountain side. They had winded two lions, which came up to the fountain head, and drank within eighteen yards of me, where they lay lapping loudly, and occasionally halting for four or five minutes, but, from their light color and the masses of rock that surrounded them, I could not see to fire. About ten minutes after they had drunk I fanciea that they were stili lingering, and on throwing a stone their step was heard retreating among the dry leaves and stones. Soon after this six old bufl^aloes approached from a glen behind us : they walked very slowly, standing long to listen. When the leader came up to within twenty yards of us, Kleinboy and I fired together ; it ran thirty yards, and in two minutes fell. His comrades, after considering the matter for five minutes, came on once more : we again took the leader, and he also dropped. His comrades, as before, retreated, but, soon returning, we wounded a third, which we did not get. The moon was now under, and it was very dark ; the buffaloes, however, were determined to try it on once more, and coming up a fourth and last time, we shot another old bull. In about ten minutes lions were very busy on the carcase of the first buffalo, where they feasted till morning, taking another drink before they went away. Toward daybreak we wounded a white rhinoceros, and soon after two black rhinoce- Toses fought beside us, but I was too sleepy to rise. On the 26th I rose at earliest dawn to inspect the heads of the ADVENTURE WITH A SNAKE. 259 thrpe old buffaloes ; they were all enormous old buL^s, and one of them carried a most splendid head. The lions had cleaned out all his ent tiis : their spoor was immense Having taken some ouffalo breast and liver for breakfast, I dispatched Ruyter to the wagons to call the natives to remove the carcases, while I and Kleinboy held through the hills to see what game might be in the next glen which contained water. On our way thither we started a fine old buck koodo, which I shot, putting both barrels into him at one hundred yards. As I was examining the spoor of the game by the fountain, I suddenly detected an enormous old rock-snake steahng m beneath a mass of rock beside me. He was truly an enormous snake, and, having never before dealt with this species of game, I did not exactly know how to set about capturing him. Being very anxious to preserve his skin entire, and not wishing to have recourse to my rifle, I cut a stout and tough stick about eight feet long, and having hghtened myself of my shooting-belt, I commenced the attack. Seizing him by the tail, I tried to get him out of his place of refuge; but I hau'.ed in vain; he only drew his large folds firmer together ; I could not move him. At length I got a rheim round one of his folds about the middle of his body, and Klemboy and I commenced hauhng away in good earnest. The snake, finding the ground too hot for him, relaxed his coils, and, suddenly bringing round his head to the front, he sprang out at us like an arrow, with his immense and hideous mouth opened to its largest dimensions, and before I could get out of his way he was clean out of his hole, and made a second spring, throwing nimself forward about eight or ten feet, and snapping his horrid fangs within a foot of my naked legs. I sprang out of his way, and, getting a hold of the green bough I had cut, returned to the charge. The snake now glided along at top speed ; he knew the ground well, and was making for a mass of broken rocks, where he would have been beyond my reach, but before he could gain this place of refuge I caught him two or three tremendous whacks on tne head. He, however, held on, and gained a pool of muddy Welter, which he was rapidly crossing, when I again belabored uo HUNTING ADVENTURES. ZEURA. him, and at length reduced his pace to a stand. We then hanged him by the neck to a bough of a tree, and in about fifteen nttnutei he seemed dead, but he again became very troublesome during the operation of skinning, twisting his body in all manner of ways. This serpent measured fourteen feet.* At night no game visited the water, being scared by the strong smell of the carrion. Lions, however, were so numerous that we deemed it safe to shift a position we had taken down the glen, for they trotted past within twenty yards of us, growhng fearfully. We fired off" the big gun to scare them for the moment while we shifted to our baggage at the fountain head, where we instantly lighted a large fire. The lions, for a short time after this, kept quiet, when they again returned, and the fire being low, they soon commenced upon the buffalo the natives had left within fifty yards of us, and before morning two of them came up and looked into our bothy, when Boxer, giving a sharp bark, and I suddenly awaking and popping up my head, they bounded off. • This snake was probably a Python, a large snake common iu A&ica. ADVENTURE WITH A SNAKE. 24J In the evening of the 28th I shot an old bull koodo. At niglA r watched the water near my camp with Kleinboy. After a long time had elapsed, an enormous old bull muchoco or white rhino- ceros came sJowly on, and commenced drinking within fifteen yards of us, and next minute a large herd of zebras and blue wildebeest. It was long before the muchoco would turn his side ; when he did, we fired together, and away he went with zebra* and wildebeests concealed in a cloud of dust. Next came an oM bull borele ; we fired together, and he made ofl^, blowing loudly, after charging round and round, seeking some object on which to wreak his vengeance. Next came another borele, and he got two bullets into his person. The fourth that came was another old bull muchoco ; he ran forty yards and fell. And fifth came a cow bortle ; she fell dead to the shots. Three other rhinoceroses came about me, but I was too drowsy to watch any longer, and fell asleep. These fountains afl^orded me excellent shooting for about a fort- night longer, during the whole of which time I watched nightly in my different hidmg-holes, and bagged buffaloes, rhinoceroses, koodoos, zebras, and other game. One night, while so engaged, t horrid snake, which Kleinboy had tried to kill with his loading- rod, flew up at my eye, and spat poison into it. Immediately I washed it well out at the fountain. I endured great pain al' Bi{rM, but next day th'j eye came all right t42 HUNTING ADVENTURSa. :p-^ BLESBOK. CHAPTER XLIII. HUNTING THE ^^m BLESBOK AND BOAR. THE blesbok, says Mr. Cum* ming, in his manners aiid habits, very much resembles the springbok, which, however, it greatly exceds in size, being as large as an English fallow-deer It is one of the true antelopes, ^nd all its movements and paces par- take of the grace and elegance pecuhar to that species. Its color a similar to that of the sassayby, its skin being beautifully painted with every shade of purple, violet, and brown. Its belly is of the purest w^ite, and a broad white band, or " blaze," adorss the entirt lanfTth of its fane. Blesboks differ from springboks in the determined HUNTING THE BLESBOK. ^iZ and in/ariable manner in which they scour the plains, riglit in th* wind's eye, and also in the manner in which they carry their noses close along the ground. Throughout the greater part of the yeai they are very wary and difficult of approach, but more especially when the does have young ones. At that season, when one herd is disturbed, and takes away up the wind, every other herd in vie^v follows them ; and the alarm extending for miles and miles down the wind, to endless herds beyond the vision of the hunter, a con- tinued stream of blesboks may often be seen scouring up wind foi upward of an hour, and covering the landscape as far as the eye can see. The springboks, which in equal numbers frequent the same ground, do not, in genera], adopt the same decided course aa the blesboks, but take away in every direction across the plains, sometimes with flying bounds, beautifully exhibiting the long» snowy- white hair with which their backs are adorned, and at others walking slowly and carelessly out of the hunter's way, scarcely deigning to look at him, with an air of perfect independ- ence, as if aware of their own matchless speed. The black wildebeests, which also thickly cover the entire length and breadth of the blesbok country, in herds averaging from twenty to fifty, have no regular course, fike the blesboks. Unless driven by a large field of hunters, they do not leave their ground, although disturbed. Wheeling about in endless circles, and performing the most extraordinary variety of intricate evolu- tions, the shaggy herds of these eccentric and fierce-looking ani- mals are forever capering and gamboling round the hunter on every side. While he is ridmg hard to obtain a family shot of a herd in front of him, other herds are charging down wind on hia right and left, and, having described a number of circular move- ments, they take up positions upon the very ground across which the hunter rode only a few minutes before. Singly, and in small troops of four or five individuals, the old bull wildebeests may be seen stationed at intervals throughout the plains, standing motionless during a whole forenoon, coolly watch- ing with a philosophic eye the movements of the other game, eternally uttering a loud snorting noise, and also a short, sharp 244 HUNTING ADVENl'UKES. cry which is peculiar to them. When the hunter approachet these old bulls, they commence whisking their long while tails in a most eccentric manner ; then suddenly springing into the air, they begin prancing and capering, and pursue each other in circles at their utmost speed. Suddenly they all pull up together to overhaul the intruder, when two of the bulls will often commence fighting in the most violent manner, dropping on their knees at every shock : then quickly wheeling about, they kick up their heels, whirl their tails with a fantastic flourish, and scour across a plain enveloped in a cloud of dust. Throughout the greater part of the plains frequented by bles boks, numbers of the sun-baked hills or mounds of clay formed by the white ants occur. The average height of the ant-hills, in these district, is from two to three feet. They are generally dis- tant from one another from one to three hundred yards, being more or less thickly placed in different parts. These ant-hills are of the greatest service to the hunter ; enabling himself with facility to conceal himself on the otherwise open plain. By means of them I VTOS enabled to hide, and select out of the herds the bucks and bulls carrying the finest heads, for my collection. On the 28th, having breakfasted, I rode forth with two after- riders to try for blesboks, and took up positions on the plain, lying flat on my breast behind ant-hills, while my after-riders, one of whom led my horse, endeavored to move them toward me. We found the blesboks abundant, but extremely wary. I wounded several, but did not bag one. I, however, shot two springboks, which were fat, and whose flesh we stood much in need of. I hud several chances of wildebeests, but I had lesolved not to fiie at them. The following day was the 1st of March. After an early break- fast I again took the field, with my after-riders and a spare horse There was thunder and lightning on all sides, and I expected the day vrould set in wet : it all passed over, however, with a few showers, and the weather was delightfully cool. I lay behind ant-hills, while my men, extending to the right and left, endeavored to drive the game toward me. Late in the day I bagged a fiiia HUNTING THE BLESBOK. 246 old blesbok : it was a family shot, running at two hundred yards, I also shot a springbok, and mortally wounded another ; b( th were very long shots. The blesbok is one of the finest antelopes in the world, and ii allowed to be the swiftest buck in Africa. He, nevertheless attains very high condition, and at this period was exceedingly fat. I was surprised and delighted with the exquisite manner in which his beautiful colors are blended together. Nothing can exceed the beauty of this animal. Like most other African ante lopes, his skin emitted a most delicious and powerful perfume of flowers and sweet-smelling herbs. A secretion issues from be- tween his hoofs which has likewise a pleasing perfume. The 3d was a charmingly cool day. At an early hour in the morning I was visited by a party of Boers, some of whom I had previously met. They were proceeding to hunt wildebeest and blesbok, and were mounted on mares, each of which was followed by a foal. They requested me to join them in their "jag," but I excused myself, preferring to hunt alone. Having partaken largely of my coffee, the Boers mounted their mares and departed, holding a southeasterly course. As soon as they were out of sight I saddled up and rode north, with two after-riders, to try for blesboks. I found the country extremely pleasant to ride on. It resembled a well-kept lawn. Troops of graceful springbok and ftlesbok were to be seen cantering right and left, and large herds of black wildebeests in every direction, now charging and caper- ing, and now reconnoitering. I took up positions on the plain behind the ant-hills. In the forenoon I wounded one blesbok, and late in the day I made a fine double shot, knocking over two old blesboks right and left, at a hundred and a hundred and fifty yards. I also shot one springbok. While '^ grallochmg" a buck, one of the Boers rode up to me to say that his brother had wounded a wildebeest, which stood at bay on the plain, and his ammunition being expended, he would feel obliged by my coming to his assist- ance. I accordingly accompanied the Boer to where his brothei Btood sentry over the wounded bull, when I lent him my ritle Urith which he finished his bull with a bullet in the fcrehead. 246 HUNTING ADVENTURES. On the following day I hunted to the northeast of my ramp, and made a fine shot at a blesbok, knocking him over at a hundred and fifty yards. Returning to camp in a low-lyiKig grassy vley, I started a herd of " vlacke varcke," or wild hogs. The herd con- sisted of seven half-grown young ones and three old ones, one of which carried a pair of enormous tusks, projecting eight or nine mches beyond his lip. Being well mounted and the graund favor- able, I at once gave chase, and was soon at their heels. My horse was "The Gray." I selected the old boar for my prey, and immediately separated him from his comrades. After two miles of sharp galloping, we commenced ascending a considerable acclivity, when I managed to close with him, and succeeded in turning his head toward my camp. He now reduced his pace to a trot, and regarded me with a most malicious eye, his mouth a mass of foam. He was entirely in my power, as I had only to spring from my horse and bowl him over. I felt certain of him, but resolved not to shoot as long as his course lay in the direction of the wagons. At length, surprised at the resolute manner in which he held for my camp, I headed him ; when, to'my astonish- ment, he did not in the slightest swt^rve from his course, but trottod along behind my horse like a dog following me. This at once roused my suspicions, and I felt certain that the cunning old fellow was making for some retreat, so 1 resolved to dismount and finish him. Just, however, as I had come to this resolution, I suddenly found myself in a labyrinth of enormous holes, the bur- rows of the ant-bear. In front of one of these the wild boar pulled up, and, charging stern foremost into it, disappeared from my disappointed eyes, and I saw him no more. I rode home ioi my .*nen ; and returning, we collected grass and bushes, and ta« dea "ored to smoke him out, but without success. HUNTING THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. *J47 HOPPOPOTAMUS. CHAPTER XLIV. HUNTING THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. N the 17th of June, says Mr. Cum niing, having found a good drift I crossed the Limpopo with mv wagons, and drew them up in a green and shady spot. I then rode a long way down the eastern bank in quest of hippopo- tami, and late in the evening I found one, which I did not molest, trusting to find hin the next day. On the 18th a dense mist hung over the river all the morning. Ordering the wagons to follow in an hour, I rode ahead to sesk the sea-cow of the previous night, but after a long search I gave it up as a bad job, and, kindling a fire to warm myself, awaited the wagons, which presently came up. Here 1 halted for two hours, and then once more rode ahead to seek hip- popotami. The river became more promising fo? sea-cows. At every turn there occurred deep, still pools, with occasional sandy islands densely clad with lofty reeds, and with banks covered with reeds to a breadth of thirty yards. Above and beyond these reeds stood trees of immense age and gigantic size, beneath which grew a long and very rank description of grass, on which the sea-cow delights to pasture. 1 soon found fresh spoor, and after holding on for severai 248 HUNTING ADVENTURES. miles, just as the sun was going down, and as I entered a dense reed cover, I came upon the fresh lairs of four hippopotami. They had been lying sleeping on the margin of the river, and, on hearing me come crackling through the reeds, had plunged into the deep water. I at once ascertained they were newly started, foi the froth and bubbles were still on the spot where they had plunged in. Next moment I heard them blowing a little way down the river. I then headed them, and with considerable dif- ficulty, owing to the cover and the reeds, at length came tight down above where they were standing. It was a broad part of the river, with a sandy bottom, and the water came half way up their sides. There were four of them, three cows and an old bull ; they stood in the middle of the river, and, though alarmed, did not appear aware of the extent of the impendmg danger. I took the sea-cow next me, and with my first ball I gave hei a mortal wound, knocking loose a great plate on the top of her skull. She at once commenced plunging round and round, and then occasionally remained still, sitting for a few minutes on the same spot. On hearing the report of my rifle two of the others took up stream, and the fourth dashed down the river ; they trotted along, like oxen, at a smart pace, as long as the water was shallow. I was now in a state of very great anxiety about my wounded sea-cow, for I feared that she would get into deep water, and be lost like the last one ; her struggles were still carrying her down stream, and the water was becoming deeper. To settle the matter, I accordingly fired a second shot from the bank, which entering the roof of her skull, passed out through her eye ; she then kept continually splashing round and round in a circle in the middle of the river. I had great fears of the crocodiles, and did not know that the sea-cow might not attack me. My anxiety to secure her, however, overcame all hesitation ; so, divesting myself of my leathers, and armed with a sharp knife, I dashed into the water which at first took me up to my arm-pits, but in the middle was Bhallower. As I approached Behemoth, her eye looked very wicked. I waited for a moment ready to dive under the water if she attacked HUNTING THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 261 me ; but she was stunned, and did not know what she fvas doing ; 80, running in ^ipon her, and seizing her short tail, I attempted to incline her course to land. It was extraordinary what enormous strength she still had in the water. I could not guide her in the shghtest, and she continued to splash, and plunge, and blow, and make her circular course, carrying me along with her as if I was a fly on her tail. Finding her tail gave me but a poor hold, as the only means of securing my prey, I took out my knife and cut two deep parallel incisions through the skin on her rump. Lifting this skin from the flesh so that I could get in my two hands, I made use of this as a handle ; and after some desperate hard work, sometimes pushing, sometimes pulling, the sea-cow continuing her circular course all the time, and I holding on at her rump like grim Death, eventually I succeeded in bringing this gigantic and most powerful animal to the bank. Here the Bushman quickly brought me a stout buffalo rheim from my horse's neck, which I passed through the opening in the thick skin, and moored Behe- moth to a tree. I then took my rifle and sent a ball through the center of her head, and she was numbered with the dead. At this moment my wagons came up within a few hundred yards of the spot, where I outspanned, and by moonlight we took down a span of select oxen and a pair of rheim chains, and succeeded in dragging the sea-cow high and dry. We were all astonished at her enormous size ; she appeared to be about five feet broad across the belly. I could see much beauty in the animal, which Nature has admirably formed for the amphibious life it was destined to pursue. We were occupied all the morning of the 19th cutting up and salting the select parts of the sea-cow ; of the skull I took particular charge. She was extremely fat, more resembling a pig than a cow, or a horse. In the evening I rode down the river, and shot a brace of water-bucks, after which I left the river-bank and rode to the summit of an adjacent hill, from which I obtained a fine view of the surrounding country. Many bold blue mountain rangea stood to the north and no^Hwest ; to the east and southeast were also '^'^untain ranges. 252 HUNTING ADVENTURES, REITBOCK. CHAPTER XLV. MR. cumming's adventure with an extraordinary heed OF BLESBOKS. PON the 19th of March, 1S48, says iVIr. Gumming, I left Colesberg with three wagons " well manned and stored," for my fifth and last cruise in the far interior. I was joined by a Mr. Orpen (a mighty Nimrod), who, notwith standing my representing to him the dangers and hardships of an elephant hunting expedition in their blackest colors, kindly agreed to favoi me with his help and company on my lonely trip. My sojc urn in Colesberg reduced me considerably, and I was glad once more ADVENTURE WITH BLESBOKS. 255 breathe the fresh air of the country. We got clear of Colesbeig at about 9 A.M., and commenced our march over the country 1 had so often marked with my wheel-tracks, and which my reader must now be fully acquainted with. On my way I completely recruited my oxen and stud, and prepared myself to take the field with an immense pack of stout serviceable dogs. I also engaged as after-rider a Bushman named Booi. The game became plentiful in about ten days after we left Coles- berg, but when we came to the Vet River I beheld with astonish- ment and delight decidedly one of the most wonderful displays which I had witnessed during my varied sporting career in Southern Africa. On my right and left the plain exhibited or ». purple mass of graceful blesboks, which extended without a break as far as my eyes could strain : the depth of their vast legions covered a breadth of about six hundred yards. On pressing upon them, they cantered along before me, not exhibiting much alarm, taking care, however, not to allow me to ride within at least four hundred yards of them. On, on I rode, mtensely excited with the wondrous scene before me, and hoped at length to get to wind- ward of at least some portion of the endless living mass which darkened the plain, but in vain. Like squadrons of dragoons, the entire breadth of this countless herd held on their forward cours* as if aware of my intention, and resolved not to allow me to weather them. At length I determined to play upon their ranks, and, pressing my horse to his utmost speed, dashed forward, and, suddenly halting, sprang from the saddle, and, giving my rifle at least two feet of elevation, fired right and left into one of their darkest masses. A noble buck dropped to the right barrel, and the second shot told loudly ; no buck, however, fell, and after lying for half a minute the prostrate blesbok rose, and was quickly los' sight of among his retreating comrades. In half a minute I was again loaded and after galloping a few hundred yards, let drive into them, but was still unsuccessful. Excited and annoyed at my want of luck, I resolved to follow them up, and blaze away while a shot remained in the locker, which I did ; until, after riding 25b HUNTING ADVENTTTR^S. about eight or nine miles, I found my ammunition expended, and not a single blesbok bagged, although at least a dozen must have been wounded. It was now high time to retrace my steps and seek my wagons. I accordingly took a point, and rode across the trackless country in the direction for which they were steering. I very soon once more fell in with fresh herds of thousands of blesboks. As it was late in the day, and I being on the right side for the wind, the blesboks were very tame, and allowed me to ride along within rifle-shot of them, and those which ran charged reso- lutely past me up the wind in long-continued streams. I took a lucky course for the wagons, and came right upon them, having just outspanned on the bank of the Vet River. 1 could wilHngly have devoted a month to blesbok shooting in this hunter's elysium, but, having heard from a party of Bastards that the Vaal River was low, and being extremely anxious to push on, I inspanned, and continued my march by moonlight. Before proceeding far we discovered the deeply-imprinted spoor of an enormous lion, which had walked along the wagon-track for several hundred yards. We continued our march till after midnight, vast herds of blesbock charging from us on every side. Lions were heaiQ «^)aring for the first time during this night. HUNTING THE WHITE RHINOCEROS. 257 WHITE RHINOCEROS. CHAPTER XLYI. HUNTING THE WHITE RHINOCEROS, LION, BUFFALO AND GIRAFFE. PON the 9lh,says Mr. Gumming, it rained unceasingly throughout the day, converting the rich soil on which we were encamped into one mass of soft, sticky clay. In the forenoon, fearing the ram would continue so as to ren- der the vley (through which we must pass to gain the firmer ground) impassable, T ordered my men to prepare to march, and leave the tent with its contents standing, the point which I wished to gain being distant only about five hundred yards. When the oxen were inspanned, however, and we attempted to move, we found my tackle, which was old, so rotten from the effects of the rain, that something gave way at every strain. Owing to thi& and to 17 258 HUNTING ADVENTURES. the softness of the vley, we labored on till sundown, and cfily stic- ceeded in bringing one wagon to its destination, the other two re- maining fast in the mud in the middle of the vley. Next morning, juckily, the weather cleared up, when my men brought over the lent, and in the afternoon the other two wagons. We followed up the banks of the river for several days with the usual allowance of sport. On the 16th we came suddenly upon an immense old bull muchocho rolling in mud. He sprang to his feet immediately he saw me, and charging up the bank, so frightened our horses, that before I could get my rifle from my after-rider he was past us. I then gave him chase, and after a hard gallop of about a mile, sprang from my horse and gave him a good shot behind the shoulder. At this moment a cow rhinoceros of the same species, with her calf, charged out of some wait-a-bit thorn cover, and stood right in my path. Observing that she carried an unusually long horn, I turned my attention from the bull to her, and, after a very long and severe chase, dropped her at the sixth shot. I carried one of my rifles, which gave me much trouble, that not being the tool required for this sort of work, where quick loading is indispensable. After breakfast I sent men to cut off the head of this rhinoceros and proceeded with Ruyter to take up the spoor of the bull wounded in the morning. We found that he was very severely hit, and having followed the spoor for about a mile through very dense thorn cover, he suddenly rustled out of the bushes close ahead of us, accompanied by a whole host of rhinoceros birds. 1 mounted my horse and gave him chase, and in a few minutes he had received four severe shots. I managed to turn his course toward camp, when I ceased firing, as he seemed to be nearly done up, and Ruyter and I rode slowly behind, occasionally shout- ing to guide his course. Presently, however, Chukuroo ceased taking any notice of us, and held leisurely on for tin river, into a shallow part of which he walked, and after panting there ana turning about for a quarter of an hour, he fell over and expired. This was a remarkably fine old bull, and from his dentition it was lot improbable that a hundred summers had seen him roaming v HtJNTINa THE BUFFALO. 261 peaceful denzien of the forests and open glades along the fah banks of the secluded Mariqua. During our march on the 19th we had to cross a range of very rocky hills, covered with large loose stones, and all hands wera required to he actively employed for about an hour in clearing them out of the way to permit the wagons to pass. The work went on fast and furious, and the quantity of stones cleared was immense. At length we reached the spot where we were obliged to bid adieu to the Mariqua, and hold a westerly course across the country for Sicheley. At sundown we halted under a ioi'ty mountain, the highest in the district, called "Lynche a Cheny," or the Monkey's Mountain. Next day, at an early hour, I rode out with Ruyter to hunt, my camp being entirely without flesh, and we having been rationed upon very tough old rhinoceros for several days past. It was a cloudy morning, and soon after starting it came on to rain heavily. 1, however, held on, skirting a fine, well- wooded range of moun- tains, and after riding several miles I srhot a zebra. Having covered the carcass well over with branches to protect it from the vultures, I returned to camp, and inspanning my wagons, took it up on the march. We continued trekking on until sundown, when we started an immense herd of buffaloes, into which I stalked and shot a huge old bull. Our march this evening was through the most beautiful country I had ever seen in Africa. We skirted an endless range of well-wooded stony mountains lying on our left, while to our right the country at first sloped gently off, and then stretched away into a level green forest (^occasionally interspersed with open glades), boundless as the ocean. This green forest was, however, relieved in one direction by a chain of excessively bold, detached, well-wooded, rocky, pyramidal mountains,which stood forth in grand relief. In advance the picture was hounded by forest and mountain ; one bold acclivity, in shape of a dome, standing prominent among its fellows It was a lovely evening j the sky overcast and gloomy, threw an interesting, wild, mysterious coloring over the landscape. I gazed forth upon the romantic scene before me with intense delight, and 262 HUNTING ADVENTURES. felt melancholy and sorrowful at passing so fleetingly through t, and couid not help shouting out, as I marched along, " Where is the coward who would not dare to die for such a land ?'* In the morning we held for a fountain some miles ahead in a gorge in the mountains. As we approached the fountain, and were passing close under a steep rocky hill side, well wooded to jts summit, I unexpectedly beheld a Hon stealing up the rocky face, and, halting behind a tree, he stood overhauling us for some minutes. I resolved to give him battle, and seizing my rifle, marched against him, followed by Carey carrying a spare gun, and by three men leading my dogs, now reduced to eight. When we got close in to the base of the mountain, we found ourselves enveloped in dense jungle, which extended halfway to its summit, and entirely obscured from our eyes objects which were quite ap- parent from the wagons. I slipped my dogs, however, which, after snuffing about, took right up the steep face on the spoor of the lions, for there was a troop of them — a lion and three lionesses. The people at the wagons saw the chase in perfection. When the lions observed the dogs coming on, they took right up, and three of them crossed over the sky ridge. The dogs, however, turned one rattling old Honess, which came rumbling down through the cover, close past me. I ran to meet her, and she came to bay m an open spot near the base of the mountain, whither I quickly followed, and coming up within thirty yards, bowled her over with my first shot, which broke her back. My second entered hei shoulder ; and fearing that she might hurt any of the dogs, as she still evinced signs of life, I finished her with a third in the breast. The bellies of all the four lions were much distended by some game they had been gorging, no doubt a bufl^alo, as a large herJ started out of the jungle immediately under the spot where the noble beasts were first disturbed. Showers of rain fell every hour throughout the 24th, so I enL« ployed my men in making feldt-schoens, or, in other words, African broq^ues for me. These shoes were worthy of a sportsman, being light, yet strong, and were entirely composed of the skins of game of my shooting. The soles were made of either buffalo or camel HUNTING THE BUFFALO 266 opard ; the front part perhaps of koodoo, or hartebeest, or bush buck nnd the back of the shoe of hon, or hyaena, or sable antelope, while the rheimpy or thread with which the whole was sewed consisted of a thin strip of the skin of a steinbok. On the forenoon of the 26th I rode forth to hunt, accompanied by Ruyter ; we held west, skirting the wooded stony mountains. The natives had here many years before Avaged successful war with elephants, four of whose skulls I found. Presently I camo across two sassaybies, one of which I knocked over ; but while 1 was loadmg he regained his legs and made off. We crossed a level stretch of forest, holding a northerly course for an opposite range of green, well-wooded hills and valleys. Here I came upon a troop of six fine old bull buffaloes, into which I stalked, and wounded oi^ princely fellow very severely behind the shoulder, bringing i>^ood from his mouth ; he, however, made off with his comrades, and, tUe ground being very rough we failed to overtake hitn. They held for the Ngotwani. After following the spoor for a couple ot miles, we dropped it, as it led right away from camp. Returning from this chase, we had an adventure with another old bull buffalo, which shows the extreme danger of hunting buf- faJoes without dogs. We started him in a green hollow among the hills, and his course inclining for camp, I gave him chase. He crossed the level broad strath and made for the opposite dense- ly-wooded range of mountains. Along the base of these we followed him, sometimes m view, sometimes on the spoor, keeping the old fellow at a pace which made him pant. Ai length, finding himself much distressed, he had recourse to a singular stratagem Doubling round some thick bushes which obscured him from oui view, he found himself beside a small pool of rain water, just deep enough to cover his body ; into this he walked, and, facing about, lay gently down and awaited our on-coming, with nothing but h'^ old grey face and massive horns above the water, and these con- cealed ,'rom view by rank overhanging herbage. Our attention was entirely engrossed with the spoor, and thus we rode boldly on until within a few feet of him, when springing to his feet, he made a desperate charge after Ruyter, utteimga, \66 HUNTING ADVENTURES. low, stifled roar peculiar to buffaloes (somewhat similar to the growl of a lion), and hurled horse and rider to the earth with fearful vio- lence. His horn laid the poor horse's haunch open to the bone, making the most fearful rugged wound. In an instant Ruyter re gained his feet and ran for his life, which the buffalo observing; gave chase, but most fortunately came down with a tremendous somersault in the mud, his feet slipping froTi under him ; thus the Bushman escaped certain destruction. The buffalo rose much discotnfited, and, the wounded horse first catching his eye, he went a second time after him, but he got out of the way. At this mom )nt I managed to send one of my patent pacificating pills into his shoulder, when he instantly quitted the field of action, and sought shelter in a dense cover on the mountain side, whither I deemei It imprudent to follow him. <^ HUNTING THE ELEPHANT 267 AFRICAN ELEFHAin*. CHAPTER XLYIL ELEPHANT HUNTING BY MOONLIGHT. N the 17th of September, says Mr. Gumming, I resolved to leave the fountain of Seboono, as it was much disturbed, and to~proceed with a few Bakalahari to a small yet famous watei about six miles to the southeast. We accordingly saddled up and held thither. On reaching this fountain, which is called by the natives "^ Paapaa," I found the numerous foot-paths leading to it covered, as I had anticipated, with fresh spoor of elephant and rhinoceros. I then at once proceeded to study the best spot on which to make our shooting-hole for the night. It would be im- possible to prevent some of the game from getting our wind, for the foot-paths led to it from every side. The prevaihng wind was from the east, so I pitched upon the southwest corner of the foun- tain. The water was not more than twenty yards long and ten broad. The west side was bounded by tufous rock, which rose abruptly from the water about five feet high. The top of this 268 HUNTING ADVENTURES. rock was level with the surrounding Yley, and here al tha elephants drank, as if suspicious of treading on the muddy margin on the other three sides of the fountain. I made our shooting-box within six or eight yards of the water, constructing it in a circular form, of bushes packed together so as to form a hedge about three feet high. On the top of the hedge I placed heavy dead old branches of trees, so as to form a fine clear rest for our rifles ; these clean old branches were all lashed firmly together with strips of thorn bark. All being completed, I took the Bakalahari and our steeds to a shady tree, about a quarter of a mile to lee- ward of the fountain, where we found a kraal and off'-saddJed. This day was particularly adapted to bring game to the water, the sun being extremely powerful, and a hot dry wind prevaihng all the afternoon. I told Carey that we were certain of having a good night's sport, and I was right, for we undoubtedly had about the finest night's sport and the most wonderful that was ever enjoyed by man. A little before the sun went down, leaving our kraal, we held to the fountain, having with us our heavy-metaled rifles, karosses, and two Bakalahari. We also had two small guns, my doublo barreled Westley Richards, and Carey's single-barreled gun. As we approached the fountain, a stately bull girafl^e stood before us; the heat of the day had brought him thither, but he feared to go in and drink ; on observing us, he walked slowly away. Two jackals were next detected. Guinea-fowl, partridges, two or three sorts of pigeon and turtle-dove, and small birds in countless thousands, were pairing in to drink from every airt, as we walked up to our hidmg-place and lay down. In a few minutes the sun was under ; but the moon was strong and high (it being within ihr&3 nights of the full), and the sky was clear, with scarcely a cloud. Very soon a step was heard approaching from the east : it was a presuming black rhinoceros. He came up within ten yards of the hiding-hole, and, observing us with his sharp prying eye, at once came slowly forward for a nearer inspection. I then shouted to him ; but this he did not heed in the slightest. I then sprang up and w^ved my large kaross, shouting at the same t*me r ill aIIijI nIS,' I i ' HUNTING THE ELEPHANT. 271 This, however, only seemed to amuse Borele, for he stood within four yards of us, with his horn threatening our momentary destruc- tion, nor would he wheel about until I threw a log of wood at him. Black rhinoceroses are very difficult to scare when they do not get the wind : the best way to do so is to hit them with a stone — that is, in the event of the sportsman not wishing to fire off his gun. Soon after Borele departed four old bull elephants drew near from the south. They were coming right on for the spot where we lay, and they seemed very likely to walk over the top of us. We therefore placed our two big rifles in position, and awaited their forward movement with intense interest. On they came, with a slow and stately step, until within twenty yards of us, when the leading elephant took it into his head to pass to leeward. We let him come on until he got our wind ; he was then within ten yards of the muzzles of our heavy-metaled rifles ; on winding us, he tossed his trunk aloft, and we instantly fired together. I caught him somewhere about the heart, and my big six-pound rifle burst m Carey's hands, very nearly killing us both. The elephant, on being fired at, wheeled about, and retreated to the forest at top speed. I now directed " Stick-in-the-mud" to make ase of his single-barreled twelve to the pound in the event of more elephants coming up ; and thanking my stars that the old Dutch rifle had not sent us both to the land of the leal, I sat down and watched the dark masses of trees that cut the sky on every Bide, in the hope of seeing a mass as high and wide come towering forward into the open space that surrounded the fountain. Nor did I watch long in vain, for very soon three princely bull elephants appeared exactly where the first came on, and holding exactly the same course. They approached just as the first had done. When the leading elephant came within ten yards of us, he got our wind and tossed up his trunk, and was wheeling round ,0 retreat, when we fired together, and sent our bullets somewhere about his heart. He ran two hundred yards and then stood, being evidently dying. His comrades halted likewise, but one of them, ihe finest ,{ the three, almost immediately turned his head once 272 HUNTINQ ADVENTURES, more to the fountain, and very slowly and warily came on. Wt now heard the wounded elephant utter the cry of death, and fal" heavily on the earth. Carey, whose ears were damaged by the bursting of the big rifle, did not catch this sound, but swcre that the elephant which now so stealthily approached the water was the one at which we had fired. It was interesting .to observe this grand old bull approach the fountain : he seemed to mistrust the very earth on which he stood, and smelt and examined with his trunk every yard of the ground before he trod on it, and sometimes stood five minutes on one spot without moving. At length, having gone round three sides of the fountain, and being apparently satisfied as to the correctness of every thing, he stepped boldly forward on to the rock on the west, and, walking up within six or seven yards of the muzzles of our rifles, turned his broadside, and, lowering his trunk into the water, drev/ up a volume of water, which he threw over his back and shoulders to cool his person. This operation he repeated two or three times, after which he commenced drinking, by drawing the water into his trunk and then pouring it into his mouth. I deter- mined to break his leg if possible ; so, covering the limb about level with the lower line of his body, I fired, Carey firing for his heart. I made a lucky shot ; and, as the elephant turned and attempted to make away, his leg broke with a loud crack, and he stood upon his three sound ones. At once disabled and utterly incapable of escaping, he stood statue-like beside the fountain, within a few yards of where he had got the shot, and only occa- sionally made an attempt at locomotion. The patch of my rifle, fired at this elephant's comrade, had ignited a large ball of dry old dung, about eight yards to leeward of our kraal, and, fanned by the breeze, it was now burning away very brightly, the sparks flying in the wind. Presently, on look- mg about me, I beheld two bull elephants approaching by the self- same foot-path which the others had held. The first of these was a half-grown bull, the last was an out-and-out old fellow with enormous tusks. They came on as the first had done, but seemed inclined to pass to windward of us. The young bull, howeveii HUNTING THE ELEPHANT. 273 Observed the fire ; he at once walked up to it, and, s Jnelling at it with his trunk, seemed extremely amused, and in a gamboliag humor threw his trunk about, as if not knowing what to think of It. The larger bull now came up, and exposed a fine broadside.* we took him behind the shoulder and fired together : on receiving the shots, he wheeled about and held west with droo; ing ears, evidently mortally wounded. Some time after this I detected an enormous old bull elephant approaching from the west. If we lay still where we were, he must in a few minutes get our wind, so we jumped up and ran forward out of his line of march. Here a borele opposed our fur- ther progress, and we had to stone him out of our way. The elephant came on, and presently got the wind of where we had been lying. This at once seemed to awake his suspicions, for he stood still among the trees, stretching his trunk from side to side to catch the scent, and doubtful whether he should advance or retreat. We then ran toward him, and stalked in within forty yards of where he stood, and, taking up a position behind a bush, awaited his forward movement. The elephant came slowly for- ward, and I thought would pass to windward of us, when he sud- denly altered his course, and walked boldly forward right for where we stood. He came on until within seven or eight yards, when I coughed loudly to turn him. He tossed up his trunk and turned quickly round to fly; as he turned, however, we fired together, when the elephant uttered a shrill cry of distress, and crashed away, evidently hard hit. When this bull was standing before us, we both remarked that he was the finest we had seen that night : his tusks were extremely long, thick, and very un- usually wide set. We now returned to the fountam, and once more lay dowm to watch. Rhinoceroses, both black and white, were parading around us all night in every direction. We had lain but a short time when I detected a single old bull elephant approaching from the south by the same path which all the others had held. This elephant must have been very thirsty, for he came boldly on with eut any hesitation ; and, keeping to windward, walked pist within 18 274 niJNTiNa adventures. about eight )'ards of us. We fired at the same moment ; th< elephant wheeled about, and, after running a hundred yards reduced his pace to a slow walk. I clapped Carey on the shoulder, and said, " We have him." 1 had hardly uttered the words when he fell over on his side ; he rose, however, again to his feet. At this moment the same presuming borele who had troubled us in the early part of the night, came up to us again, and, declining as before to depart by gentle hints, I thought it a huing moment to put an end to his intrusion, and accordingly gave him a ball behind the shoulder. On receiving it, he galloped off in tremendous consternation, and passed close under the dying elephant, who at the moment fell dead with a heavy crash, and broke one of his hind legs under him in the fall. About an hour after two more elephants came towering on from the east. When they came up they stood for a long time motion- less within forty yards of the water ; and at length the finer of the two, which was a very first-rate old bull, and carrying im- mense tusks, walked boldly forward, and passing round the north side of the fountain, commenced drinking on the rock just as the crippled bull had done. We both fired together, holding for his heart; the bullets must have gone nearly through him^, for we had double charges of powder in our weapons. On receiving the shots he dropped a volume of water from his trunk, and, tossing it aloft, uttered a loud cry and made off, steering north ; but before he was out of our sight he reduced his pace to a slow walk, and I could quite plainly hear, by the loud, painful breathing through nis trunk, that he was mortally wounded ; but whether the natives were too lazy to seek him, or hiving found him would not tell me, I know not, but I never got him. We shot another bull elephant shortly after this ; he too uttered a shrill cry, and went off holding the same course the last one did ; that was, however, all that I ever saw of him. It was now wearing on toward morning : the moon was low and the sky was cloudy ; and feeling very sleepy, I set the two Bakalahari to watch while I lay down to rest. Carey was alreaay enjoying a sound sleep, and snoring loudly. I had lain nearly an HUNTING THE ELEPHANT. 275 hour, and was neither waking nor sleeping, when the Bakalahari whispered, " Clou toona, macoa," which signifies ''- Bull elephants white man." I sat up on my kaross, and beheld three old bulls approaching from the west. At this moment there was a death- like calm 'in the atmosphere, and the sky looked very threatening all along the mountain range which bounds this favorit'* elephant district on the southwest. I greatly feared a thunder-storm Suddenly a breeze came whistling from the mountains, and gave these three elephants our wind. We then left the fountain and held to our wagons, where we slept till the sun rose. When the sun rose i proceeded with the Bakalahari to inspect the spoors of the wounded elephants. I was struck with astonish- ment when I thought over our night's sport : nine times had fiist- rate old bull elephants come up to drink, and we had fired at eight of these at distances of from six to ten yards, with cool, steady rests. Two of them lay dead beside the fountain ; another had a broken \qq^^ and could not escape ; and the only one which we imagined had escaped was the bull with the wide-set tusks, which we both felt certain was wounded too far hack in the body. The event, however, proved that our expectations were incorrect, for that afternoon we found this princely elephant lying dead very near our kraal. Both our shots were very far hack, wounding him somewhere about the kidneys. We never saw any thing of the four other elephants shot by us. The bull with the broken leg had gone nearly a mile from the fountain when we came up to him. At first he made vain attempts to escape, and then tc charge ; but finding he could neither escape nor catch any of us, he stood at bay beside a tree, and my after-riders hegan to assail him. It was curious to watch his movements as the boys, ai about twenty yardi^' distance, pelted him with sticks, &c. Each th ng, as It was thrown, he took up and hurled back at them. When, however, dry balls of elephants' dung were pitched at him, he contented himself with smelling at them with his trunk. At lengtli, wishing to put an end to his existence, I gave him foul jshots behind the shoulder, when he at once exhibited signs of dis« iress ; wa*.er ran from his eyes, and he could barely keep them 276 HUNTING ADVENTURES. open j^ .pt^Sfefl^^i^^^antiG form quivered, and, failing- over, h« -^^pired. At night we again watched the fountain. Only one elephant appeared ; late in the night he came up to leeward, and got our wind. I, however, shot two fine old muchocho, or white rhinoceroses, and wounded two or three borele, which were found by the natives. On the 19th I proceeded with Carey and Piet, and a few Baka- lahari, to a small fountain lying one mile to the south ; here we made two shooting-boxes of boughs of trees. There were three pools at which the game drank, the largest not being more than twelve feet in breadth. I and Carey at night shot one fine bull elephant and four rhinoceroses, wounding two others, which escaped. On the night following we also wounded two elephants, which got away. The next night I put in practice a novel experiment I had long entertained — that of hunting elephants by moonlight with dogs and horses, as in the day, being very much annoyed at wounding and losing in the last week no less than ten first-rate old bull elephants. I communicated my idea to " Stick-in-the-mud," and we hastily proceeded to saddle my steed. I led my dogs, eight in number, through the forest to leeward of where a bull who had come to the fountain to drink had gone in, and when I saw that they had got his wind I slipped them. They dashed forward, and next minute I followed the baying of the dogs and the crash and the trumpet of the elephant. He rushed away at first w'th- out halting, and held right for the mountains to the southwest. When, however, he found that his speed did not avail, and that he could not get away from his pursuers, he began to turn and dodge about in the thickest of the cover, occasionally making charges after the dogs. I followed on as best I could, shouting Tiith all my might to encourage my good hounds. These, hear- ing their master's voice beside them, stuck well by the eitphant, and fought him better than in the day. I gave him my first two shots from the saddle ; after which, I rode close up to him, and, running in on foot, gave him some deadly shots at distances from fifteen to twenty yards. HUNTING THE ELEPHANT. 277 The elephant very soon evinced s^P(?g|(i[ftVr^^*6A4lc^^J^ make away from us. Taking up^fjc^ybons in the densest parts^ "^^ the cover, he caught up the red dtiltwith his trunk, and throwing '^X it over his head and back, endeavored to conceal himself in a >! cloud. This was a fine opportunity to pour in my deadly shafts, and I took care to avail myself of it. When he had received kbout twelve shots, he walked slowly forward-, in a dyir.g slate, the blood streaming from his trunk. I rode close up to him, and gave him a sharp right and left from the saddle : he turned and walked a few yards, then suddenly came down with tremendous violence on his vast stern, pitching his head and trunk aloft to a prodigious height, and, falling heavily over on his side, expired. This was an extremely large and handsome elephant, decidedly the finest bull I had shot this year. Afraid of taking cold or rheumatism, for I was in a most profuse perspiration, I hastened back to my fire-side, having first secured all the dogs in their couples. Here I divested myself of my leather trowsers, shooting- belt, and veldt-schoens, and, stretched on my kaross, I took tea, and wondered at the facility with which I had captured thif mightv elephant. Feeling fatigued, I intended to lie down and rest till morning. Just, however, as I was arranging my saddles for a pillow, I be- held another first-rate old bull elephant advancing up the vley from the south. I at once resolved that he, too, should run the gauntlet with the dogs. In immense haste, tnerefore, I once more pulled on my old leathers, and buckled on my shooting-belt, and ran down into the rank long grass beside the fountain to meet him, armed with the large two-grooved rifle, having directed Carey and Piet to come slowly up with the dogs and my horse and gun as soon as they were ready. The elephant came on, and stood drinking within thirty yards of me. When I saw Carey coming en with the dogs and steed, I fired, but my rifle hung fire. The shot, however, gave the dogs good courage, and they fought well The elephant took away at a rapid prce toward the other foun- tain where the Bechuanas lay, and at first led me through very bad wait-a-bit thorn cover, which once or twice nearly swept me :i78 HUNTING ADVENTURES. out of the saddle Presenily he inclined to the west, and got ima better country ; 1 then rode close to him, and bowled him ovei with four shots. I'he next morning, my ammunition being expended, or very nearly so, I dispatched Carey to camp for fresh supplies. After he had gone 1 walked through the forest, when I observed ^* Fro- rhum*' snuff up the wind and go ahead. I soon saw himx return- ing, with two jackals trotting behind him, so I at once knew that there was some game lying dead in advance. When I had pro- ceeded a little further the dogs ran forward, and next moment a rush of many feet was heard charging toward where I stood. It was a troop of half-grown hons, with a lioness, which dashed past me, followed by the dogs. They had been feasting on a white rhinoceros, shot by me two nights previously, which I found lying a little in advance. Beside the carcase stood a fine fat calf — the poor thing, no doubt, fancying that its mother slept ; heedless of lions, and all the other creatures that had trodden there, it had remained beside its dead mother for a day and two njghts. Rhi- noceros' calves always stick to their mothers long after they are dead. The next night I was again successful in a night hunt, and bagged a very fine bull elephant. This wound up my ele- phant night shooting for that moon, for next day there was a most awful thunder-storm, which tilled the forest with large pools oi ivater. ADVENTURE WITH A MONSTER LION. 27^ CHAPTER XLVIIL ADVENTURE WITH A MONSTER LION. N the 29th, says Mr. Cur.irning, we arrived at a small village ct Bakalahari. These natives told me that elephants were abundant on the opposite side of the river. I accordingly resolved to halt here and hunt, and drew my wagons up on the river's bank, within thirty yards of the water, and about one hun- dred yards from the native village. Having outspanned, we at once se* about making for the cattle a kraax of the worst description of thorn- liees Of this I had now become very particular, since my severe loss by lions on the first of this month ; and my cattle were, at night, secured by a strong kraal, which inclosed my two wagons the horses being made fast to a trek-tow stretched between the hind Krheels of the wagons I had yet, however, a fearful lesson lo 280 HUNTING ADVENTURES. learn as to the nature and character of the hon, of which I had at am time entertained so little fear; and on this night a horrible tragedy was to be acted in my little lonely camp, of so very appalling a nature as to make the blood curdle in our veins. I worked till near sundown at one side of the kraal with Hendric, my first wagon-driver — I cutting down the trees with my ax, and he drag- ing them to the kraal. When the kraal for the cattle was finished, I turned my attention to making a pot of barley-broth, and lighted my fire between the wagons and the water, close on the river s bank, under a dense grove of shady trees, making no sort of kraal around our sitting-place for the evening. The Hottentots, without any reason, made their fire about fifty yards from mine ; they according to their usual custom, being satisfied with the shelter of a large dense bush. The evening passed away cheerfully. Soon after it was dark we .heard ele- phants breaking the trees in the forest across the river, and once or twice 1 strode away into the darkness some distance from the fireside to stand and listen to them. I little at that moment, deemed of the imminent peril to which I was exposing my life, nor thought that a blood-thirsty man-eater lion was crouching near, only watching his opportunity to spring into the kraal and consign one of us to a most horrible death. About three hours after the su^? went down I called to my men to come and take their cofTee apd supper, which was ready for them at my fire ; and after suppe/ three of them returned before their comrades to their own fireside and lay down ; these were John Stofolus, Hendric, and Ruyter In a few minutes an ox came out by th** gate of the kraal an^ walked round the back of it. Hendric got up and drove him ip again, and then went back to his fireside and lay down. Hendiic and Ruyter lay on one side of the fire under one blanket, and John Stofolus lay on the other. At this moment I was sitting taking some barley-broth ; our fire was very small, and the night waa pitch-dark and windy. Owing to our proximity to the native village the wood was very scarce, the Bakahalari having burned it all in their fires. Suddenly the appal Ing and murderous voice of an angry, blood ADVENTURE WITH A MONSTER LION. 281 »hirsty Hon burst upon my ear within a few yards of us, fcllowed by the shrieking of the Hottentots. Again and again the mur- derous roar of attack was repeated. We heard John and Ruytei shriek ^'^ The ho > ! the lion !" still, for a few moments, we thought he was but chasing one of the dogs round the kraal ; but, nexi instant, John Stofoius rushed into the midst of us almost speech- less with fear and terror, his eyes bursting from their sockets, and shrieked out, "The lion! the lion! He has got Hendric ; he dragged him away from the fire beside me. I struck him with the burning brands upon his head, but he Avould not let go his hold, Hendric is dead ! Oh God ! Hendric is dead I Let us take fire and seek him !" The rest of my people rushed about, shrieking and yelling as if they were mad. I was at once angry with them for their folly, and told them that if they did not stand still and keep quiet, the lion would have another of us ; and that very likely there was a troop of them. I ordered the dogs, which were nearly all fast, to be made loose, and the fire to be increased as far as could be. I then shouted Hendric's name, but all wae still. I told my men that Hendric was dead, and that a regiment of soldiers could not now help him, and, hunting my dogs forward, I had every thing brought within the cattle-kraal, when we lighted oui fire and closed the entrance as well as we could. My terrified people sat round the fire with guns in their hands till the day broke, stil! fancying that every moment the lion would return and spring again into the midst of us. When the dogs were first let go, the stupid brutes, as dogs often prove when most re- quired, instead of going at the hon, rushed fiercely on one another, and fought desperately for some minutes. After this they got his wind, and, going at him, disclosed to us his position : they kept up a continual barking until the day dawned, the lion occasionally spring ing after them and driving them in upon the kraal. The hor- rible monster lay all night withm forty yards of us, consuming thfe wretched man whom he had chosen for his prey. He had dragged him into a little hollow at the back of the thick bush beside which the fire was kindled, and there he remained till the day dawned, careless of our proximity. 282 HUNTING ADVENTURES. It appealed that when the unfortunate Hendric rose to drive 1 the ox, the lion had watched him to his fireside, and he h ;Q scarcely lain down when the brute sprang upon him and Ruyt^r (for both lay under one blanket), with his appaling, murderous roar, and roaring as he lay, grappled him with his fearful claws and kept biting him on the breast and shoulder, all the while feel- ing for his necxf ; having got hold of which, he at once dragged him away backward round the bush into the dense shade. As the hon lay upon the unfortunate man he faintly cried, " Help me, help me ! Oh God ! men, help me !" After which the fearful beast got a hold of his neck, and then all was still, except that his comrades heard the bones of his neck cracking between the teeth of the lion. John Stofolus had lain with his back to the fire on the opposite side, and on hearing the Hon he sprang up, and, seizing a large flaming brand, he had belabored him on the head with the burning wood ; but the brute did not take any notice of him. The Bushman had a narrow escape ; he was not altogether scatheless, the lion having inflicted two gashes in his seat with his claws. The next morning, just as the day began to dawn, we heard the lion dragging something up the river side under cover of the bank. We drove the cattle out of the kraal, and then proceeded to in spect the scene of the night's awful tragedy. In the hollow, where the hon had lain consuming his prey, we found one leg of the unfortunate Hendric, bitten off below the knee, the shoe still on his foot ; the grass and bushes were all stained with his blood, and fragments of his pea-coat lay all around. Poor Hendric ! I knew the fragments of that old coat, and had often marked them hanging m the dense covers where the elephant had charged after my un- fortunate after-rider. Hendric was by far the best man I had about my wagons, of a most ch'^erful disposition, a first-rate wagon hiv^T, fearless in tne field, ever active, wilHng, and obliging : hia J* / ss all was very serious. CHAPTER XLIX. BUNTING THE BUSTARD AND ELAND. At an early hour on the morning of the 6th, says Mr. Cumming^ while I was yet in bed, Hendric Strydom and his frau were standing over my fire, alongside of my wagon, with a welcome supply of sweet milk, and hurrying on the indolent Hottentots to prepare my break- fast, and rouse their slothful master, the earliest dawn being, as he afl&rmed, the best time to go after the springboks. On hearing their voices, I rose, and having breakfasted, we shouldered our " roers," walked about a mile across the plain, and took up positions behind two very low bushes, about three hundred yards apart, and instructed our Hottentots to endeavor to drive the springboks towards us. We had two beats, but were unlucky both times, each of us wounding and losing a springbok. In the evening we went out again to hunt on the same principle, on a very wide flat to the west of his house, where we lay down behind very low bushes, in the middle of the bucks. We lay there on out breasts for two hours, with herds of springboks moving all round us, our Hottentots manoeuvring in the distance. One small troop came within shot of me, when I sent my bullet spinning through a graceful doe, which bounded forward a hundred yards, and, staggering for a moment, fell over and expired. A little after this, I suddenly perceived a large paow or bustard walking on the plain before me. These birds are very wary, and difficult to approach. I therefore resolved to have a shot at him, and lay like a piece of rock until he came within range, when I sent a bullet through him. He managed, however, to fly about a quartei of a mile, when he alighted ; and, on going up to the place half an hour after, I found him lying dead, with his head stuck into a bush of heath, On the 15th, I took leave of my friends, at Kuruman, and coq« (284) A SWARM OF LOCUSTS. 286 A LOCUST. tinued my journey In a northeasterly course through a heavy sandy country of boundless level plains, stretching away on every side, covered vrith rank yellow grass, which, waving in the breeze, imparted the idea of endless fields of ripe corn. At sundown we crossed the Matluarin River, an insignificant stream, and encamped on its northern bank. On the march we saw a few blue wilde- beests and ostriches. At dawn of day on the following morning we pursued our journey through the same description of country varied, however, with detached clumps of thorny mimosas. On the march we crossed a swarm of locusts, resting for the night on the grass and bushes. They lay so thick that the wagons could have been filled with them 'in a very short time, covering the large bushes just as a swarm of young bees cover the branch on which it pitches. Locusts afford fattening and wholesome food to man, birds, and 1 11 sorts of beasts ; cows and horses, lions, jackals, hysBnas, antelopes, elephants, &c., devour them. We met a party of Batlapis carrying heavy burdens of them on their back». Our hungry dogs made a fine feast on them. The cold frosty night had rendered them unable to take wing until the sun should restore their powers. As it was difficult to obtain sufficient food for my dogs, I and Isaac took a large blanket, which we spread under ambush, whose branches ^eie bent to the ground with the 286 HUNTING ADVENTURES. mass of locusts which covered it ; and, having shaken the branches, in an instant I had more locusts than I could carry on my back : these we roasted for ourselves and dogs. Beautifully wooded hills and mountains stretched away on every side ; some of the mountains were particularly grand and majestic, their summits being surrounded by steep precipices and abrupt parapets of rock, the abodes of whole colonies of black- faced baboons, which, astonished to behold such novel intruders upon their domains, leisurely descended the craggy mountain sides for a nearer inspection of our caravan. Seating themselves together upon a broad ledge, they seemed to hold a council as to the propriety of permitting us to proceed further through theif territories. Having advanced about nine miles, I drew up my wagons on the bank of a rivulet, where the spoor of large game was extremely abundant. In the bed of the stream I discovered the scaly skin of a manis, which had been newly eaten by some bird of prey. This extraordinary animal, which in its habits par- takes of the nature of the hedgehog, is about three feet in length, and is covered all over with an impenetrable coat of mail, consist- ing of large rough scales about the size and shape of the husk of an artichoke ; these overlap one another in an extraordinary and HUNTING RHINOCEROSES. 28' MAN IS. rery beautiful manner. Its tail is broad, and likewise covered with scales ; on being disturbed it rolls itself into a ball. The mams is met with throughout the interior of South Africa, but it is rare and very seldom seen. Having taken some coffee, I rode out unattended, with my rifle, and before proceeding far I fell in with a huge white rhinoceros with a large calf, standing in a thorny grove. Getting my wind, she set off at top speed through thick thorny bushes, the calf, as lb invariably the case, taking the lead, and the mother guiding its course, generally about three feet in length, against its ribs. My horse shied very much at first, alarmed at the strange appearance of ^« Chuckuroo," but by a sharp application of spur and jambok I prevailed upon him to follow, and presently, the ground im- proving, I got alongside, and, firing at the gallop, sent a bullet through her shoulder. She continued her pace with blood stream- ing from the wound, and very soon reached an impracticable thorny jungle, where I could not follow, and instantly lost her. In half an hour I fell in with a second rhinoceros, being an eld bull of the white variety. Dismounting, I crept within twenty ya. is, and saluted him with both barrels in the shoulder, upon which he made off, uttering a loud blowing noise, and upsetting every thing that obstructed his progress. Shortly after this I found myself on the banks of the stream oeside which my wagons were outspanned. Following along its margin, I presently beheld a bull of the borele, or black rhinocerc«, standing within a hundred yards of me. Dismounting from my horse. I secured hiivi to a tree, and then stalked within twenty 288 HUNTING ADVENTURES. Air ELAND. yaids ot the huge beast, under cover of a large, strong bush. Borele, hearing me advance, came on to see what it was, and suddenly protruded his horny nose within twenty yards of me. Knowing well that a front shot would not prove deadly, I sprang to my feet and ran behind the bush. Upon this the villain charged, blowing loudly, and chased me round the bush. Had his activity been equal to his ugliness, my wanderings would have terminated here, but by my superior agility I had the ad- vantage in the turn. After standing a short time eyeing me through the bush, he got a whifT of my wind, which at once alarmed him. Uttering a blowing noise, and erecting his insig- nificant yet saucy- looking tail, he wheeled about, leaving me master of the field, when I sent a bullet through his ribs to teach him manners. Finding that rhinoceroses were abundant in the vicinity, I re solved to halt a day for the purpose ot hunting, and after an earir breakfast on the 6th I rode southeast with the two Baquaines HUNTING THE ELAND. 289 They led me along the bases of the mountains, through woody dells and open gJades, and we eventually reached a grand forest gray with age. Here we found abundance of spoor of a variety of game, and started several herds of the more common varieties. A.t length I observed an old bull eland standing inder a tree. He was the first that I had seen, and was a noble specimen, standing about six feet high at the shoulder. Observing us, h** made olf at a gallop, springing over the trunks of deca^'ed trees which lay across his path ; but very soon he reduced his pace to a trot. Spurring my horse, another moment saw me riding hard behind him. Twice in the thickets I lost sight of him, and ke very nearly escaped me ; but at length, the ground improving, I came up with him, and rode withm a few yards behind him. Long Streaks of foam now streamed from his mouth, and a profuse per- spiration had changed his sleek gray coat to an ashy blue. Tears trickled from his large dark eye, and it was plain that the eland's hours were numbered. Pitching my rifle to my shoulder, I let fly at the gallop, and mortally wounded him behind ; then spurring my horse, I shot past him on his right side, and discharged my other barrel behind his shoulder, when the eland staggered for a moment and subsided in the dust. The two Baquaines soon made their appearance, and seemed delighted at my success. Having kindled a fire, they cut out steaks, which they roasted on the embers : I also cooked a steak for myself, spitting it upon a forked branch, the other end of which I sharpened with my knife ind stuck into the ground. Of the rhinoceros there are four vaneties in South Africa, distm- guished by the Bechuanas by the names of the borele, or black rhinoceros, the keitloa, or two-horned black rhinoceros, the mucho- cho, or common white rhinoceros, and the kobaoba, or long-horned vhite rhinoceros. Both varieties of the black rhinoceros are ^■^- tremely fierce and dangerous, and rush headlong and unprovoked at any object which attracts their attention. They never attain much fat, and their flesh is tough, and not much esteemed by the Bechuanas. Their food consists almost entirely of the thorny brai ^^ -^f the wait-a-bit thorns. Their horns are much shorter 290 HUNTING ADVENTURES. than those of the other varieties, seldom exceeding eighteen inches in length. They are finely polished with constant rubbing against the trees. The skull is remarkably formed, its most strik- ing feature being '.ne tremendous thick ossification in which it ends above the nostrils. It is on this mass that the horn is sup- ported. The horns are not connected with the skull, being at* tached merely by the skin, and they may thus be separated from the head by means of a sharp knife. They are hard and per- fectly sohd throughout, and are a fine material for various articles, such as drinking-cups, mallets for rifles, handles for turner's tools, &c., &c. The horn is capable of a very high pohsh. The eyes of the rhinoceros are small and sparkling, and do not readily observe the hunter, provided he keeps to leeward of them. The skin is extremely thick, and only to be penetrated by bullets hard- ened with solder. During the day the rhinoceros will be found lying asleep or standing indolently in some retired part of the forest, or under the base of the mountains, sheltered from the power of the sun by some friendly grove of umbrella-topped mimosas. In the evening they commence their nightly ramble, and wander over a great extent of country. They usually visil the fountains between the hours of nine and twelve o'clock at night, and it is on these occasions that they may be most success- fully hunted, and with least danger. The black rhinoceros is subject to paroxysms of unprovoked fury, often plowing up the ground for several yards with its- horns, and assaulting large bushes in the most violent manner. On these bushes they work for hours with their horns, at the same time snorting and blowing loudly, noi do they l'>ave them in general until they have broken them intff pieces. The rhinoceros is supposed b} many and by myself among the rest, to be the animal alluded to by Job, chap, xxxix., verses 10 and 11, where it is written, "Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow ? or will he harrow the valleys after thee ? wilt thou trust him because his strength is great ? or wilt thou leave thy labor to him ?" evidently alluding to an anmial possessed of great strength and of untamable disposition, for both of which the rhinoceros is remarkable. All the fouf HUNTING THE ELAND. 291 varieties dtlight to ro'. and wallow in mud, with which theit rugged hides arc generally incrusted. Both varieties of the black rhinoceros are much smaller and more active than the white, and are tso swift that a horse with its rider on its back can rarely over- take them. The two varieties of the white rhinoceros are so similar in habits, that the description of one will serve for both, tbe principal difference consisting in the length and set of the anterior horn ; that of the muchocho averaging from two to three feet in length, and pointing backward, while the horn of the kobaoba often exceeds four feet in length, and inclines forward from the nose at an angle of forty-five degrees. The posterior horn of either species seldom exceeds six or seven inches in length. The ko- baoba is the rarer of the two, and it is found very far in the in- terior, chiefly to the eastward of the Limpopo. Its horns are very valuable for loading rods, supplying a substance at once suitable for a sporting implement and excellent for the purpose. Both these varieties of rhinoceros attain an enormous size, being the animals next in magnitude to the elephant. They feed solely on grass, carry much fat, and their flesh is excellent, being preferable to beef. They are of a much milder and more inofl"ensive dispo- sition than the black rhinoceros, rarely charging their pursuer. Their speed is very inferior to that of the other varieties, and a person well mounted can overtake and shoot them. The head of these is a foot longer than that of the borele. They generally carry their heads low, whereas the borele, when disturbed, carries his very high, which imparts to him a saucy and independent air. Unlike the elephants, they n(;ver associate in herds, but are met with singly or in pairs. In districts where they are abundant, from three to six may be found in company, and I once sew up. ward of a dozen congregated together on some young grass, but such an occurrence is rare. That magnificent animal the eland is by far the largest of all the antelope tribe, exceeding a large ox in size. It also attains an ex- traordinary condition, being often burdened with a very large amount of fat. Its flesh is most excellent, and is justly esteemed above all others. It has a peculiar sweetness, and is tender and 292 HUNTING ADVENTURES. fit for use the moment the animal is killed. Like ti e gemsbok, tiic eland is independent of water* and frequents the borders of tl e great Kalahari desert in herds varying from ten to a hundred. 1* is also generally diffused throughout all the wooded districts of the interior where I hunted. Like other x^arieties of deer and antelope, the old males may often be found consoritng together apart from the females, and a troop of these, when in full condition, may be likened to a herd of stall-fed oxen. The eland has less qjeed than any other variety of antelope : and, by judicious riding, ihey may be driven to camp from a great distance. In this man- ner I have often ridden the best bull out of the herd, and brought him within gunshot of my wagons, where I could more conveni- ently cut up and preserve the flesh, without the trouble of send ing men and pack -oxen to fetch it. I have repeatedly seen an eland drop down dead at the end of a severe chase, owing to his plethoric habit. The skin of the eland I had just shot emitted, like most *»ther antelopes, the most delicious perfume of trees, and giaas. HUNTING THE GIRAFFE. 292 CHAPTER L. HUNTING THE GIRAFFE. — HABITS OF THE ELEPHAN\ R. GUMMING thus describ**^ tus giraffe. These gigantic and ex« quisiteiy beautiful animals, which are admirably formed by nature to adorn the fair forests that clothe the boundless plains of the mter- ior,are widely distributed through- out the interior of Southern Africa, but are nowhere to be met with in great numbers. In countries unmolested by the intrusive foot of man, the giraffe is found gen- 294 HUNTING ADVENTURES. erally in herds varying froiii twelve to sixteen ; but I have not unfrequently met with herds containing thirty individuals, and on one occasion I counted forty together ; this however was ov/ing to chance, and about sixteen may be reckoned as the average number of a herd. These herds are composed of giraffes of various sizes, from the young giraffe of nine or ten feet in height, to the dark chest- nut-colored old bull of the herd, whose exalted head towers above his companions, generally attaining a height of upward of eighteen fc~t. The females are of lower stature and more delicately formed than the males, their height averaging from sixteen to seventeen feet. Some writers have discovered ugliness and a want of grace in the giraffe, but I consider that he is one of the most strikingly beautiful animals in the creation ; and when a herd of them is seen scattered through a grove of the picturesque parasol-topped acacias which adorn their native plains, and on whose uppermost shoots they are enabled to browse by the colossal height with which nature has so admirably endowed them, he must indeed be slow of conception who fails to discover both grace and dignity in all their movements. On the 25th, at dawn of day, we inspanned, and trekked abou*. five hours in a northeasterly course, through a boundless open country, sparingly adorned with dwarfish old trees. In the dis- tance the long-sought mountains of Bamangwato at length loomed blue before me. We halted beside a glorious fountain, which at once made me forget all the cares and difficulties I had encoun- tered in reachmg it. The name of this fountain was Massouey, but I at once christened it '^ the Elephant's own Fountain." This was a very remarkable spot on the southern borders of endless elephant forests, at which I had at length arrived. The fountain was deep and strong, situated in a hollow at the eastern extremity of an extensive vley, and its margin was surrounded by a level stratum of solid old red sandstone. Here and there lay a thick layer of soil upon the rock, and this was packed flat wiwh the fresh spoor of elephants. Around the water's edge the very rock was worn down by the gigantic feet which for ages had tro(t den there. HUNTING THE GIRAFFE. 297 The soil of the surrounding country was white and yellow sand, but grass, trees, and bushes were abundant. From the borders of the fountain a hindred well-trodden elephant foot-paths led liway in every direction, like the radii of a circle. The breadth of these paths was about three feet ; those leading to the nortn* ward and east was most frequented, the country in those directions being well wooded. We drew up the wagons on a hillock on the jastern side of the water. This position commanded a good view )f any game that might approach to drink. I had just cooked my breakfast, and commenced to feed when I heard my men ex- claim. " Almagtig keek de ghroote clomp cameel ;" and raising my eyes from my sassayby stew, I beheld a truly beautiful and very unusual scene. From the margin of the fountain there extended an open level vley, without tree or bush, that stretched away about a mile to the northward, where it was bounded by extensive groves of wide-spreading mimosas. Up the middle of this vley Btalked a troop of ten colossal giraffes, flanked by two large herds of blue wildebeests and zebras, with an advanced guard of pallahs. They were all coming to the fountain to drink, and would be withm rifle-shot of the wagons before I could finish my breakfast. I, however, continued to swallow my food with the utmost expedition, having directed my men to catch and saddle Colesberg. In a few mmutes the giraffes were slowly advancing within two hun- dred yards, stretching their graceful nercks, and gazing in wonder at the unwonted wagons. Grasping my rifle, I now mounted Colesberg, and rode slowly toward them. They continued gazing at the wagons until I was within one hundred yards of them, when, wisking their long tails over their rumps, they made off al an easy canter. As I pressed upon them they increased their pace ; but Colesberg had much the speed of them, and before we had proceeded half a mile I was riding by the shoulder of the dark-chestnut old bull, whose head towered above the rest. Letting fly at the gallop, I wounded him behind the shoulder ; soon after «vhich I broke him from the herd, and presently going ahead of him, he came to a stand. I then gave him a second bullet, some- where near the first. These two shots had taken efl^ect, ard h« 298 HUNTING ADVENTURES. was now m my power, but I would not lay him low so far from camp ; so, having waited until he had regained his breath, I drove him half way back toward the wagons. Here he became obstreper- ous ; so loading one barrel, and pointing my rifle towards the clouds, I shot him in the throat, when, rearing high, he fell back- ward and expired. This was a magnificent specimen of the giraffe, measuring upward of eighteen feet in height. I stood for nearly half an hour engrossed in the contemplation of his extreme beauty and gigantic proportions ; and if there had been no ele- phants, I could have exclaimed like Duke Alexander of Gordon when he killed the famous old stag with seventeen tine, ^' Now I can die happy." But I longed for an encounter with the noble elephants, and I thought little more of the giraffe than if I had killed a gemsbok or an eland Before proceeding further with my narrative, it may here be in- teresting to make a few remarks on the African elephant and his habits. The elephant is widely difl^used through the vast forests, and is met with in herds of various numbers. The male is very much larger than the female, consequently much more difficuh to kill. He is provided with two enormous tusks. These are long, tapering, and beautifully arched ; their length averages from six to eight feet, and they weigh from sixty to a hundred pounfls each. In the vicinity of the equator the elephants attain to a greater size than to the southward ; and I am in possession of a pair of tusks of the African bull elephant, the larger of which measures ten feet nine inches in length, and weighs one hi^ndred and seventy-three pounds. The females, unlike the Asiatic elephants in this re- spect, are hkewise provided with tusks. The price which the hrgest ivory fetches in the English market is from £28 to £32 per hundred and twelve pounds. Old bull elephants are found singly or in pairs, or consorting together in small herds, varying from six to twenty individuals. The younger bulls remain for many years in company of their mothers, and these are met to- gether in large herds of from twenty to a hundred individuals. The food of the elephant consist of the branches, leaves, and roots of irees. and alsj of a variety of bulbs, of the situation of which he HABITS OF THE ELEPHANT. 299 as advised by his exquisite sense of smell. To obtain these he turns up the ground with his tusks, and whole acres may be seen thus plowed up. Elephants consume an immense quantity of food, and pass the greatel part of the day and night in feeding. Like the whale in the ocean, the elephant on land is acquainted with, and roams over, wide and extensive tracts. He is extremely particular in always frequenting the freshest and most verdan districts of the forest ; and when one district is parched and barren, he M\ ill forsake it for years, and wander to great distances in quesi of better pasture. The elephant entertains an extraordinary horror of man, and a child can put a hundred of them to flight by passing at a quartei of a mile to windward ; and when thus disturbed, they go a long way before they halt. It is surprising how soon these sagacious animals are aware of the presence of a hunter in their domains. When one troop has been attacked, all the otl er elephants fre- quenting the district are aware of the fact within two or three days, when they all forsake it, and migrate to distant parts, leaving the hunter no alternative but to inspan his wagons, and remove to fresh ground. This constitutes one of the greatest difficulties which a skilful elephant-hunter encounters. Even in the most remote parts, which may be reckoned the head-quarters of the elephant, it is only occasionally, and with inconceivable toil and hardship, that the eye of the hunter is cheered by the sight of one. Owing to habits peculiar to himself, the elephant is more inac- cessible, and much more rarely seen, than any other game quad- ruped, excepting certain rare antelopes. They choose for their resort the most lonely and secluded depths of the forest, generally at a very great distance from the rivers and fountains at which they drmk. In dry and warm weather they visit these waters nightly, but in :;ool and cloudy weather they drink only once every third or fourth day. About sundown the elephant leaves his distant mid-day haunt, and commences his march toward the fountain, which is probably from twelve to twenty miles distant This he generally reaches between the hours of nine and mid- night, when, having slacked his thirst and cooled his body bjf 800 HUNTING ADVENTTTRES. epoutiog large volumes of water over his back with his trun^, h« resumes the path to his forest solitudes. Having reached a secluded spot, I have remarked that full-grown hulls lie down on their broadsides, about the hour of midnight, and sleep for a few hours. The spot which they usually select is an ant-hill, and they lay around it with their backs resting against it ; these hills, formed by the white ants, are from thirty to forty feet in diameter at their base. The mark of the under tusk is always deeply im- printed in the ground, proving that they lie upon their sides. I never remarked that females had thus lain down, and it is only in the more secluded districts that the bulls adopt this practice ; for I observed that, in districts where the elephants were liable to fre- quent disturbance, they took repose standing on their legs beneath some shady tree. Having slept, they then proceeded to feed ex- tensively. Spreading out from one another, and proceeding in . zigzag course, they smash and destroy all the finest trees in the forest which happen to lie in their course. The number of goodly trees which a herd of bull elephants will thus destroy is utterly incredible. They are extremely capricious, and on coming to a group of five or six trees, they break down not un frequently the whole of them, when, having perhaps only tasted one or two small branches, they pass on and continue their wanton work of destruction. I have repeatedly ridden through forests where the trees thus broken lay so thick across one another that it was almost impossible to ride through the district, and it is in situations such as these that attacking the elephant is attended with most danger. During the night they will feed in open plains and thinly- wooded districts, but as day dawns they retire to the densest covers within reach, and which nine times in ten are com- posed of the impracticable wait-a-bit thorns and hem they remain drawn up in a compact herd during the heat of the day. In re- mote districts, however, and in cool weather, I have known herdi vo continue pasturing throughout the whole day. The pace of the elepbant, when undisturbed, is a bold, free sweeping step ; and a' his movements are attended with a pecu liar gentleness and grace flUNTINQ RHINOCEROSES. rfOl A BLAUWBOX, MR. CHAPTER LI GUMMING CHASED BY A RHINOCEROS. N the 22d, says Mr. Gumming, ordering my men to move oa toward a fountain m the centra of the plain, I rode forth witli Ruyter,and held east through a grove of lofty and vvide-spreadmg mimosas, most of which were more or less damaged by the gigantic strength of a troop of elephants, which had , passed there about twelve months before. ^-y Having proceeded about two miles with brge herds of game on every side, I observed a crusty- looking old bull bo-Me, or black rhinoceros, cockmg his ears one hundred 802 HTJNTINa ADVENTURES. yards in advance. He had not observed us ; and soon after he walked slowly toward tks, and stood broadside to, eating some wait-a-bit thorns within fifty yards of me. I fired from my saddle, and sent a bullet in behind his shoulder, upon whxh he rushed forward about one hundred yards in tremendous consternation, blowmg like a grampus, and then stood looking about him. Pre- sently he made off. I followed, but found it hard to come up with him. When I overtook him I saw the blood running freely from his ^vound. The chase led through a large herd of blue wildebeests, zebras, and springboks, which gazed at us in utter amazement. At length I fired my second barrel, but my horse was fidgety, and I missed. I continued riding alongside of him, expecting in my ignorance that at length he would come to bay, which rhinoceroses never do ; when suddenly he fell flat on his broadside on the ground, but, recovering his feet, resumed his course as if nothing had hap- pened. Becoming at last annoyed at the length of the chase, as I wished to keep my horses fresh for the elephants, and being indif- ferent whether I got the rhinoceros or not, as I observed that his horn was completely worn down with age and the violence of his disposition, I determined to bring matters to a crisis ; so, spurring my horse, I dashed ahead, and rode right in his path. Upon this the hideous monster instantly charged me in the most resolute manner, blowing loudly through his nostrils ; and, although I quickly wheeled about to my left, he followed me at such a furious pace for several hundred yards, with his horrid horny snout within a few yards of my horse's tail, that my little Bushman, who was looking on in great alarm, thought his master's destruction inevita- ble. It was certainly a very near thing ; my horse was extremely afraid, and exerted his utmost energies on the occasion. The rhi- noceros, however, wheeled about, and continued his former course, and I, being perfectly satisfied with the interview which I had already enjoyed with him, had no desire to cultivate his acquaint- ance any further, and accordingly made for camp. We reft the fountain of Bootlonamy the same day, and marched about six r fm^ili*Wi;l*lli»' AFRICAN GAME. 305 miles through an old gray foresi of mimosas, when we hahed for the night. Large flocks of Guinea-fowls roosted in the trees around our encampment, several of which I shot for my supper. On the 23d we inspanned by moonlight, and continued our march through a thinly-wooded, level country. It was a lovely morning ; the sun rose in great splendor, and the sky was beauti- fully overcast with clouds. Having proceeded about ten miles, the country became thickly covered with detached forest trees and groves of wait-a-bit thorns. The guides now informed us that the water, which is called by the Bechuanas " Lepeby," was only a short distance in advance, upon which I saddled steeds, and rode ahead with the Bushman, intending to hunt for an hour before breakfast. Presently we reached an open glade in the forest, where I observed a herd of zebras in advance ; and on my left stood a troop of springboks, with two leopards watching them from behind a bush. I rode on, and soon fell in with a troop of hartebeests, and, a little after, with a large herd of blue wilde- beests and pallahs. I followed these for some distance, when they were re-inforced by two other herds of pallahs and wilde- beests. Three black rhinoceroses now trotted across my path. Presently I sprang from my horse, and fiped right and left at a princely bull blue wildebeest. He got both balls, but did not fall ; and I immediately lost sight of him in the dense ranks of his shaggy companions. The game increased as we proceeded, until the whole forest seemed alive with a variety of beautifully-colored animals. On this occasion I was very unfortunate ; I might have killed any quantity of game if venison had been my object ; but I was trying to get a few very superior heads of some of the mastef bucks of the pallahs. Of these I wounded four select old bucks but in the dust and confusion caused by the innumerable quantity cf the game I managed to lose them all. We had now ridden many miles from the wagons ; and feeling faint from want of food, I dropped the chase in disgust, and, with- out looking at my compass, ordered the Bushman to go ahead My attention had been so engrossed with the excitement of the pursuit, that I had r,ot the remotest idea of the course I had taken 20 806 HUNTING ADVENTURES. md the whole country exhibited such an aspect of sameness, that there was no landmark or eminence of any description by which to steer. Having ridden many miles through the forest, I at length asked the Bushman, in whom on such occasions I gene- rally placed great confidence, if he was sure he was riding in the right direction, and, as he appeared quite confident, I allowed him 10 proceed. At length he said that we had gone a little too far to the left, and led me away several miles to the right, which was westerly ; whereas the wagons eventually proved to be a lung way to the east. I felt convinced that we were wrong, and, rein- mg up, a discussion arose between us, the Bushman still main- taining that we must ride west, while I was certain that our course should be east. I now adopted my own opinion, and, having ridden many miles in an easterly direction, we were at one time close upon the wagons, when the thick-headed Bushman declared that if I persevered we should never see the wagons again, and I with equal stupidity yielded to his advice, and a southwesterly course was once more adopted. Having ridden for many miles, 1 again reined up, and again told the Bushman we were wrong ; upon which he for the first time acknowledged that he knew no- thing at all about the matter, but stated it to be his impression that we ought to ride further to the west. My head was so confused that I lost all.recollection of how we had ridden ; and while I was deliberating what I should do, I observed a volume of smoke a long way to the north, which I at once imagined had been kindled by my followers to guide their lost master tt) the wagons. With revived spirits, I stirred my jaded steed and made for the smoke ; but, alas ! this only served to lead me further astray. After riding many miles in that direction, I discovered that the fire was at an amazing distance, and could not have been kindled by my men ; it was the wild Bakalahari of the desert burning thu old dry grass. I was now like a seaman in a hurricane — at my wit's end — I knew not how to ride nor what to do. The sun, which had just risen when I left the wagons, was about to set. There was no landmark whatever by which to steer ; 1 mighl wander for days, aod not discover water. SUFFERING FROM THIRST. 30 To find the wagons was comparatively a trifle. I thought I'^tle of them ; it was the thought of water that harrowed my mind. Already the pangs of thirst began to seize me. I had ridden all day, under the hot sun, and had neither eaten nor drunk since early the preceding evening. I felt faint and weary, and my heart sank as horrible visions of a lingering death by maddening thirst arose before me. Dismounting from my horse, I sat down to think what I should do I knew exactly by my compass the course we had beer^ steering since we left Booby. I accordingly resolved to ride southwest for many miles, the course of the wagons having been northeast, and then to send Ruyter across the country a httle to the north of west, while I should hold a corresponding course in an easterly direction. By this means one of us could not fail to find the spoor, and I arranged that at nightfall we should meet at some conspicuous tree. Having thus resolved, I mounted my horse, which was half dead with thirst and fatigue, and, having ridden southwest for several miles, I and Ruyter separated at a conspicuous tree, and rode in opposite directions. Before riding far I recognized the country as being the spot where I had seen the leopards in the morning. I at once followed Ruyter, and fired several signal shots, which he fortunately heard, and soon joined me. We then rode due east, and eventually, to my inexpressible gratification, we discovered the spoor of the wagons, which we reached after following it for about four miles in a northeasterly direction. Our poor horses were completely exhausted, and could barely walk to the camp. I found my wagons drawn up beside the strong fountain of Lepeby, which, issuing from beneath a stratum of while tufous rock, formed an extensive deep pool of pure water, adorned on one side with lofty green reeds. This fountain was situated at the northern extremity of a level bare vley, surrounded by dense covers of the wait-a-bit thorns. Such a peculiar same- ness characterized the country, that a person wandering only a few hundred yards from the fountain would have considerable difficulty in regaining it. It was night when I reached the 308 HUNTING ADVENTURES. wagons, and two or three cups of coflee soon restored mft ^* ny wonted vigor. On the foliowinor morning, from earhest dawn until we trekked, which we did about 10 A. M., large herds of game kept pouring in to drink from every side, completely covering the open space, and imparting to it the appearance of a cattle fair ; blue wilde- beests, zebras, sassaybies, pallahs, springboks, &c., capered fear- lessly up to the water, troop after troop, within two hundred yards of us. In former years a tribe of Bechuanas had frequented this fountain, and I beheld the skeletons of many rhinoceroses and of one elephant bleaching in the sun ; but the powerful and cruel Matabili had attacked the tribe, and driven them to seek a home elsewhere. I shot a pallah and a wildebeest, which we secured behind the wagons. About 10 A. M. we inspanned, and within a mile of Lepeby we passed through another similar open vley, containing a strong fountain of delicious water. We continued our march till sundown through an undulating open country, thinly covered with detached trees and thorny bushes, and en- eamped in a sandy desert without water. ADVENTURE WITH ELEPHANTS. 309 CHAPTER LIL AL VENTURE WITH ELEPHANTS. — HABITS OF THE LION. N the 27th, as day dawned, say* Mr. Gumming, I left my shooting- ^^r-^ hole, and proceeded to inspect the spoor of my wounded elephant. ( After following it for some distance I came ) to an abrupt hillock, and fancying that from 4~ ^ the summit a good view might be obtained •^^^^^*^ "^ of the surrounding country, I left my fol- 0;^^=^^\ -^ lowers to seek the spoor, while 1 ascended. I did not raise my eyes from the ground until I had reached the highest pinnacle of rock. I then looked east, and to my inex- pressible gratification, beheld a troop of nine or ten elephants quietly browsmg within a quarter of a mile of me. I allowed myself only one glance at them, and then rushed down to waru my followers to be silent. A council of war was hastily held, the result of which was my ordering Isaac to ride hard to camp, with instructions to return as quickly as possible, accompanied by Klein- boy, and ta bring me my dogs, the large Dutch rifle, and a fresh 310 HUNTING ADVENTURES. horse. I once more ascended the hillock to feast my eyes upon the enchanting sight before me, and, drawing out my spy-glass, narrowly watched the motions of lie elephants. The herd con sisted entirely of fern lies, several of which were followed by small calves. * Presently, on reconnoitering the surrounding country, I dis- covered a second herd, consisting of five bull elephants, which were quietly feeding about a mile to the northward. The cowa were feeding toward a rocky ridge thai stretched away from the base of the hillock on which I stood. Burning with impatience to commence the attack, I resolved to try the stalking system wit^ these, and to hunt the troop of bulls with dogs and horses. Hav- ing thus decided, 1 directed the guides to watch the elephants from the summit of the hillock, and with a beating heart I ap- proached them. The ground and wind favoring me, I soon gained the rocky ridge toward which they were feeding. They were now within one hundred yards, and I resolved to enjoy the plea- sure of watching their movements for a little before I fired. They continued to feed slowly toward me, breaking the branches from the trees with theij* trunks, and eating the leaves and tender shoots. I soon selected the finest in the herd, and kept my eye on her in particular. At length two of the troop had walked slowly past at about sixty yards, and the one which I had selected was feeding with two others, on a thorny tree before me. My hand was now as steady as the rock on which it rested ; so, taking a deliberate aim, I let fly at her head a little behind the eye. She got it hard and sharp, just where I aimed, but it die* not seem to affect her much. Uttering a loud cry, she wheeled about, when I gave her the second ball close behind the shoulder All the elephants uttered a strange rumbling noise, and made off in a line to the northward at a brsk ambhng pace, their huge, fan-like ears flapping in the ratio of their speed. I did not wait Id load, but ran back to the hillock to obtain a view. On gaining its summit, the guides pointed out the elephants : they were stand- ing in a grove of shady trees, but the wounded one was some dis- tance behind with another elephant, doubtless its particular friend, W ADVENTURE WITH ELEPHANTS. 318 who was endeavoring to assist it. These elephants had probably never before heard the report of a gun, and, having neither seen nor smelt me, they were unaware of the presence of man, and did not seem inclined to go any further. Presently my men hove in sight, bringing the dogs ; and when these came up, I waited some time before commencing the attack, that the dogs and horses might recover their wind. We then rode slowly toward the ele- phants, and had advanced within two hundred yards of them when, the ground being open, they observed us and made off in an easterly direction ; but the wounded one immediately dropped astern, and the next moment was surrounded by the dogs, which, barking angrily, seemed to engross her attention. Having placed myself between her and the retreating troop, i dismounted to fire within forty yards of her, in open ground. Colesberg was extremely afraid of the elephants, and gave me much trouble, jerking my arm when I tried to fire. At length I let fly ; but, on endeavoring to regain my saddle, Colesberg de- dined to allow me to mount ; and when I tried to lead him, and run for it, he only backed toward the wounded elephant. At this moment I heard another elephant close behind ; and on looking about, I beheld the ^^ friend," with uplifted trunk, charging down upon me at top speed, shrilly trumpeting, and following an old black pointer named Schwart, that was perfectly deaf, and trotted along before the enraged elephant quite unaware of what was be hind him. I felt certain that she would have either me or my horse. I, however, determined not to relinquish my steed, but to hold on by the bridle. My men, who of course kept at a safe dis- tance, stood aghast with their mouths open, and for a few seconds my position was certainly not an enviable one. Fortunately, how ever, the dogs took off the attention of the elephants ; and just a.* \hey were upon me, I managed to spring into the saddle, where I was safe. As I turned my back to mount, the elephants were so rery near that I really expected to feel one of their trunks lay hold of me. I rode up to Kleinboy for my double-barreled two-grooved rifle : he and Isaac were pale and aimost speechless with fright Eleturning to the charge, I was soon once more alongside, and. 314 HUNTING ADVENTURES firing from the saddle, I sent another brace of buljets into lK« wounded elephant. Colesberg was extremely ansteady, and de- stroyed the correctness of my aim. The friend now seemed resolved to do some mischief, and charged me furiously, pursuing me to a distance of several hun- dred yards. I therefore deemed it proper to give her a gentle hmt to act less officiously, and, accordingly, having loaded, I approached within thirty yards, and gave it her sharp, right and left, behind the shoulder, upon which she at once n.ade off with droopmg trunk, evidently with a mortal wound. I never recur to this day's elephant shooting without regretting my folly in contenting myself with securing only one elephant. The first was now dying, and could not leave the ground, and the second was also mortally wounded, and I had only to follow and finish her ; but I foolishly allowed her to escape, while I amused myself with the first, which kept walking backward, anu -<*anding by every tree she passed. Two more shots finished he- ' on receiving them, she tossed her trunk up and down two or thi^r nmes, and, faUing on her broadside against a thorny tree, which yielded fike grass before her enormous weight, she uttered a deep hoarse cry end expired. This was a very handsome old cow elephant, and was decidedly the best in the troop. She was in excellent con- dition, and carried a pair of long and perfect tusks. I was in high spirits at my success, and felt so perfectly satisfied with having killed one, that, although it was still early in the day, ana my horses were fresh, I allowed the troop of five bulls to remain un- molested, foolishly trusting to fall in with them next day. How little did I then know of the habits of elephants, or the rules to be adopted in hunting them, or deem it probable I should never see them more ! »»**♦» Although the dignified and tnily monarchical appearance of the lion has long rendered him famous among his fellow quad- nipeJs, and his apj.sarance and habits have often been described by abler pens than mine, nevertheless I consider that a few re- marks, resultmg from my own personal experience, formed by a ♦ Wably long acquaintance with him both by day and by night, HABITS OF THE LION. 315 gnay not prove uninteresting to the reader. There is sc mething so noble and imposing in the presence of the Hon, when seen walking with dignified self-possession, free and undaunted, on his native soil, that no description can convey an adequate idea of his striking appearance. The lion is exquisitely formed by nature for the predatory habits which he is destined to pursue. Combining in comparatively small compass the qualities of power and agility^ he is enabled, by means of the tremendous machinery with which nature has gifted him, easily to overcome and destroy almost every beast of the forest, however superior to him in weight and stature Though considerably under four feet in height, he has little difficulty in dashing to the ground and overcoming the lofty and apparently powerful giraffe, whose head towers above the trees of the forest, and whose skin is nearly an inch in thickness. The lion is the constant attendant of the vast herds of buffaloes which frequent the interminable forests of the interior ; and a full-grown one, so long as his teeth are unbroken, generally proves a match for an old bull buffalo, which in size and strength greatly sur- passes the most powerful breed of English cattle : the hon also preys on all the larger varieties of the antelopes, and on both rarieties of the gnoo. The zebra, which is met with ir. large herds throughout the interior, is also a favorite object of his pursuit. Lions do not refuse, as has been asserted, to feast upon the venison that they have not killed themselves. I have repeatedly discovered hons of all ages which had taken possession of, and were feasting upon, the carcases of various game quadruped? which had fallen before my rifle. The lion is very generally diffused throughout the secluded parts of Southern Africa. IJe is, however, nowhere met with in great abundance, it being very rare to find more than three, or even two, families of lions fre- quenting the same district and drinking at the same fountain When a greater number were met with, I remarked that it was owing to long-protracted droughts, which, by drying nearly alJ the fountains, had compelled the game of various districts to crowd the remaininp- springs, and the lions, according to theil 316 HUNTING ADVENTURES. custom, followed in their wake. It is a common thing to come upon a full-grown lion and lioness associating with three or four large ones nearly full-grown ; at other times full-grown males will 06 found associating and hunting together in a happy state of friendship : two, three, and four full-grown male lions may thus be discovered consorting together. The male Hon is adorned with a long, rank, shaggy mane ^hich in some instances almost sweeps the ground. The coloi of these manes varies, some being very dark, and others of a golden yellow. This appearance has given rise to a prevailing opinion among the Boers that there are two distinct varieties of lions, which they distinguish by the respective names of " Schwart fore life" and '^ Chiel fore life :" this idea, however, is erroneous. The color of the lion's mane is generally influenced by his age. He attains his mane in the third year of his existence. I have remarked that at first it is of a yellowish color ; in the prime of life it is blackest, and when he has numbered many years, but still is in the full enjoyment of his power, it assumes a yellowish- gray, pepper-and-salt sort of color. These old fellows are cun- ning and dangerous, and most to be dreaded. The females are utterly destitute of a mane, being covered with a short, thick, glossy coat of tawny hair. The manes and coats of lions fre- quenting open-lying districts utterly destitute of trees, such as the borders of the great Kalahari desert, are more rank and handsome than those inhabiting forest districts. One of the most striking things conn'^cted with the lion is his voice, which is extremely grand and peculiarly striking. It con- fiists at times of a low, deep moaning, repeated five or six times, ending in faintly audible sighs; at other times he startles the forest with loud, deep-toned, solemn roars, repeated five or six times in quick succession, each increasing in loudness to the third or fourth, when his voice dies away in five or six low, muffled Bounds, very much resembling distant thunder. At times, and not unfrequently, a troop may be heard roaring in concert, one assi^ming the lead, and two, three, or four more regularly taking «.» heir parts, Hke persons singing a catch. Like our Scottish HABITS OF THE LION. 317 stags at the rutting season, they roar loudest in cold, fn sty nights; but on no occasions are their voices to oe heard in such perfection, 07 so intensely powerful, as when two or three strange troops of lions approach a fountain to drink at the same time. When thia occurs, every member of each troop sounds a bold roar of defiance at the opposite parties ; and when one roars, all roar together, and each seems to vie with his comrades in the intensity and power of his voice. The power and grandeur of these nocturnal foiest concerts is inconceivably striking and pleasing to the hunter's ear. The effect, I may remark, is greatly enhanced when the hearer happens to be situated in the depths of the forest, at the dead hour of midnight, unaccompanied by any attendant, and ensconced within twenty yards of the fountain which the surrounding troops of lions are approaching. Such has been my situation many scores of times; and though I am allowed to have a tolerably good taste for music, I consider the catches with which I was ihen regaled as the sweetest and most natural I ever heard. As a general rule, lions roar during the night ; their sighing moans commencing as the shades of evening envelop the forest, and continuing at intervals throughout the night. In distant and secluded regions, however, I have constantly heard them roaring loudly as late as nine and ten o'clock on a bright sunny morning. In hazy and rainy weather they are to be heard at every hour in the day, but their roar is subdued. It often happens that when two strange male lions meet at a fountain a terrific combat ensues, which not unfrequently ends in the death of one of them. The habits of the lion are strictly nocturnal ; during the day he lies concealed beneath the shade of some low bushy tree or wide- spreading bush, either in the level forest or on the mountain side. He is also partial to lofty reeds, or fields of long, rank yellow grass, such as occur in low-lying vleys. From these haunts he sallies forth when the sun goes down, and commences his nightly piowl. When he is successful in his beat and has secured his prey, he does not roar much that night, only uttering occasionally & few low moans ; that is, provided no intruders approach him otherwise the cane would be very diflferent. 818 HUNTING ADVENTUKES. Lions are ever most active, daring-, and presuming in dark and stormy nights, and consequently, on such occasions, the traveller ought more particularly to be on his guard. I remarked a fact connected with the lions' hour of drinking peculiar to themselves : they seemed unwilling to visit the fountains with good moonlight. Thus, when the moon rose early, the lions deferred their hour of watering until late in the morning ; and when the m.oon rose late, they drank at a very early hour in the night. By this acute system many a grisly lion saved his bacon, and is now luxuriating in the forest of South Africa, which had otherwise fallen by the barrels of my " Westley Richards." Owing to the tawny color of the coat with which nature has robed him, he is perfectly invisible in the dark ; and although I have often heard them loudly lapping the water under my very nose, not twenty yards from me, I could not possibly make out so much as the outline of their forms. When a thirsty lion comes to water, he stretches out his massive arms, lies down on his breast to drink, and makes a loud lapping noise in drinking not to be mistaken. He continues lapping up the water for a long while, and four or five times during the proceeding he pauses for half a minute as if to take breath. One thing conspicuous about them is their eyes, which, in a dark night, glow like two balls of fire. The female is more fierce and active than the male, as a general rule. Lionesses which have never had young are much more dangerous than those which have. At no time is the lion so much to be dreaded as when his partner has got small young ones. At that season he knows no fear, and, in the coolest and most intrepid manner, he will face a thousand men. A remarkable instance of this kind came under my own observation, which confirmed the reports 1 had before heard from the natives. One day, when out elephant hunting in the territory of the " Baseleka," accompanied by two hundred and fifty men, I was astonished suddenly to behold a majestic lion slowly and steadily advancing toward us with a dignified step and undaunted bearing, the most noble and imposing that can be conceived. Lashing his tail from side to side, and growling haightily, his terribly expressive «ye resolutely fixed HABITS OP THE LION, 819 BAST INDIAN TIGER. upon US, and displaying a show of ivory well calculated to inspire terror among the timid '* Bechuanas," he approached. A head- long flight of the two hundred and fifty men was the immediate result ; and, in the confusion of the moment, four couples of my dogs, which they had been leading, were allowed to escape in their couples. These instantly faced the hon. who, finding that by his bold bearing he had succeeded in puttmg his enemies to flight, now became solicitous for the safety of his little family, with which the honess was retreating in the back-ground. Facing about, he followed after them with a haughty and independent step, growling fiercely at the dogs which trotted along on eithei side of him. Three troops of elephants having been discovered a few minutes previous to this, upon which I was marching for the attack, I, with the most heartfelt reluctance, reserved my fire On running down the hill side to endeavor to recall my dogs, I observed, for the first time, the retreating honess with four cubs. A-bout twenty minutes afterward two noble elephants repaid my •lorbearance. Among Indian Nimrods, a certain class of royal tigers is dig- aified with the appellation of " man-eaters." These are Vge^t §20 fitJNTING ADVENTURES. which, having once tasted human flesh, show a predilection fof the same, and such characters are very naturally famed and dreaded among the natives. Elderly gentlemen of similar tastes and habits are occasionally met with among the lions in the inte- rior of South Africa, and the danger of such neighbors may be easily imagined. I account for lions first acquiring this taste in the following manner : the Bechuana tribes of the fax interior do not bury their dead, but unceremoniously carry them forth, and leave them lying exposed in the forest or on the plain, a prey to the lion and hyaena, or the jackal and vulture ; and I can readily imagine that a Hon, having thus once tasted human flesh, would have httle hesitation, when opportunity presented itself, of springing upon and carrying ofl^ the unwary traveller or " Bechuana" inhabitmg his country. Be this as it may, man-eaters occur; and on my fourth hunting expedition, a horrible tragedy was acted one dark night in my little lonely camp by one of these formidable cha- racters, which deprived me, in the far wilderness, of my most valuable servant. In winding up these few observations on the lion, which I trust will not have been tiresome to the reader, I may remark that lion-hunting, under any circumstances, is deci* dedly a dangerous pursuit. It may nevertheless be followed, to a certain extent, with comparative safety by those who have natu- rally a turn for that sort of thing. A recklessness of death, per- fect coolness and self-possession, an acquaintance with the dispo- sition and manners of lions, and a tolerable knowledge of the us« of the rifle, are indispensable to him who would shine in the overpoweringly exciting pastime of hunting this justly celebrated K/jg of beasts. ELEPHANT HUNTING IN THE EAST D'CIES, 823 CHAPTER LIIL ELEPHANT HUNTING IN THE EAST INDIES. lEUT.-COL. JAMES CAMPBELL, a bravs and talented officer, af- fords us the following particulars of a personaJ adventure in Ceylon : — 1 was reading to beguile the time during the heat of the day (says the coIo nel) when one of the servants ran into our hut, in gr-^at alarm, exciaiming ihat he had just seen an elephant in a clump ,.f trees, to which he pointed, not more than three hundred yards ofl'. I, at least, had no wish whatever to encounter such an antagonist, if I could avoid doing so ; but it was in council deemed advisable to dislodge him, as otherwise we might have to move our encampment ; and to do if none of us were inclined. It was therefore settled that w 824 HUNTINQ ADVENTURES. should attack him ; that is, if we could not by any other means in duce him to retire, and that too without delay. Having carefully loaded our guns with brass balls, we moved forward all three to* gether ; the Malays, who seemed greatly to enjoy the fun, form ng a supporting column in our rear. It was also arranged, that if the elephant stood his ground, I was to have the first shot ; } ow then was it possible for me not to perform my part upon the or '.a- «ion ? By entering at a projecting point of the jungle, and being » rd much against his will, by the servant who said that he had seen the elephant, we were able tc come within a short distance of h»m, before Le could perceive us. When he did so, or rather wnen he heard the noise which we could not avo'd making in approach- ing him, however cautiously, he suddenly turned round upon us cracking and breaking the smaller trees and branches, as he shuffled forwards towards the edge of the clump of jungle, so as to face us. I thmk we were then not mo^e than fifteen yards from his head. I fired, and my two companions did so likewise and with the utmost coolness ; when down fell the huge creature, quite dead, almost at our feet ! But to our astonishment, away went some other elephants and a buffalo, which we had no idea were in the middle of the cover, trumpeting loudly and crashing every thing that obstructed their passage ; and most fortunately for us, they did not seem to have missed their unlucky companion, as we could hear them, for some time, continuing their impetuous course through the jungle, and towards the wooded hills to the eastward. As for the buffalo, in her hurried attempt to escape, she took to the right and thus fully exposing herself, Mr. F fired his second barrel at her, which breaking one of her fore iegs she fell, with a great crash, not more than twelve yards from us; and whilst she was endeavoring to rise, Mr. C sent the bai, from his other barrel through her body, which instantly ended hei sufferings. I confess, however, I should have been glad had she escaped, as she seemed to be only half wild. We had in this instance managed admirably, and we were therefore not a little proud of ourselves ; for upon examining the elephant, which, 'hough 'arge, had very short tusks, we lound that no less than ELEPHANT HUNTING tN THE EAST INDIES. 325 two of the balls had entered the brain, and the third had penetrated the head from the root of the trunk. This feat was performed and were all back in the huts, talking the matter over, in less than half an hour from the time we had left them. The young elephants which are reared in the British Indian settlements are principally produced by the females that are taken wild at the time they are in calf. It does not appear that there is any difficulty in the education of these little ones, who are accus- tomed to a domestic state from their birth ; but that they are gradually accustomed to bear burthens, and become obedient to the commands of their keepers. In the kingdom of Ava, where the female elephants belonging to the king are in a state of half wild- ness, there is considerable trouble in reducing the young ones to submission. When we consider the enormous strength of the elephant, which enables him to break through all ordinary means of confine- ment, and at the same time regard not only his ability to resist any violent attack, but his sagacity to elude any common stratagem, it must be evident that the business of his capture must be a task requiring equal courage and activity — great skill and presence of mind in the individuals engaged in it — and, when conducted upon a large scale, a combination of human force such as is seldom used except in the more prodigal game of war. The rudest mode of taking the elephant is by digging a pit in his native forests, which is covered over with loose boa-rds and the boughs and grass upon which he feeds. This is mentioned as the custom of Ceylon a century ago ; and the Sieur Brue describes this as the mode of taking the elephant for his flesh, by the Afri cans of Senegal. Mr. WiUiamson states that in places where the natives find the elephants destructive neighbors, they dig a pit covered with a slight platform of branches and grass, towards which the herd is seduced by a tame elephant, when the leading pursuer is precipitated into the trap, and the remainder retire in great alarm. This practice is evidently not very successful ; and we apprehend that the instinctive caution of the elephant not to tread upon any insecure ground must render it unavailing, except 826 HUNTING ADVENTURES. when his natural prudence gives way to the more powerful im pulses of terror or desire. "The mode of getting elephants out of pits," according to Mr. Williamson, " is somewhat curious, but extremely simple. The animal is for the most part retained unti. sufficiently tractable to be conducted forth ; when large bundles of jungle grass tied up into sheaves being thrown to him, he is gra- dually brought to the surface, at least to such an elevation as may enable him to step out." The elephant will do the same if he is swamped in boggy ground, thrusting the bundles of grass and straw into the yielding earth with his heavy feet, and placing them so around him with his trunk that he at lasts obtains a firm footing. Pliny, who mentions the manner of taking elephants in pits, says that the companions of the unfortunate animal who is thus captured will throw branches and masses of earth into the hole to assist in his deliverance. In Nepaul, and in the countries bordering on the northern fron- tiers of India, where the elephants are of a small size, they are often captured by the natives with a phaun, or slip knot. This practice has some analogy with the custom of taking horses with the lasso, in the Pampas. The hunter, seated on a docile ele- phant, round whose body the cord is fastened, singles out one from the wild herd ; and cautiously approaching, throws his pliable rope in such a manner that it rests behind the ears, and over the brows of the animal pursued. He instinctively curls up his trunk, making an effort to remove the rope ; which, with great adroitness on the part of the hunter, is then passed forward over the neck. Another hunter next comes up, who repeats the process ; and thus the creature is held by the two tame elephants, to whom the phauns are attached, till his strength is exhausted. It would appear quite impossible to take a large elephant in this manner ; although with those of a peculiarly small breed the operation does not appear more difficuh than that of securing the wild horse or the buffalo in the plains of South America. It is remarkable that in every mode of capturing the wild ele* phant. man avails himself of the docility of individuals of the same species, which he has already subdued. Birds may be taught to ELEPHANT HUNTING IN THE EAST INDIES. 327 tts§ist in ensnaring other birds ; but this is simply an eflect of habit The elephant, on the contrary, has an evident desire to join its master in subduing its own race ; and, in this treachery to its kind, exercises so much ingenuity, courage, and perseverance, that we cannot find a parallel instance of complete subjection to the will of him to whom it was given to " have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." The various modes of capturing wild elephants in India navo undergone little variation for several centuries ; and they are more or less practised in all parts of Asia where elephants are still re- quired to maintain the splendor of Oriental luxury — to assist in the pomp and administer to the pride of despotic monarchs ; or, as is the case in the British Eastern establishments, to bear the heavy- equipage of an Indian camp, or to labor in the peaceful occupa- tions of transporting those articles of commerce, which are far too vrcighty to be moved by the power of the horse or camel. B23 HUNTING ADVENTURES. THE SABLB. CHAPTER LIV. HUNTING THE MARTEN, SABLE, GENET AND CIVET. HE Pine Marten, a native of the North, and an in- habitant of the pine forests, whence it derives its name, is abundant in Siberia and the northern por- tions of America, and is not uncommon among the wooded ravines in the wild mountainous districts of Scotland and Wales. It builds its habitation chiefly on the tops of the fir, or seizes on the already formed nest of the squirrel, or some bird, whence it drives the owner, and enlarges for its own convenience. It is rather less than the former, but its fur is finer and darker, and the throat and breast yellow, instead of white. In summer they assume a hghter tinge, and their hair becomes shorter : in winter their toes are well protected by long wool, which drops ofTas the weather gets warm. Its habits are similar to the common Marten, but more fierce ; it never meets the wild cat without a deadly encounter, and is sometimes victorious even ovt* the golden eagle, when that bird pounces on it as its prey, seizing the aggressor hy the throat, and bringing it lifeless to the gro'ind Formerly, the fur of this species formed a lucrative article of export from Scotland ; at present immense quantities are brought from Siberia, and in one year, the Hudson Bay Company alone sold fifteen thousand skins. The Sable inhabits the same countries in the North, and has sometimes been confounded with the former which it strongly lesem* , bles in structure and habits ; but Professor Pauas, who examir'''4 it o« HUNTING THE CIVET. 331 THE CIVET. Its native soil, has assigned it its place as a distinct species. It is somewhat larger in size than the pine marten ; its head is rather more slightly depressed, and its muzzle rather more elongated ; the soles of the feet more villous, and finally, the fur on its hody is more beauti- ful, soft, long, black, and shining, and the hair turns with ease either way ; the skin is consequently more valuable, and one of them not exceeding four inches broad, has sometimes been valued as high as fifteen pounds. The tails are sold by the hundred, at from four to eight pounds sterling. The exiles in Siberia are required to furnish a certain number of skins annually, from which the Rus- sian government is said to derive a considerable revenue. The smell of the marten tribe is rather agreeable. They are taken in traps and also hunted with the musket. The Civet, a native of the warmest climates of Africa and Asia, can yet subsist in more temperate latitudes : it is upwards of two feet in length, exclusive of the tail, which is more than one foot, and tapering. It stands from ten to twelve inches high ; has a lengthened muzzle like a fox, straight ears, whiskers like a cat, with bright eyes. Their fur is of a brownish-grey color, diversified with numerous stripes and *. egular spots of black ; aloag the dorsal runs a kind of mane formed of black hairs, which the animal can raise or depress at pleasure. It is a fierce creature, and though tamed, is yet never thoroughly familiar; its food, hke what of the rest of the family, is birds and small animals. The perfume, for which it is particularly valued, is very strong, and ia lound, of the color and consistence of pomatum, in a pouch undei S32 HUNTING iVDVENTDRES. THE aSNET Jie anus. Great numbers were wont to be bred in Holland, where no small emolument was derived from this luxury. The quantity which a single animal affords, depends upon its health and nourishment: in confinement, its favorite food is raw flesh cut sir^ll, egga, rice, fowl, and fish. The perfume is collected twice or thrice a week, and is said to be more plentiful if the animal be irritated. That of Amsterdam is recorded the best, being gener- ally the purest, though that brought from Guinea would exceed it, could it be procured free from adulteration. — The Javanese Civet is not more than from fifteen to eighteen inches long : the muzzle is narrow, the ears short, the back strongly arched, and the tail is as long as the body. The ground color of the fur is of a much brighter grey than that of the common civet, surmounted with a broad dorsal line of black, and on each side two or three narrower black lines of confluent spots. Over the rest of the body these spots are thickly but irregularly scattered. The head is greyish and has no spots ; and the legs are externally black. They live on animal and vegetable food, and are said to be revengeful and savage. The Genet, a native of Spain, Africa, and the South of Asia, is smaller than the civet, and soiriewhat htuger than the marten, but in its leading characters resembles the former: it secretes also a perfume similar to the civet, but less strong, and therefore more agreeable : it is easily tamed, is very cleanly, and keeps houses perfectly free from rats and mice. All these animals are taken in iraps. Opposed to these sweet-smelling weasels, at the extremes! pomt is the Skunk, peculiar to North America : in length it is abou HUNTING THE SKUNK. 333 THE SKUNK. eighteen inches ; its legs are short, and its body broad and flat ; ■carcely two of them are colored alike, but they generally are black or brown, with white spots or stripes. In its appetite for petty carnages, it emulates any of the tribe ; but what renders it chiefly remarkable, is the fetid odor which it discharges upon its assailants when attacked, who, be they men or dogs, as soon as they find this extraordinary battery played off against them, in- stantly turn tail and leave the animal undisputed master of the field, glad to escape from the intolerable stench, perhaps smarting with pain, if the approach be too near, so as co allow a drop of the pestilent fluid to strike the eye. The hunting of the skunk it not a favorite sport. It is usually shot, whenever discovered '^y Ihe fkrmer8> whose poultry he is very much addicted to stealing S34 HUNTING ADVENTUKES. CHAPTER LV. KILLING, CUTTING UP, COOKING AND EATING AN ELEPHANTi T an early hour on the 24th, says Mr. Cum« ming, upon the strength of the report brought to us on the preceding evening, I took the field with Isaac and Kleinboy as after- riders, accompanied by Mutchuisho and a hundred and fifty of his tribe. We held a north- easterly course, and, having proceeded about five miles through the forest, reached a foun- tain, where I observed the spoor of a herd of cow elephants, two days old. Here we made a short halt, and snuff was briskly cir- culated, while the leading men debated on the course we were to follow, and it was agreed thit we should hold for the Bakalahari kraal. Having continued our course for several miles, we rounded ihe northern extremity of a range of rocky mountains which rose abruptly in the forest and stretched away to the south of east in a long-continued chain. Here we were met by men whom Mut- chuisho had dispatched before day-break, who said that the Baka* SEAROH FOR ELEPHANTS. 335 lahan women had that morning seen elephants. This was joyous news. My hopes were high, and I at once felt certain that the hour of triumph was at hand. But disappointment was still in store for me. We ail sat down on the grass, while men were dispatched to bring the Bakalahari, and when these came we ascertained that it was only spoor and not elephants they had seen. We held on for an inspection of it ; and here I was further to be disappointed, the spoor proving to be two days old. The country now before me was a vast level forest, extending to the north and east for about twenty miles without a break. At that distance, however, the landscape was shut in by blue moun- tain ranges of considerable height, and two bold conical moun- tains standing close together rose conspicuous above the rest. These mountains, the Bamangwato men mformed me, were their ancient habitation, and that of their forefathers, but the cruel Mata- bili had driven them from thence to the rocky mountains which they now occupy. We continued our course in an easterly direc- tion, and twice crossed the gravelly bed of a periodical river, in which were several small springs of excellent water. These springs had been exposed by elephants, which had cleared away the gravel with their trunks. Around these springs the spoor of rhinoceros was abundant. After proceeding several miles through a dry and barren tract, where wait-a-bit thorns prevailed, we entered upon more interesting ground. The forest was adorned with very picturesque old trees of various sorts and sizes, which stood singly and in shady groups, while the main body of the forest consisted of a variety of trees of other sorts, averaging the height of a giraffe. The elephants had left abundant traces of their presence, but all the marks were old. Fresh spoor of giraffe was imprinted on the ground on every side, and we presently saw e large herd of tliese, standing scattered through the forest to oui left. They were glorious fellows, but I was now m pursuit ot nobler game : the natives were leading me to some distant foun- tain, where they expected we should discover spoor. On we sped through the depths of the forest, our view being tonfined to about fifty yards on every side. Presently emerging «J36 HUNTING ADVENTURES. Upon a small open glade, I observed a herd of brindled gnoos and two or three troops of pallahs ; and soon after, a second herd of about fifteen camelopards stood browsing before us, and, getting our wind, dashed away to our left. We had proceeded about two miles further, and it was now within two hours of sunset, when, lo ! a thorny tree, newly smashed by an elephant. Some of the natives attentively examined the leaves of the broken branches to ascertain exactly when he had been there, while some for the same purpose overhauled the spoor. It was the spoor of a first- rate bull : he had fed there that morning at the dawn of day The ground was hard and bad for spooring, but the natives evinced great skill, and, following it for a short distance, we came to ground where a troop of bull elephants had pastured not many hours before. Here the thorny trees on every side were demo lished by them, and huge branches and entire trees were rent and uprooted, and lay scattered across our path, having been carried several yards in the trunks of the elephants before they stood to eat the leaves : the ground also was here and there plowed up by their tusks in quest of roots ; and in these places the enormous fresh spoor — that thrilling sight to a hunter's eye — was beauti- fully visible. All this was extremely interesting and gratifying ; but I had been so often disappointed, and it was now so very near sunset, that I entertained but faint hopes of finding them that evening. Mutchuisho was very anxious that I should see the elephants ; he had divested himself of his kaross, and, carrying one of the mus- kets which Sicomy had bought from me, he led the spooring party, consisting of about fifteen cunning old hands. The great body of the men he had ordered to sit down and remain quiet until the attack commenced. Having followed the spoor for a short distance, old Mutchuisho became extremely excited, and told me that we were close to the elephants. A few minutes after several of the spoorers affirmed that they had heard the elephants break a tree in advance ; they differed, however, about the direc- tion, some saying it was in front, and others that it was away to our left. Two or three men quickly ascended the tallest tree* PISCOVER A HERD OF BULL ELEPHANTS. 337 iha*. stood near us, but they could not see the elepnants. Mut- chuisho tnen extended men to the right and left, while wc con- tinued on the spoor. In a few minutes one of those who had gone off to our left came running breathless to say that he had seen the mighty game. I halted for a minute, and instructed Isaac, who carried the big Dutch rifle, to act independently of me, while Kleinboy was to assist me in the chase ; but, as usual, when the row began, my followers thought only of number one. I bared my arms to the shoulder, and, having imbibed a draught of aqua pura from the calabash of one of the spoorers, I grasped my trusty two-grooved rifle, and told my guide to go ahead. We proceeded silently aa might be for a few hundred yards, following the guide, when he suddenly pointed, exclaiming, "Klow!" and befofn %s stood a herd of iriighty bull elephants, packed together bejM>«ih a shady grove about a hundred and fifty yards in advance. I rode slowly toward them, and, as soon as they observed me, they made a loud rumbhng noise, and, tossing their trunks, wheeled right about and made off in one direction, crashing through the forest and leaving a cloud of dust behind them. I was accompanied by a detach- ment of my dogs, who assisted me in the pursuit. The distance I had come, and the difficulties I had undergone, to behold these elephants, rose fresh before me. I determined that on this occasion at least I would do my duty, and, dashing my spurs into " Sunday's" ribs, I was very soon much too close in their rear for safety. The elephants now made an inclination to my left, whereby I obtained a good view of the ivory. The herd consisted of six bulls ; four of them were full-grown, first-rate elephants ; the other two were fine fellows, but had not yet arrived at perfect stature. Of the four old fellows, two had much finer tusks than the rest, and for a few seconds I was undecided which of these two I would follow ; when, suddenly, the one which I fancied had the stoutest tusks broke from his comrades, and I at once felt convinced that he was the patriarch of the herd, and follnved him accordingly. Cantering alongside, I was abou' to fire, when he instantly turned, and, uttering a f inipet so strong 22 538 HUNTING ADVENTURES. and shrill that the earth seemed to vibrate beneath my feet, he charged furiously after me for several hundred yards in a direct line, not altering his course in the slightest degree for the trees of the forest, which he snapped and overthrew like reeds in his headlong career. When he pulled up in his charge, I likewise halted ; and as he slowly turned to retreat, I let fly at his shoulder, " Sunday" Ciper* ing and prancing, and giving me much trouble. On receiving the ball the elephant shrugged his shoulder, and made ofT at a free majestic walk. This shot brought several of the dogs to my assist ance which had been following the other elephants, and on theii coming up and barking another headlong charge was the result, accompanied by the never-failing trumpet as before. In his charge he passed close to me, when I saluted him with a second bullet in the shoulder, of which he did not take the slightest notice. I now determined not to fire again until I could make a steady shot; but, although the elephant turned repeatedly, " Sun- day" invariably disappointed me, capering so that it was impos- sible to fire. At length, exasperated, I became reckless of the danger, and, springing from the saddle, approached the elephant under cover of a tree, ana gave him a bullet in the side of the head, when, trumpeting so shrilly that the forest trembled, he charged among the dogs, from whom he seemed to fancy that the blow had come ; after which he took up a position in a grove of thorns, with his head toward me. I walked up very near, and, as he was in the act of charging (being in those days under wrong impressions as to the impracticability of bringing down an elephant with a shot in the foreheads, stood coolly m his path until he was within fifteen paces of me, and let drive at the hollow of his fore- head, in the vain expectation that by so doing I should end his career. The shot only served to increase his fury — an effect which, I had remarked, shots in the head invariably produced ; and, continuing his charge with incredible quickness and impetu- osity, he all but terminated my elephant-hunting forever. A hrge party of the Bechuanas who had come up yelled out simultane- ously, imagining I was killed, for the elephant was at one moment THE CONFLICT. 839 almost on the top of me : I, however, escaped by my activity, and by dodging round the bushy trees. As the elephant was charging, an enormous thorn ran deep into the sole of my foot, the old Badenoch brogues, which I that day sported, being worn through j and this caused me severe pain, laming me throughout the rest of the conflict. The elephant held on through the forest at a sweeping pace ; but he was hardly out of sight when I was loaded and in the saddle, and soon once more alongside. About this time 1 heard [saac blazing away at another bull ; but when the elephant charged, his cowardly heart failed him, and he very soon made his appearance at a safe distance in my rear. My elephant kept crashing along at a steady pace, wi'th blood streaming from his wounds ; the dogs, which were knocked up with fatigue and thirst, no longer barked around him, but had dropped astern. It was long before I again fired, for I was afraid to dismount, and <» Sunday" was extremely troublesome. At length I fired sharp right and left from the saddle ; he got both balls behind the shoulder, and made a long charge after me, rumbling and trum- peting as before. The whole body of the Bamangwato men had now come up, and were following a short distance behind me. Among these was Mollyeon, who volunteered to help ; and being a very swift and active fellow, he rendered me important service by holding my fidgety horse's head while I fired and loaded. I then fired six broadsides from the saddle, the elephant charging almost every time, and pursuing us back to the main body in our rear, vi?ho fled in all directions as he approached. The sun had now sunk behind the tops of the trees : it would Tery soon be dark, and the elephant did not seem much distressed, notwithstanding all he had received. I recdlected that my time was short, and therefore at once resolved to fire no more from tho saddle, but to go close up to him and fire on foot. Riding up to him, I dismounted, and, approaching very near, I gave it him right and left in the side of the head, upon which he made a long and determined charge after me ; but I was now very reckless of his charges, for I saw that he could not overlake me, and in a 840 HUNTING ADVENTURES. twinkling I was loaded, and, again approaching, fired sharp Tighf and left behind his shoulder. Again he charged with a terrific trumpet, which sent " Sunday" flying through the forest. Thia was his last charge. The wounds which he had received began to tell on h:s constitution, and he now stood at bay beside a thorny tree, with the dogs barking around him. These, refreshed by the evening breeze, and perceiving that it was nearly over with the elephant, had once more come to my assistance. Having loaded, I drew near and fired right and left at his forehead. On receiving these shots, instead of charging, he tossed his trunk up and down, and by various sounds and motions, most gratifying to the hungry natives, evinced that his demise was near. Again I loaded, and fired my last shot behind his shoulder: on receiving it, he turned round the bushy tree beside which he stood, and I ran round to give him the other barrel, but the mighty old monarch of the forest needed no more ; before I could clear the bushy tree. he fell heavily on his side, and his spirit had fled. My feelings at this moment can only be understood by a few brother Nimrods who have had the good fortune to enjoy a similar encounter. I nei^er felt so gratified on any former occasion as I did then. By this time all the natives had come up ; they Avere in the highest spirits, and flocked around the elephant, laughing and talking at a rapid pace. I clrmbed on to him, and sat enthroned upon his side, which was as high as my eyes when standing on the ground. In a few minutes night set in, when the natives, having illuminated the jungle with a score of fires, and formed a semicircle of bushes to windward, lay down to rest without par taking of a morsel of food. Mutchuisho would not allow a man to put an assagai into the elephant until the morrow, and pkced two relays of sentries to watch on either side of him. My dinner con- sisted of a piece of flesh from the temple of the elephant, which I Droiled on the hot embers. In the conflict I had lost my shirt* which v/as reduced to streamers by the wait-a-bit thorns, and all ihe clothing that remained was a pair of buckskin knee-breeches. The night was very cold, it being now the dead of the African winter. Hav'ig collected dry grass, I spread it beside a fire* CUTTING UP THE ELEPHANT. 341 and lay down for the night with no other covering than an old sheep-skin which I had used for a saddle-cloth. Shortly afte! I had dropped asleep, Mutchuisho, commiserating my bare con- dition, spread an old jackal kaross over me. This kaross, as all Bechuana garments are, was thickly tenanted by small transparent insects, usually denominated hce. These virulent creatures, pro- bably finding my skin more tender than that of the owner of the kaross, seemed resolved to enjoy a banquet while they could ; and presently I awoke with my whole body so poisoned and inflamed that I felt as if attacked with a severe fever. All further rest that night was at an end. I returned the kaross to Mutchuisho, with grateful acknowledgments for his polite intentions ; and piling dry wood on the fire, which emitted a light as bright as day, I aroused the slumbering Kleinboy to assist me in turning my buckskins outside in, when an animating " chasse*' commenced, which termi nated in the capture of about fourscore of my white-currant colored visitors. I then ht another fire opposite to the first, and spent the remainder of the night squatted between the two, thus imbibing caloric before and behind. As the sun rose on the morning of the 25th, Mutchuisho gave the word to cut up the elephant, when a scene of blood, noise, and turmoil ensued which baffles all description. Every native there, divested of his kaross and armed with an assagai, rushed to the onslaught ; and in less than two hours every inch of the elephant was gone, and carried by the difl^erent parties to their respective temporary locations, which they had chosen beneath each con- venient tree that grew around. The manner in which the elephant is cut up is as follows: The rough outer skin is first removed, in large sheets, from the side which lies uppermost. Several coats of an under skin are then met witk. This skin is of a tough and pliant nature, and r's used by the natives for making water-bags, in which they convey sup- plies of water from the nearest vley or fountain (which is often ten miles distant) to the elephant. They remove this inner skin with caution, taking care not to cut it w'*.h the assagai ; and it is formecj £J42 HUNTING ADVENTURES. nto water-bags by gathering the corners and edges, and transfix > ng the whole on a pointed wand. The flesh is then removed in jnormous sheets from the ribs, when the hatchets come into play with which they chop through, and remove individually, each rolossal rib. The bowels are thus laid bare ; and in the removal of these the leading men take a lively inteiest and active part, for It is throughout and around the bowels that the fat of the elephant IS mainly found. There are few things which a Bechuana prizes so highly as fat of any description ; they will go an amazing distance for a small portion of it. They use it principally in cooking their sun-dried biltongue, and they also eat it with their corn. The fat of the elephant lies in extensive layers and sheets in his inside, and the quantity which is obtained from a full-grown bull, in high con- dition, is very great. Before it can be obtained, the greater part of the bowels must be removed. To accomplish this, several men eventually enter the immense cavity of his inside, where they continue mining away with their assagais, and handing the fat to their comrades outside until all is bare. While this is tran- spiring with the sides and bowels, other parties are equally active in removing the skin and flesh from the remaining parts of the carcase. The natives have a horrid practice on these occasions of besmearing their bodies, from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, with the black and clotted gore ; and in this anointing they assist one another, each man taking up the fill in both his hands, and spreading it over the back and shoulders of his friend. Throughout the entire proceeding an incessant and deafening clamor of many voices and confused sounds is maintained, and violent jostling and wrestling are practiced by every man, elbow- ing the breasts and countenances of his fellows, ail sHppery with gore, as he endeavors to force his way to the venison through the dense intervening ranks, while the sharp and ready assagai gleams in every hand. The angry voices and gory appearances of these naked savages, combined with their excited and frantic gestures and gUstening arras, presented an efl^ect so wild and BAKING elephant's FLESH. 348 itfiking, that when I first beheld the scene I con^-emj: lated it m the momsntary expectation of beholding one half of the gathering turn their weapons against the other. The trunk and feet are considered a delicacy, and a detachment are employed on these. The four feet are amputated at the fet- lock joint, and the trunk, which at the base is about two feet in thickness, is cut into convenient lengths. Trunk and feet are then baked, preparatory to their removal to head-quarters. The manner in which this is done is as follows : A party, provided with sharp-pointed sticks, dig a hole in the ground for each foot and a portion of the trunk. These holes are about two feet deep, and a yard in width ; the excavated earth is embanked around the margin of the hole. This work being completed, they next col- lect an immense quantity of dry branches and trunks of trees, of which there is always a profusion scattered around, having been broken by the elephants in former years. These they pile above the holes to the height of eight or nine feet, and then set fire to the heap. When these strong fires have burned down, and the whole of the wood is reduced to ashes, the holes and the surround- mg earth are heated in a high degree. Ten or twelve men then stand round the pit, and rake out the ashes with a pole about six- teen feet in length, having a hook at the end. They relieve one another in quick succession, each man running in and raking the ashes for a few seconds, and then piiching the pole to his comrade and retreating, since the heat is so intense that it is scarcely to be endured. When all the ashes are thus raked out beyond the surrounding "Bank of earth, each elephant's foot and portion of the trunk is lifted by two athletic men, standing side by side, who place it on their shoulders, and, approaching the pit together, they heave it into it. The long pole is now again resumed, and with it they shove in the heated bank of earth upon the foot, shoving and raking until it is completely buried in the earth. The hot embers, of which there is always a great supply, are then raked into a heap above the foot, and another bonfire is kindled over each, which is allowed to burrv down and die a natural death, by which time the enormous foot or trunk will be found to be 844 HUNTING ADVENTURBg. equally baked throughout its inmost parts. When ihe foot is supposed to be ready, it is taken out of the ground with pointed sticks, and is first well beaten, and then scraped with an assagai, whereby adhering particles of sand are got rid of. The outside is then pared off, and it is transfixed with a sharp stake for facility of carriage. The feet, thus cooked, are excellent, as is also the trunk, which very much resembles buffalo's tongue. The reason why such large fires are requisite is owing to the mass of flesh that must be baked. In raking the sand on the foot, the natives are careful not to rake the red-hot embers in with it, which would burn and destroy the meat ; whereas the sand or earth protects it, imparting an even and steady heat. When the natives have cut up the elephant, and removed the large masses of flesh, &c , to their respective temporary kraals around, they sit down for a little to rest and draw their breath, and for a short time smoking and snuffing are indulged in. The Bechuana pipe is of a very primitive description, differing from any I had ever seen. When they wish to smoke they moisten a spot of earth, not being particular whence they obtain the water. Into this earth they insert a green twig, bent into a semicircle, whose bend is below the said earth, and both ends pro- truding. They then knead the moist earth down with theii knuckles on the twig, which they work backward and forward until a hole is estabhshed, when the twig is withdrawn, and one end of the aperture is enlarged with the fingers, so as to form a bowl to contain the tobacco. The pipe is thus finished and ready for immediate use, when tobacco and fire are introduced, and the smoker drops on his knees, and, resting on the palms of his hands^ he brino-s his lips in contact with the mud at the small end of the hole, and thus inhales the grateful fumes. Large volumes of smoke are emitted through the nostrils, while a copious flow of tears from the eyes of the smoker evinces the pleasure he enjoys. One of these pipes will serve a large party, who replenish the bowl and relieve one another in succession. Tlie natives, having drawn their breath, once more devote theii RESULTS OF THE HUNT. Mb attention to the flesh, which they next reduce to liltongue, cutting every morsel into thin strips from six to twenty feet in length* These strips are of the breadth and thickness of a man's two fingers. When all is reduced to biltongue, they sally forth with their tomahawks, and cut down a number of poles of two sorts, foi uprights and cross-poles. The uprights are eight feet long, and forked at one end. They place them upright in the ground around their respective trees, laying the cross-poles resting on the forks, and these are adorned with endless garlands of the raw meat, which is permitted to hang in the sun for two or three days, when it will have lost much of its weight, and be stiff and easy to b*» carried. They then remove the biltongue from the poles, and, folding it together, they form it into bundles, which are strongly lashed and secured with long strips of the tough inner bark of thorny mimosas. Their work in the forest is now completed, and, each man placing one bundle on his head, and slinging several others across his shoulders, returns to his wife and family at head- quarters. The appearance which the flesh of a single elephant exhibits when reduced to strips and suspended from the poles is truly sur- prising, the forest far around displaying a succession of ruby festoons, and reminding one of a vineyard laden with its clustering fruits. When the skull of my elephant was ready for the axe Mutchuisho caused a party to hew out for me the tusks — a work of great labor, and needing considerable skill. In the present instance the work was clumsily executed, the native hacking and injuring the ivory in removing the bone with their little toma* hawks. In consequence of this, I invariably afterward performed the task myself, using superior American hatchets, which I had provided expressly for the purpose. When the tusks had been extracted, I saddled up and started for the camp, accompanied by my after-riders and a party of the natives bearing the ivory, with a supply of baked foot and trunk and a portion of the flesh. The natives had appropriated all tlie rest. On our way to camp we passed through the kraal of the Bakalahari. In the valleys they had large gardens, in which corn and water-melous wer» g^owa 846 HUNTING ADVENTURES. CHAPTER LYL 1\^ ffTING THE WILD HORSE AND THE WILD ASS. |HE wild ass, the Onager of Oppian, Pliny, Ray, &C and the Koulan of Mr. Pennant, varies from thj tame in several respects. The forehead is much arched : the ears are long and erect, even when the animal is out of order; sharp pointed a ad lined with whitish surling hairs ; the irides are of a livid brown ; the hps thick; tkd the end of the nose sloping steeply down to the upper lip : aud the nostrils are If rge and oval. It is much higher on its limbs than the tame ass, and its legs are much finer, but it again resemb'es it in the narrowness of its chest and body: it carries its heai much higher; and its skull is of a surprising thin- ness. The mane is dusky, about three or four inches long, com- posed of so '*. woolly hair, and extends quite to the shoulders : the hairs at the 3rid of the tail are coarse, and about a span long. The color of the hair in general is silvery white ; the upper part of. HUNTING THE WILD ASS. 347 ihe face, the sides of the neck and body, are of a flaxen color ; the hind parts of the thighs are the same ; the fore part divided froro the flank by a white hne, which extends round the rump to the tail : the belly and legs are also white : along the very top of the back, from the mane quite to the tail, runs a stripe of bushy waved hairs of a coffee color, broadest above the hind part, grow- mg narrower again towards the tail ; another of the same color crosses it at the shoulders (of the males only), forming a mark, such as distinguishes the tame asses ; the dorsal band and the mane are bounded on each side by a beautiful line of white, well described by Oppian, who gives an admirable account of the whole. Its winter coat is very fine, soft, and silky, much undu- lated, and likest to the hair of the camel ; greasy to the touch ; and the flaxen color, during that season, more exquisitely bright. Its summer coat is very smooth, silky, and even, with exception of certain shaded rays that mark the sides of the neck, pointing downwards. These animals inhabit the dry and mountainous parts of the deserts of Great Tartary, but not higher than lat. 48" They are migratory, and arrive in vast troops to feed, during the summer, in the tracts E. and N. of lake Aral. About autumn they collect in hundreds, and direct their course towards the north of India, to enjoy a warm retreat during winter. But Persia is their most usual place of retirement ; where they are found in the moun- tains of Casbin, some even at all times of the year. Barboga sayS; they penetrate even into the southern parts of India, to the mountains of Maibar and Golconda. According to Leo Africanus, wild asses of an ash color are found in the north deserts of Africa. The Arabs lake them in snares for the sake of their flesh. If fresh killed, it iS hot and unsavory ; if kept two days after it is boiled, it becomes Axcellent meat. These people, the Tartars and Romans, agreed m their preference of this to any other food ; the latter indeed chose them young, at a period of life in which it was called Lalisio. (See Martial, xiii. 97.) The epicures of Rome preferred those of Africa to all others. The grown onagri were introduced among ihe spectacles of the theatre ; and their combats were preferred even to those of th« elephants. The manners of the wild ass are very 848 HUNTING ADVENTURES. much the same with those of the wild horse and the dshikketei. They assemble in troops under the conduct of a leader ; and are very shy. They will, however, stop in the midst of their course, and even suffer the approach of a man at that instant, but will then dart away with the rapidity of an arrow from the bow. This Herodotus mentions, in his account of those of Mesopotamia ; and Leo Africanus, in that of the African. Their wildness is beauti* fully described in scripture : See Job xxxix. 5—8. Yet they can be tamed. The Persians catch and break them for the draught ; they make pits, half filled with plants to lessen the fall, and take them alive. They break, and hold them in great esteem, and sell them at a high price. The famous breed of asses in the east is produced from the koulan reclaimed from the savage state, which highly improves the breed. The Romans reckoned the breed of asses produced from the onager and tame ass to excell a.H others. The Tartars, who kill them for the sake of the flesh and skins, lie in ambush and shoot them. They have been at all times cele- brated for their amazing swiftness ; for which reason the Hebreans called them Pcre ; as they styled them Arod from their braying. Their food is the saltest plants of the deserts, such as the kalis, altriplex, chenopodium, and bitter milky tribe of herbs, &c. : they also prefer salt water to fresh. This is exactly conformable to the history given of this animal in the book of Job ; for the words "barren land," expressive of its dwelling, ought, accordmg to the learned Bochart, to be rendered "salt places.'' The hunters lie in wait for them near the ponds of brackish water, to which they resort to drink ; but they seldom have recourse to water. These animals were anciently found in the Holy Land, Syria, the land of Uz or Arabia Deserta, Mesopotamia, Phrygia, and Lycaon'a, But at present they are entirely confined to the countries above mentioned. Shagreen is made of the skin of these animals. The Persians use he bile of the wild ass as a remedy against dimnesa of sight. HUNTING THE WILD HORSE. 349 HUNTING THE WILD HORSE. The Horse in a domestic slate is a bold and fiery animal ; equally intrepid as his master, he faces danger and death with ardor and magnanimity. He delights in the noise and tumult of arms, and seems to feel the glory of victory : he exults in the chase ; his eyes sparkle with emulation in the course. But though bold and intrepid, he is docile and tractable ; he knows how to govern and check the natural vivacity and fire of his temper. He not only yields to the hand, but seems to consult the inclination of his rider. Constantly obedient to the impressions he receives, his motions are entirely regulated by the will of h's master. He in some measure resigns his very existence to the pleasure of man. He dehvers up his whole powers ; he reserves nothing ; he will rather die than disobey. Who could endure to see a character so noble abused ! who could be guilty of such gross barbarity ! This character, though natural to the animal, is in some measure the effect of education. His education commences with the loss of liberty, and is finished by constraint. The slavery of the horse ia so ancient and so universal, that he is but rarely seen in the natural state. Several ancieni writers talk of wild horses, and 850 HUNTING ADVENTURES. even mention the places where they are to be found. Herodotut lakes notice of white savage horses in Scythia ; Aristotle says they were to be found in Syria ; Pliny, in the northern regions ; and Strabo, in Spain and the Alps. Among the moderns, Cardan Bays, that wild horses are to be found in the Highlands of Scotland and the Orkney Isles ; Olaus, in Muscovy ; Dapper, in the island of Cyprus ; Leo and Marmol, in Arabia and Africa, &c. But as Europe is almost all inhabited, wild horses are not to be met with in any part of it ; and those of America were originally transported from Europe by the Spaniards ; for this species of animal did not exist in the new world. The Spaniards carried over a great number of horses, left them in different islands, &c. with a view to propagate that useful animal in their colonies. These have multiplied incredibly in the vast deserts of those thinly peopled countries, where they roam at large without any restraint. M. de Salle relates, that he saw in the year 1635, horses feeding in the meadows of North America near the bay of St. Louis, which were so ferocious that nobody durst come near them. Oexmelin says, that he has seen large troops of them in St. Domingo run- ning in the valleys ; that when any person approached they all stopped ; and one of them would advance till within a certain dis- tance, then snort and take to his heels, and the whole troop after him. These relations sufficiently prove, that the horse, when at ful» liberty, though not a fierce or dangerous animal, has no inclination to associate with mankind ; that all the softness and ductility of his temper proceeds entirely from the culture and polish he receives in his domestic education, which in some measure commences as goon as he is brought forth. The wild horse is hunted in North and South America and taken for the purpose of being domesticated ; and this, notwith- Btandmg his natural wildness, is easily accompHshed. The favo- rite m^de of hunting him is with the lasso, which is a long leather or raw-hide thong with a noose at the end. This the mounted hunter swings round his head and then throws over the head oi round the legs of the horse. The inhabitants of Buenos Ayrei and Mexico are particularly expert at this exercise. HUNTING THE NTL GHAIT. 351 CHAPTER LVIL HUirrtNa the nyl ghau, the ocelot, and the lynx. YL GHAU, or Blue Ox, is a kind of antelope, found in India. In the w Id slate, these animals are said to be fero- cious, but they may be domesticated, and in that condition give frequent tokens of familiarity, and even of grati- tude, to those under whose care they ^re placed. The female, or doe, is .much smaller than the male, and is of a yellowish color, by which she is easily distinguished from the buck, who is of a grey tint. Its manner of fighting is very particular, and is thus described : Two of the males at Lord Olive's being put into an enclosure, were observed, while they were at some distance from each other, to prepare for the attack, by falling down upon their knees ; they then shuffled towards each other, still keeping upon their knees ; and, at the distance of a few yards, they made a spring, and i'arted against each other with great force. 852 HUNTT^"a ADVENTURES, THE NYL GHAU. The following anecdote will serve to show that these animals are sometimes fierce and vicious, and not to be depended upon ;— A labormg man, without knowing that the animal was near him, went up to the outside of the inclosure ; the Nyl Ghau, with the quickness of lightning, darted against the woodwork with such violence, that he dashed it to pieces, and broke one of his hornsi close to the root. The death of the animal, soon after, was sup- posed to be owing to the injury he sustained by the blow. The Nyl Ghau is hunted by the natives of Persia and Elm- doostan with spears, guns, bows and arrows, and hounds. When meditating an attack it falls on its fore knees, as represented in the cut at the head of this chapter, and shuffles forward to within a short distance of its object, when it darts forward with a powerful spring, and butts in the most determined manner. A horse and THE MEXICAN TIGER. 355 THE OCELOT. its rider have been laid prostrate by its onset. The peculiar con« formation of its head, neck and shoulders render an attack of this kind very formidable. The Mexican Tiger, or Ocelot, is extensively spread over the South American Continent. Its body, when grown, is nearly three feet in length, and its tail more than one ; its medium height is about eighteen inches ; the ground color of its fur is gray, mingled with a slight tinge of reddish-yellow, darker on the back, elegantly marked with longitudinal bands, consisting for the most part of a series of elongated spots, faun in the centre, with black margins ; its under parts are white : but the colors vary in dif- ferent specimens. It climbs trees expertly in search of its prey, which consists of birds and small animals. It is nevertheless exceedingly powerful, but is easily tamed, and when domesti- cated, becomes mild, gentle, and playful. The Ocelot is hunted by the natives of Mexico and South America with muskets and with poisoned arrows. Its skin is greatly valued. The Lynx abounds in the s luthern parts of Europe, and north' 356 HUNTING ADVENTURES. THE LYNX. ern of Asia and America ; has bright eyes, a mid aspect, and upon the whole a lively and agreeable appearance. He is about the size of the unce. His ears are erect, with tufts of black hair at the tips ; his tail is short, and also tipped black ; his fur is extremely valuable, of a pale grey color, sometimes with a reddish tinge, obscurely marked with small, dusky spots on the upper parts of the body ; the under parts are white. He advances by leaping and bounding, and will scale the loftiest trees, so that neither the wild cat nor squirrel are more secure than the stag or the hare. He always fixes on the throat of the animal, and when he has sucked the blood, leaves the carcase; thus reveling in destruction, and doing immense mischief among the weaker and more harmless inhabitants of the forest. He is extremely difficult if not impossible to tame. The Caracal^ or lynx of the ancients, is common in Barbary, Arabia, and Southern Asia. He is nearly three feet in length, including a tail of about ten inches ; in height is about fourteen inches : his ears are black and tufted ; the fur on tne upper part of the body is of a reddish-brown, the under part and inside of the legs white. He follows (it is said) the lion, and feeds on the left fragments of his spoil ; but his common fare is small anin\als and birds. The kindest usage cannot always over- come his native fierceness, but like the former, he will sometimes -even turn upon the hand that feeds him. HUNTING THE COUGAR. c57 CHAPTER LVIIL HUNTING THE COUGAR. — HUNTING SQUIRRELS. O OTHER animal of the cat kind is so formidable as the Cougar. Il is found in North America. The Cougar is sometimes im- properly called Panther. It is the largest animal of the cat kind found in North America, and has occasionally received the name of ;merican lion, from the similarity "f its proportion and color to the T may be stated to be about one- ' has no mane nor tuft at the ex- half the length of the body and clothed with a soft and close a brownish yellow color, or a . occasional patches of a rather - markable in certain lights, and 'he individual. A dark red ii lion of the old world. The cou third less in size than the lion,£ « tremity of the tail, which is aboi head. The skin of this animal hair over the hmbs and body, mixture of red and blackish, wi deep reddish tint, which are only disappear entirely with the age o 358- HUNTING ADVENTURES. spread over the upper parts, produced by the tips of the k r, which is black at the base. The head has a great many gwiy hairs upon it ; the whiskers are white, and rise in a blackish spa^e. At an early period the cougar was distributed in considerable num- bers over the whole of the warm and temperate regions of this conti- nent, and is still found, though not abundantly, in the southern, middle, and northwestern parts of the Union. It is a savage and destructive animal, yet timid ar^d cautious. It climbs, or rather, springs up large trees with surprising facility, and in that way is enabled, by dropping suddenly upon deer and other quadru- peds, to secure prey which it would be impossible for them to overtake. The cougar is seldom seen m day-time, but its peculiai cry thrills the traveller with horror, during the night. As an in- stance of the manner in which the cougar is pursued, and hfs behavior when attacked, we quote the following from a late num- ber of the Potsdam (N. Y.) Mercury :- '* Panther Shot. — The well known hunter, Mr. Charles Parme- ter, of this town, who has been out in the woods the last two months deer-hunting, killed a few days since in the town of Belmont, in .Franklin County, a large panther or catamount, measuring nine feet in extreme length, and weighing 247 pounds. Mr. Parmeter came upon the track while hunting, and the next day, with a dog started with the determination to hunt him up. After a short dis- tance he struck the trail and soon came up to where, with a single bound, the panther had killed and split entirely open a huge buck, apparently carried the same about twenty rods, and partly buried the carcase. ^^ Following on in pursuit, Mr. P. soon came to a mountain ridge with huge shelving rocks, in a chasm under one of which he found the panther's deft. His dog, with hair erect and exhibiting ex- treme fear, refused to enter, when Mr. P., tying a rope around the dog's neck, entered himself, dragging his dog after him The panther fled by another entrance and took to a very tall spruce tree near by. Mr. P. now climbed the ledge of rocks overhead and thus found himself on a level with the tree top, and distant about fifty feet from the same. The panther was almost hid in the dense HUNTING THE COMMON GRAY SQUIRREL. 359 top, but catching a glimpse of him, he fired in quick succession two balls into his body. '' The panther had now placed himself with eye fixed on Mr. P., in the attitude of springing, when Mr. P. having quickly reloaded both barrels of his gun, fired one into the back of his neck, and the other through his body : the fourth shot brought him to the ground. The dog having now regained courage, rushed in upon him, but one bite of the dying panther sent him back howling with pain, when springing to his feet the ferocious animal ran some twenty rods and fell dead. Mr. P. intends to bring him down in a few days and give our citizens a chance to see this rarely found animal, whose strength, agilit}'-, ferocity, and tenacity of life render him monarch of the forest, and the dreaded foe of the most intrepid hunter." The Common Gray Squirrel, is exceedingly common m the United States, and was once so excessively multiplied as to be a scourge to the inhabitants, not only consuming their grain but ex- hausting the public treasury by the amount of premiums given for their destruction. The gray squirrel prefers the oak, hickory and chestnut woods, where it finds a copious supply of nuts and mast, of which it pro- vides large hordes for the winter. Their nests are placed chiefly in tall oak-trees, at the forks of the branches ; these nests are very comfortable, being thickly covered and hned with dried leaves. During cold weather the squirrels seldom leave these snug retreats, except for the purpose of visiting their store houses, and obtainmg a supply of provisions. It has been observed that the approach of uncommonly cold weather is foretold when these squirrels are seen out in unusual numbers, gathermg a larger stock of provi- sions, lest their magazines should fail. This, however, is not an infallible sign, at least in vicinities where many hogs are allowed to roam at large, as these keen-nosed brutes are very expert at discovering the winter hoards of the squirrel, which they immedi- ately appropriate to their own use. If the gray squirrels confined themselves to the diet afforded by the forest trees, the farmers would profit considerably thereby. 860 HUNTING ADVENTURES. THE COMMON GRAY SQUIRREL. But, having once tasted the sweetness of Indian com and othei cu'tivated grains, they leav^e acorns and such coarse fare to the hogs, while they invade the corn-fields, and carry off and destroy a very large quantity. This species is remarkable among all our squirrels for its beauty and activity. It is in captivity remarkably playful and mischievous, and is more frequently kept aa a pet than any other. It becomes very tame, and may be alJowed t© spend a great deal of time entirely at hberty, where there is nothing exposed that can be injured by its teeth, whicti it is sure to try upon every article of furniture, &c. in its vicinity. This HUNTING THE GROUND FQUIRREL. 861 THE BLACK SQUIRREL. •quiirel, when domesticated, drinks frequently, and a considerable quar.tity of water at each draught. 1 he Gray Squirrel varies considerably in color, but is most com monly of a fine blueish gray, mingled with a slight golden hue. This golden color is especially obvious on the head, along the sides, where the white hair of the belly approaches the gray of the sides, and on the anterior part of the fore and superior part of the hind feet, where it is very rich and deep. This mark on the hind feet is very permanent, and evident even in those varieties which differ most from the common color. There is one specimen 3(,2 HUNTING ADVENTURES. m the Philadelphia Museum of a light brownish rei on all the superior parts of the body. The gray squirrel is favorite game of American sportsmen. During the cold weather, they are caught in traps, or shot, in great num- bers. Their flesh is remarkably tender and delicate. The method sometimes used for snaring them is curious, though very simple, as it consists of nothing more than setting a number of snares all around the body of the tree in which they are seen, and arranging them in such a manner that it is scarcely possible for the squirrel to descend without being entangled in one of them. The Black Squirrel is very common, but is liable to be con- founded with the other varieties of the squirrel. It very seldom varies. In the summer, the pelage is rather gray on the back and sides, though the whole color of the body is a black intermingled with a small quantity of gray, and of a dark reddish brown on the under parts. In the winter the color is a pure black, varying slightly in intensity on any part of the body. The same means are used by sportsmen in trapping the black squirrel as in tho capture of the common gray species. They are good eating but do not possess the playful spirit of some of the other varieties. The Ground Squirrel is frequently called the Hackee, or Striped Squirrel. This squirrel is most generally seen scudding along the lower rails of the common zigzag or " Virginia" fences, which afford him at once a pleasant and secure path, as in a few turns he finds a safe hiding place behind the projecting angles, or enters his burrow undiscovered. When no fence is near, or his retreat is cut off, after having been out in search of food, he becomes ex- ceedingly alarmed, and runs up the nearest tree, uttering a veiy shrill cry or whistle, indicative of his distress, and it is in this situation th^t he is most frequently made captive by his persecut- ing enemies, the mischievous school-boys. The ground squirrel makes his burrow generally near the roots of trees, aloncr the course of fences and old walls, or in banks ad* iacent to forests, whence he obtains his principal supplies of food The burrows frequently extend to very considerable distances. HUNTING THE GRAY AND BLACK SQUIRREL. 363 THE GROUND SQUIRREL. having several galleries or lateral excavations, in which provi sions, are stored for winter use. The burrow has always twc openings, which are usually far distant from each other ; it very rarely happens that the animal is dug out, unless it be accidentally during the winter season. The ground squirrel appears to suffer more when made captive .ban any other squirrel with which we are acquainted. We have several times endeavored to tame individuals of this species, but without success. In losing its libert}', the ground squirrel appears to lose all vivacity, becomes a dull and melancholy animal, and 364 fiUNTING AbVENtUBfiS. can yield very little amusement or satisfaction to its keeper, whom it always flies, or bites severely if not permitted to get out of hia reach. The ground squirrel is rather more than five inches in length, from the nose to the root of the tail ; the last is about two inches and a half long. The general color of the head and upper parts of the body is reddish brown, all the hairs on these parts being gray at the base. The eyelids are whitish, and from the external angle of each eye a black line runs towards the ear, while on each cheek there is a reddish brown hne. The short rounded ears are covered with fine hairs, which are on the outside of a reddish brown color, and within of a whivsh gray. The upper part of the neck, shoulders, and base of the hair on the back, are of a gray brown, mingled with whitish. On the back there are five longitudinal black hands, which are at their posterior parts bordered sHghtly with red. The middle one begins at the back of the head, the two lateral ones on the shoulders ; they all terminate at the rump, whose color is reddish On each side two white separate the lateral black bands. The lower part of the flanks and sides of the neck are of a paler red, the exterior of the fore feet is of a grayish yellow ; the thighs and hind feet are red above. The upper lip, the chin, throat, belly, and internal face of the limbs, are of a dirty brown. The tail is reddish at its base, blackish below, and has an edging of black. The sportsman regards the ground squirrel as good but not extra game. The flesh is very good for the table ; but is inferior to that of the more lively gray squirrel. They are occasionally shot at, but more frequently snared while they are collecting their food for winter use. The Fly in o- Squirrel is very common throughout the United States. Nature has endowed them with instruments to facilitate their passage from place to place in the easiest and most pleasant manner. Capable of moving on the bodies and limbs of trees, hke other squirrels, it does not require an equal degree of muscular strength to leap from tree to tree, or from great elevations to the ground, but launching itself from a lofty bough into the air, and HUNTING THE FLYINO SQUIRREL. 365 extending its limbs and the intervening membranes, its body is buoyed up, and sails swiftly and obliquely downwards, passing over considerable space. To aid in this sailing movement, we find the whole body covered with a short and silky fur, lying close to the skin. The tail is flattened, and serves as a rudder. During the day-light the flying squirrel is rarely to be met with abroad, unless it has been disturbed. Occasiona.ly laro-e troops are seen together, and their saihng leaps have been said to present to the inexperienced the appearance of a large number of leaves blown off the trees. Their peculiar construction ana habit render them very unfit for hving on the ground, and they speedily regain the nearest tree, when at any time they fall short of the object towards which they may have leaped. They always take advantage of the wind, when about to leap to any distance, and then they appear to deserve the name of flying squirrels, from the ease and velocity of their movements. Individuals are frequently tamed as pets, but are more admired on account of the softness of their fur, and the gentleness of their dispositions, than for any of the frolicsome and amusing actions that characterize other squirrels. When confined in a cace Avith a reel appended, they continue running almost uninterruptedly throughout the night. The flying squirrel makes its nest in hollow trees, where it brings forth three or four young at a litter. It is very easy to ascertain whether this squirrel has a nest in any hollow tree, by knocking against the trunk with a stone or stick ; as soon as the jarring is felt, the animal comes to the opening and endeavors to escape. In this way the young are very commonly discovered and taken. The flying squirrel is quite small, being little more than four inches and a half long, the tail being three inches and a half in length. The general color is a brownish ash, with rounded, nearly naked ears, and large prominent black eyes. The under parts of the body are white, with a yellowish margin, where the cok)i oi the back and belly approach each other. Z66 HUNTING Ar VENTURES. CHAPTER LIX. HUNTING THE AMERICAN ELK, OR WAPITI. HE WAPITI was for a long time consi- dered as a mere variety of the moose. Hearne is justly entitled to the credit of having insisted upon the specific dis- tinctness of this animal from the moose. The size and appearance of the elk are imposing ; his air denotes confidence of great strength, while his towering horns exhibit weapons capable of doing n.uch injury when offensively employed. The head is beauti- fully formed, tapering to a narrow point ; the ears are large and rapidly movable ; the eyes are full and dark ; the horns are lofty, and the neck at once slender, vigorous and graceful. The beauty of the male elk is still further heightened by the long, forward, curlinp- hair, which extends from the head to the breast in the HUNTING THE ELK. 367 THE WAPITI. nQann«r oi a ruff or beard The body of the elk is beautifully jiormed, and the limbs slender, yet strong. The hair is of a blue- ish-gray color in autumn ; during winter it continues of a dark gray^ and at the approach of spring it assumes a reddish or bright brown color, which is permanent throughout the summer. The croup is of a pale yellowish- white. There is no perceptible differ- ence of color between the male and female. The latter, however, does not participate in the "branching honors'^'* of the male. Almost all who have written upon the elk, have remarked the peculiar apparatus situated beneath the eye at the internal angle. It is a slit below the inner angle of each eye, lined with a naked membrane, which secretes an unctuous matter. Hunters assure us that the elk possesses the power, by strictly closing the nostrils, of forcing the air through these apertures in such a manner as to make a noise which may be heard at a considerable distance. Elk are still occasionally found in the remote and thinly settled parts of Pennsylvania, but the number is small ; it is only in the ivestern wilds that they are seen in considerable herds. They SQS ' HUNTTlXa ADVENTURES. are fond of the great forests, where a luxuriant vegetation affords them an abundant supply of buds and tender twigs ; or of the great plains, where the soHtude is seldom interrupted, and all- bounteous nature spreads an immense field of verdure for their support. The elk is shy and retiring ; having acute senses, he receives early warning of the approach of any human intruder. The moment the air is tainted by the odor of his enemy, his head is erected with spirit, his ears thrown rapidly in every direction to catch the sounds, and his large dark glistening eye expresses the most eager attention. Soon as the approaching hunter is fairly discovered, the elk bounds along for a few paces, as if trying his strength for flight, stops, turns half round, and scans his pursuer with a steady gaze, then, throwing back his lofty horns upon his neck, and projecting his taper nose forwards, he springs from the ground and advances with a velocity w^hich soon leaves the object of his dread far out of sight. But in the season when sexual passion reigns with its wonted influence over the animal creation, the elk, like various other creatures, assumes a more w^arlike and threatening character. He is neither so easily put to flight, nor can he be approached •with impunity, although he may have been wounded. His horns and hoofs are then employed with great effect, and the lives of men and dogs are endangered by coming within his reach. This season is during August and September, when the horns are in perfect order, and the males appear filled with rage, and wage the fiercest war with each other for the possession of the females. During this season, the males are said to make a loud and un- pleasant noise, which is compared to a sound between the neigh- ing of a stallion and the bellowing of a bull. Towards the end of May or the beginning of June, the female brings forth her young, commonly one, but very frequently two in number, which are generally male and female. The flesh of the elk is highly esteemed by the Indians anJ hunters as food, and the horns, while in their soft state, are also considered a delicacy : of their hides a great variety of articles of p?* HUNTING THE ELK. iress and usefulness are prepared. The solid portion or shaft of the perfect horn is wrought by the Indians into a bow, which is highly serviceable from its elasticity, as well as susceptible of beauty of po.ish and form. The warhke bearing of the elk, when hard pressed by the hunters, is illustrated in the following instance, from Long's Ex pedition to the Rocky Mountains. « A herd of twenty o"r thirty elk were seen at no great distance from the party, standing in the water, or lying upon the sand-beach. One of the finest' bucks was smgled out by a hunter, who fired upon him : whereupon the whole herd plunged into the thicket and disappeared. Rely- ing upon the skill of the hunter, and confident that his shot was fatal, several of the party dismounted and pursued the elk into the woods, where the wounded buck was soon overtaken. Finding his pursuers close upon him, the elk turned furiously upon the foremost, who only saved himself by spring ng into a thicket, which was impassable to the elk, whose enormous antlers, becom- mg so entangled in the vines as to be covered to their tips, he was held fast and bJnd-folded, and was despatched by repeated buJleti 370 HUNTTNa ADVENTURES. THE OPOSSUM. CHAPTER LX. HUNTING THE RACCOON, THE BLACK-TAILED DEER, AND TH« MUSK OX. HE RACCOON is well known in the greater part of the American Continent; and the rac- coon hunt forms the bur- den of many popular refrains in the United States. This animal possesses the mischievousness of the monkey, united with a blood-thirsty and vindic- tive spirit. He slaughters the Tenants of the poultry-yard with indiscriminate ferocity, and this, in many cases, leads to his own destruction, by exciting the vengeance of the farmer. Being peculiarly fond of sweet substances, the raccoon is occa- sionally very destructive to plantations of sugar cane,* and of Indian corn. While the ear of the Indian corn is still young, soft and tender, " in the milk," it is very sweet, and is then eagerly sought by the raccoons ; troops of them frequently enter fields of maize, and m one night commit extensive depredations, both by the • Sir Hans Sloane; " Natural Hi«te^* of Jamaica.*' HUNTING THE RACCOON. 371 inantity of grain thev consume, and from the number of stalks they break down by their weight. The raccoon is, an excellent climber, and his strong sharp claw effectually secure him from being shaken off the branches of trees. In fact, so tenaciously does this animal hold to any surface upon which it can make an impression with its claws, that it requires a considerable exertion of a man's strength to drag him off; and as long as even a smgle foot remains attached, he continues to cling with great force. I have had frequent occasions to pull a raccoon from the top of a board fence, where there was no projection which he could seize by ; yet, such was the power and obstinacy with which the points of his claws were stuck into the board, as repeatedly to oblige me to desist for fear of tearing his skin, or otherwise doing him injury by the violence necessary to detach his hold. The conical form of the head, and the very pointed and flexible character of the muzzle or snout, are of great importance in aiding the raccoon *o examine every vacuity and crevice to which he gains access ; nor does he neglect any opportunity of using his natural advantages, but explores every nook and cranny, with the most persevering diligence and attention, greedily feeding on spiders, worms, or other insects which are discovered by the scrutiny. Where the opening is too small to give admittance to his nose, he employs his fore-paws, and shifts his position or turns his paws sidewise, in order to facilitate their introduction and effect his purpose. This disposition to feed on the grubs or larvae of insects must render this animal of considerable utihty in forest lands, in consequence of the great numbers of injurious and de- structive insects he consumes. He is also said to catch frogs with considerable address, by slily creeping up, and then springing on ihem, so as to grasp them with both paws. The general color of the raccoon is blackish-gray, which is paler on the under part of the body, and has, over considerable part of the neck, back and sides, some fawn, or hght rust-colored hair intermixed. The tail is covered with hair, and is marked with fi-e or six black rings around it, on a yellowish- whj*e ground a72 HUi^Tl^'G Ai>\ EJ^'lUHES. THE BLACK TAILED DEER. Occasionally, the number of the raccoons is so much :r. creased as to render them very troublesome to the farmer, in the low and wooded parts of Maryland, bordering on the Chesapeake Bay. Raccoon-hunts by moonlight then become frequent. This is rare sport, and requires that those who engage in it should possess a coniider-able amount of skill, as the animal is noted for its cunning and activity. It also requires a strong constitution, in order not to suffer from the exposure in the low country, where the raccoon chiefly abounds. Yet to those of an active disposition, nothing can be more exciting and amusing than this hunt. Snares are sometimes set for the raccoon, but the animal displays his sagacity by avoiding them in general. Guns and dogs are the surest instruments of destruction, and these most " coon-hunters" avail themselves of. During the winter the animals are fattest, and then the country people have the most leisure to pursue them. The B.a-k-tailed Deer is sometimes called the Mule Deer, on HUNTING THE MUSK OX- S'^Ji THE MUSK OX. account of a resemblance of its ears to those of the mule. A • cording to Say's description, the horns are slightly jrrooved and tuberculated at base, having a small branch near thereto. The ears are very long, being half the length of the whole antler, and extending to its principal bifurcation. The eye is larger than that of the common deer, and the subocular sinus much larger. The hair is coarser, undulated and compressed, resembling that of the elk, and is of a light reddish brown color above. A line of black- ish-tipped hair is found upon the neck and back. The tail is of a jetty black at its extremity. The habits of this^ animal are similar to those of its kindred species, except that it does not run at full speed, but bounds along, raising every foot from the ground at the same time. It is found sometimes in the woodlands, but most frequently in prairies and open grounds. Its flesh is considered inferior to that of the com- mon deer. It is very fleet in its movements, and much more diffi- cult to come up with than the other varieties. Musk Ox is found in the greatest abundance in the rugged and 574 HUNTING ADVENTURES, scarcely accessible districts lying nearest the North Pole. In destining the musk ox to inhabit the domains of frost and stc./m, nature has paid especial attention to its security against the effects of both ; first, by covering its body with a coat of long, dense hair, and then, by the shortness of his hmbs, avoiding the exposure that would result from a greater elevation of the trunk. The appearance of the musk ox is singular and imposing, awing to the shortness of the limbs, its broad, flattened, crooked horns, and the long, dense hair which envelopes the whole of its trunk, and hangs down nearly to the ground. When full grown, the musk ox is ten hands and a half high, according to Parry, and as large as the generality of the English black cattle ; but their legs, though large, are not so long ; nor is the tail longer than that of a bear, and like the tail of that animal it always bends down- wards and inwards, so that it is entirely hid by the long hair of the rump and hind-quarters. The hunch on the shoulder is not large, being little larger in proportion than that of a deer. Their hair is particularly long on the belly, sides and hind-quarters ; but me longest hair about them, particularly on the bulls, is under the tnroat, extendmg from the chin to the lower part of the chest, between the 'forelegs ; it there hangs down like a horse's mane mverted, and is full as long. Hearne slates that he has seen many herds of musk oxen in the high northern latitudes, during a single day's journey, and some of these herds contain from eighty to a hundred individuals, of which number a very small proportion were bulls, and it was quite uncommon to see more than two or three full grown males, even with the largest herds. The Indians had a notion that the males destroy each other in combating for the females, and this idea is fliomewhat supported by the warlike disposition manifested by these animals during their sexual seasons. The bulls are then so jealous of every thing that approaches their favorites, that they will not only attack men or quadrupeds, but will run bellowing after ravens or other large birds that venture loo near the cows. Musk oxen are found m the greatest numbers within the arctic sircle ; considerable herds are occasionally seen near the coast o» HUNTING THE MUSK OX. 373 Hudson's Bay, throughout the distance from Knapp's Bay to Wager Water. They have in a few instances been seen as low lown as lat. 60° N. Capt. Parry's people killed some individuals on Melville Island, v/hich were remarkably well fed and fat. They are not commonly found at a great distance from the wooas, and when they feed on open grounds they prefer the most rocky and precipitous situations. Yet, notwithstanding their bulk and apparent unwieldiness, they climb among the rocks with all the ease and agility of the goat, to which they are quite equal in sure- ness of foot. Their favorite food is grass, but when this is not to be had, they readily feed upon moss, the twigs of willow, or tender shoots of pme.* From the shortness of the limbs, and the weight of the body, it might be inferred that the musk ox could not run with any speed ; but it is stated by Parry, that although they run in a hobbling sort of canter that makes them appear as if every now and then about to fall, yet the slowest of these musk oxen can far outstrip a man. When disturbed and hunted, they frequently tore up the ground with their horns, and turned round to look at their pursuers, but never attempted to make an attack. • It is singular and well worthy of observation, that the dung of the musk ox, though so large an animal, is not larger than, and, at the same, is so nearly of the shape and color of that of the Alpine Hare, that the difference is not easily dis- tinguished, except by the Indians, though the quantity generally indicates the animal to which it belonged. In the country adjacent to the Coppermine river, long ridges of this dung, together with that of deer and other animals, were seen by Heaine. Similar appearances were observed by Parry on severa oi *he North Georgian Islands. a?6 HUNTING ADVENtURES. THE OPOSSUM. CHAPTER LXI. HUNTING THE BEAVER AND OPOSSUM. URING the greater part of th« time since the settlement of Ame- rica by Europeans the Beaver has been a favorite object with hunters. The general aspect of the Beaver is that of a very large musk-rat. But the greater size of the beaver, the thickness and breadth of its head, and its hori- zontally flattened, broad and scaly tail, render it impossible to mistake it for any other creature when closely examined. In its movements both on shore and in the water, it also closely resembles the musk-rat, having the same quick step, with great vigor and celerity, either on the surface, of in the depths of the water. HUNTING THE BEAVER. 371 The beaver has long been the theme of the natural! :it's admira* tion, on account of its apparent sagacity and skill in building its habitation. They are not particular in the site they select foi their dwellings, but if in a lake or pond where a dam is not re- quired, they are careful to build where the water is sufficiently- deep. The materials used in constructing their dams, are the trunks and branches of small birch, mulberry, willow, poplar, &c. The strength of their teeth, and their perseverance may be esti- mated by the size of the trees they cut down. Dr. Best informs us that he has seen a mulberry tree, eight inches in diameter, which had been gnawed down by the beaver. These are cut in such a manner as to fall into the water, and then floated towards the site of the dam. The figure of the dam varies according as the stream has a gentle or a rapid current. Along with the trunks and branches of trees they intermingle mud and stones, to give greater security, and the dams remain long after the beavers have been exterminated. The dwellings of the beaver are formed of the same materials as the dam, and are adapted in size to the number of the inhabitants. These are seldom more than four old and six or eight young ones. The walls are very skillfully anj strongly constructed, and the whole fabric is a curious evidence of the sagacity of the animal. To capture beavers residing on a small river or creek, the Indians find it necessary to stake the stream across to prevent the animals from escaping, and then they try to ascertain where the vaults or washes in the banks are situated. This can only be done by those who are very experienced in such explorations and is thus performed : — The hunter is furnished w^ith an ice-chise lashed to a handle four or five feet in length ; with this ^'nstrument he strikes against the ice as he goes along the edge of the banks. The sound produced by the blow informs him when he is opposite one of these vaults. When one is discovered, a hole is cut through the ice of sufficient size to admit a full-grown beaver, and the search is continued until 9s many of the places of retreat are discovered as possible. During the time the most expert hunters are thus occu- pied, the others with the women are busy in breaking mlo the 878 HUNTING ADVENTURES. beaver-housw, which, as may be supposed from *vlat has been already stated, is a task of some difficulty. The beavers, alarmed at the invasion of their dwelling, take to the water and swim with surprising swiftness to their retreats in the banks, but their en- trance is betrayed to the hunters watching the holes in the ice, by the motion and discoloration of the water. The entrance is in- stantly closed with stakes of wood, and the beaver instead of find- ing shelter in his cave, is made prisoner and destroyed. The hunter then pulls the animal out, if within reach, by the introduc- tion of his hand and arm, or by a hook designed for this use, fastened to a long handle. Beaver-houses found in lakes or other standing waters offer an easier prey to the hunters, as there is no occasion for staking the water across. Among the Hudson's Bay Indians every hunter has the exclu' sive right to all the beavers caught in the washes discovered by him. Each individual on finding one, places some mark, as a pole or the branch of a tree stuck up, in order to know his own. Beavers caught in any house are also the property of the dis- coverer, who takes care to mark his claim, as in the case of the washes.* The number of beavers killed in the northern parts of this country is exceedingly great, even at the present time, after the fur trade has been carried on for so many years, and the most in- discriminate warfare waged uninterruptedly against the species. In the year 1820, sixty thousand beaver skins were sold by the Hudson's Bay Company, which we can by no means suppose to be the whole number killed during the preceding season. If to these be added the quantities collected by the traders from the Indians of the Missouri country, we may form some idea of the immense number of these animals which exist throuo:hout the vast regions of the north and west. It is a subject of regret that an animal so valuable and prolific • Lewis and Clark relate an instance which fell under their observation of on« beaver being caught in two traps belonging to different owners, it having one paw ID each. The proprietors of the traps were engaged in a contest for the beaver, when the above named distinguished travellers arrived and settled the disputt Mtween them bj an equitable arraugemaat. HUNTING THE BEAVER. 37^ ehould be hunted in a manner tending so evidently .0 the extermi- nation of the species, when a little care and management on the part of those interested, might prevent unnecessary destruction, and increase the sources of their revenue. The old beavers ;4re frequently killed within a short time of their Uttering season, and with every such death from three to six are destroyed. The young are often killed before they have attained half their growth and value, and of necessity long before they have contributed to the continuance of their species. In a few years, comparatively speaking, the beaver has been exterminated in all the Atlantic and in the western states, as far as the middle and upper waters of the Missouri ; while in the Hudson's Bay possessions they are becoming annually more scarce, and the race will eventually be extinguished throughout the whole continent. A few individuals may, for a time, elude the immediate violence of persecution, and like the degraded descen- dants of the aboriginals of our soil, be occasionally exhiL'ted as melancholy mementos of the tribes long previously whelmed in the fathomless gulf of avarice. The Indians inhabiting the countries watered by the tributaries of ^e Missouri and Mississippi, take the beavers principally by trapping, and are generally supplied with steel-traps by the traders, who do not sell, but lend or hire them, in order to keep the Indians dependent upon themselves^ and also to lay claim to the furs which they may procure. The name of the trader being stamped on the trap, it is equal to a certificate of enhstment, and indicates, when an Indian carries his furs to another trading estab- lishment, that the individual wishes to avoid the payment of his debts. The business of trapping requires great experience and caution, as the senses of the beaver are very keen, and enable him to detect the recent presence of the hunter by the slightest traces. It is necessary that the hands should be washed clean before the trap is handled and baited, and that every precaution should be employed to elude the vigilance of the animal. The bait which is used to entice the beavers is prepared from the substance called castor (castoreumj) obtained from the glan* S80 HUNTING ADVENTURES. duious pouches of the male* animal, which contain sonietimei from two to three ounces. This substance is called by the hunters 6arA:stone, and is squeezed gently into an open mouthed phial. The contents of five or six of these castor bags are mixed with a nutmeg, twelve or fifteen cloves, and thirty grains of cinna- mon, in fine powder, and then the whole is stirred up with as much whiskey as will give it the consistency of mustard prepared for the table. This mixture must be kept closely corked up, and m four or five days the odor becomes more powerful, with care it may be preserved for months without injury. Various other strong aromatics are sometimes used to increase the pungency of the odor. Some of this preparation smeared upon the bits of wood with which the traps are baited, will entice the beaver from a great distance. The castor, whose odor is similar to tanner's ooze, gets the name of 6a?'A;-stone from its resemblance to fiiely powdered bark. The sacks containing it are about two inches in length. Behind these, and between the skin and root of the tnil, are found two other oval cysts, lying together, which contam a pure strong oi. of a rancid smell. During the winter season the beaver becomes very fat, and its flesh is esteemed by the hunters to be excellent food. But those occasionally caught in the summer are very thin, and unfit for the table. They lead so wandering a fife at this season, and are so much exhausted by the collection of materials for building, or the winter's stock of provision, as well as by suckling their young, as to be generally at that time in a very poor condition. Their fur during the summer is of little value, and it is only in winter that it is to be obtained in that state which renders it so desirable to the fur traders The Opossum, is one of the most common animals within our bor- ders, and is annually killed or captured in large numbers. Yet it is still considered as a sort of anomaly among animals, and the pecu- liarities of its sexual intercourse, gestation and parturition, are to this day veiled in obscurity. The opossum has a number of * Jnxta preputium utroque latere existuut. HUNTING THE OPOSSUM. 381 peculiarities which deserve to be mentioned. It has a very larga number of teeth, its hind feet are actually rendered hands by short, fleshy, and opposable thumbs, enabling- the animal to grasp objects firmly with these feet; it has a prehensile tail by curving which at the extremity, the animal can depend from the limb of a tree, or other projection, and hanging in security, gather fruit, or seize any prey within his reach. The opossum has a very acute sense of touch, which contributes to its safety during the nocturnal ramble in which he indulges. The general color of the animal js a whitish gray. On the face the wool is short and of a smoky white color ; that on the belly is of the same character. The tail is covered with small hexagonal scales, interspersed with short, coarse hairs. The opossum is a nocturnal animal, depending more upon its cunning than its strength for its safety. Its motions are slow, and clumsy in appearance. Birds, small quadrupeds, eggs, insects, and the denizens of the poultry-yard form its principal food. Its flesh is said to resemble roast pig in flavor. The hunting of the opossum is a favorite sport with the country people, who frequently go out with their dogs at night, after the autumnal frosts have begun and the persimmon fruit is in its most delicious state. The opossum as soon as he discovers the ap- proach of his enemies, lies perfectly close to the branch, or places himself snugly in the angle where two hmbs separate from each other. The dogs, however, soon announce the fact of his presence by their baying, and the hunter ascending the tree discovers the branch upon which the animal is seated, and begins to shake it with great violence to alarm and cause him to relax his hold. This is soon effected, and the opossum attempting to escape to anothsr limb is pursued immediately, and the shaking is renewed with greater violence, until at length the terrified quadruped Riiows himself to drop to the ground, where hunters or dogs ore picpared to despatch him. Should the hunter, as frequently happens, be unaccompanied by dogs when the opossum falls to the ground, it does not im- mediately make its escape, but steals slowly and quietly to a little 382 HUNTING ADVENTUKES, distance^ and then gathering itself into as small a compass ts pos« S^ble, remains as still as if dead. Should there be any quantity of grass or underwood near the tree, this apparently simple artifice is frequently sufficient to secure the animal's escape, as it is diffi- cult by moonlight or in the shadow of the tree to distinguish it, and if the hunter has not carefully observed the spot where it fell, his labor is often in vain. This circumstance, however, is generally attended to, and the opossum derives but little benefit from his instinctive artifice. After remaining in this apparently lifeless condition for a con- siderable time, or so long as any noise indicative of danger can be heard, the opossum slowly unfolds himself, and creeping as closely as possible upon the ground would fain sneak ofl^unpercei ved. Upon a shout or outcry in any tone from his persecutor, he immediately renews his death-like attitude and stillness. If then approached, moved or handled, he is still seemingly dead, and might deceive any one not accustomed to his actions. This feigning is repeated aa frequently as opportunity is allowed him of attempting to escape, and is known so well to the country folks as to have long since passed into a proverb. '' He is playing opossum** is applied, with great readiness, by them to any one who is thought to act deceit- fully, or wishes to appear what he is not. As the female produces from twelve to sixteen cubs at a time, there is but little danger of the animal becoming scarce at an early day. Its usual haunts are thick forests, and the hollows of de« eay^Ct trees serve it for a refuge during the day. HUNTING TISE FISHER. 383 THE FISHBS. CHAPTER LXIL HUNTING THE FISHER. I^pHE Fisher, or Black Cat of our hunters is a large and powe- 11 ful animal, standing nearly a foot from the ground. It was formerly very abundant in the Middle States, but is now confined o the thinly settled Northern districts. It is u nocturnal species, ind lives chiefly on the smaller quadrupeds, but also devours rrogfi, fish and serpents. It climbs with great ease, and takes up its abode in the trunk of a tree. The form of the body is typical. Head broad ; nose acute ; ears about three inches from the nose, broaa, rounded and distant ; the fore feet are shorter than the hind ones, and the soles of both are covered with short hair ; the tail i^ long and bushy, and the fur very fine and lustrous ; the color is grayish over the head and anterior parts of the body ; dark browB ©»• black behind. 834 HUNTTNG ADVENTURES. The name of Fisher, which has been censured as not applicable to this animal, is, however, that by which it is best known, and which it has received from its ciiaracteristie habits. Richardson states that it feeds on the hoards of frozen fish stored up by the residents. We are informed by a person who resided many years near Lake Oneida, where the Fisher was then common, that the name was derived from its singular fondness for the fish used to bait traps. The hunters were in the practice of soaking their fis over night, and it was frequently carried off by the Fisher, whose well known tracks were seen in the vicinity, ^n Hamilton county it is still numerous and troublesome. The hunters there have assured me that they have known a fisher to destroy twelve out of thirteen traps in a line of not more than fourteen miles in length. It brings forth two young annually. The hunting season for the fisher in the northern part of the State, commences about the tenth of October, and lasts to the middle of May, when the futs are not so valuable. The ordinary price is $1 50 per skin ; but it is not 80 fine, nor so highly valued as that of the sable. Its geographical range is included between the fortieth and seventieth parallels of latitudes, extending across the continent. The American Gray Rabbit, so common in the United States, has been, until recently, confounded with others. The following description by Schreber, which seems to have been overlooked by modern writers, applies very well to our rabbit : — ^« Cheeks full of thick hair; ears thin externally, with few hairs, naked within, and when bent forward, do not reach the nose ; when bent backwards, they reach the shoulder blades ; eyes large and black, with 4-5 bristles above them ; whiskers mostly b*ack ; some are white ; the longest appears to reach beyond the head. Color in summer ; ears brownish, with a very narrow black border on the outer margin, of the same breadth to the tips, or becomes effaced ; brown cheeks, back and sides ; fore and hind legs hght brown externally, mixed with black ; all round the breech, white ; feet full of short hair of a light brown, unmixed with black, changing towards the inside to a grey white ; upper pan of the tail like that of the back, (perhaps mixed with black, ai HUNTING IIIE AMERICAN GRAY RABBIT. 385 GRAY RABBIT. Pennant describes it black ;) beneath white ; throat white ; lower part of the neck bright brown, mixed with white ; chest and belly, inside of fore and hind legs, white. Color in winter, when it vioea change, white." The Gray Rabbit changes but little with the season, excepi that the fur is longer and finer, and has a tendency to white. It is a timid, inoffensive creature ; and were it not for its excessive vigilance and its astonishing powers of reproduction, would soon be extirpated. Besides man, it has many other enemies. It is the favorite food of the two lynxes, and is destroyed by the weasel, skunk, hawks, ^ wis and serpents. Its food consists of bark, buds, grass, wild berries, etc. ; and in cultivated districts, it is said to enter gardens and destroy vege- 25 386 HUNTING ADVENTURES. y:!i)y^^^^.i<^'y .-^^ THE JUMPING MOUSE. table? Unlike ita congeners, it does not confine itself to the wood, but is frequently found in open fields, or where there is a slight copse or under-brush. It does not burrow like its closely allied species the European Rabbit, but makes its form, which is a shght depression in the ground, sticitered by some low shrub Ii frequently resorts to a stone wall, or a heap of stones, or a hol- low tree, and sometimes to the burrow of some othei animal. Its habits are nocturnal ; and they may often be seen ii cne morning, or early part of the afternoon although in retired . .tuation*" they have been seen at all times of the day. Its flesL, though black and dry, is well flavored, although in this respect it varies with the quality of its previous food. It breeds in New York State, three times in the season, producing from fnwr to six at a birth. It is the smallest of the species found ic. *-hi« HUNTING THE JUMPING MOUSE. 887 State, and so much resembles m its form the European Rabbit, that the same popular «ame has been applied to it, although differ mg in color and some of its habits. This, however, is of no con sequence, for the name of American or Gray Rabbit is sufficiently distinctive. It has not a wide geographical range. It is found from New Hampshire to Florida, but its western limits are not yd established. The Jumping Mouse is found from Hudson's Bay to Pennsyl Tania, and through the Western States to the mouth of the Columbia river. From the distribution of its colors, and its slender propor- tions, it has a delicate and beautiful appearance. It is very agile, ^umping in the manner of the deer-mouse, and is, in common with that animal, called the jumping mouse. It seems to prefer forests and wooded places, but is often found in meadows or cultivated grounds, where grain and seeds of grasses abound. It is said to build its nest in trees. According to Richardson, in thfe northern regions, it becomes an inmate of the fur establishments, and makes hoards of grain in various places. It is usually about six inches long; the color is brownish alone, the feet and beneath being white. The tail is hairy, being as long as the body. They are said to be quite as good eating as the most of the sqv 'Tels, ano we frequently trapped by the hunters B8S HUNTING ADVENTURES, CHAPTER LXIIL HUNTING THE AMERICAN DEER. THE American Deer is found in almost every part of the Northern and Western States, where there is sufficient fores* to afford them food and cover. It even ranges South to the Gulf of Mexico, but very seldom. It is very abundant in some parts of New York and Pennsylvania, in spite of the destructive efforts of man and the wolves. The deer has one, and occasionally -vo fawns at a birth, which generally occurs in May or June. In the rutting season the males are restless and bold, and are observed to have the neck considerably swelled. When alarmed, they stamp quickly and often upon the ground, and emit a sound like a shriil whistle, which may be heard at a great distance. When mortally urounded, they often give a faint bleat, Hke that of a calf. When brought to bay, it throws off its habitual timidity, its eyes glare fiercely around, every hair on its body bristles up, and appears as if directed forward, and it dashes boldly upon its { e. HUNTING THE AMERICAN DEER. 38$ fts horns are cast usually in the winter, but the period appears to depend upon the latitude and the severity of the season. In New York, the deer are protected by Jaw during the rutting season. Description.— Ueai long and slender; muzzle pointed; eyes large and lustrous, ths lachrymal pits consisting of a slight fold of the skin ; tail moderate, depressed ; legs slender ; a glandular pouch concealed by a thick tuft of rigid hairs inside of the hind le^s, odoriferous, and connected with the sexual appetite. The horns of the adult male vary so much in shape, that scarcely any two are alike; appearing to depend upon age, season, and abundance or scarcity of food. In the first season they are simple, cylindrical and pointed, and in this state they are known as spike bucks ; in the following season, they have a short, straight antler; and the number increases until the fourth season, when the following is the most usual condition of the horns : the main stem rises upward and laterally, and then makes a broad curve forward, with the tips turned inward and downward; on the inner and slightly ante rior surface of the main stem, arises a short brow antler, directed forward and upward ; the stem, thus far, is roughened by nodosi- ties and furrows ; above this, a branch is thrown off from the inte- rior or anterior, curving inwards and forwards, and occasionally another branch before reaching the tip. These first and second oranches are occasionally themselves bifurcated ; and in one before me now, the horns exhibit six t,ps on one side, including those of the brow antlers, and on the other nine, the first branch being bifid, the second trifid, a third simple, and the extreme tip itself bifid. When the horn is palmated, the flattening occurs at the ongm of the first branch. In many specimens, there is only the brow antler, and a single branch above. Fur, composed of flattened angular hairs, lying smooth on the body. Co/or.— Bluish-gray in the autumn and winter, dusky reddisn or fulvous in the spring, becoming bluish in the summer ; the fawns are irregularly spotted with white ; the gray or reddish color m the aduh extends over the whole head, back, sides, and upper part of the tail; a few white hairs often observed on the rump at the origin of the tail ; beneath the chin, throat, bellj; B90 HUNTING ADVENTURES. and iaside of legs and under side of tail, always white ; ears riiar» pined with dark brown, and often with white hairs within, and a white circle round the eyes ; hoofs jet black. The American Deer is considered by the hunters the king of game beasts, and consequently, he is pursued with unrelenting cruelty. Before the Europeans visited America, the deer roamed the forests from the brink of the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains. He was pur* sued by the Indians for the sake of his skin and flesh, but still the number of his race suffered but little diminution. But when the Europeans had obtained a foothold upon the continent, his de- struction was greatly accelerated, and as cities and towns sprang up, he was driven to the forests of the interior. Still he was pur- sued with as much ardor as the Red Deer of Europe was in the middle ages, European and Indian joining in the chase. The HUNTING THE RED DEER. 391 number of the Deer decreased in proportion to the advance of civilization, and now but few are found in the Atlantic slates. The Indian method of deer hunting differs in many respects from that originally pursued by the Europeans, and is now gen- erally adopted among the western hunters. A number of hunters divide themselves into several parties and proceed by different paths through the same forest. When a deer trail has been dis- covered, a signal is given, either by hallooing or firing a gun, and the hunters upon the other tracks station themselves in such a position as to cut off the retreat of the animal, and shoot him if he attempt to pass them. The hunters, who have discovered the deer, if they cannot get a shot at him, or them, halloo and drive the deer before them. In this manner, they are brought within the range of the concealed hunters upon one of the other tracks, and shot. Besides this method, by which great numbers are de- Btroyed, the Indians use disguises to enable them to approach the deer unsuspected, and frequently a single hunter commits coik siderabJe havoc among them. CHAPTER XLIV. MR. CUMMING*S ENCOUNTER WITH FOIL LI0S8. Our old friend, Mr. Gumming, thus describes an encounter which he had with four lions. Swint had just milked the cows, and wai driving them from the wooded peninsula in which we lay, athwart the open ground, to graze with my other cattle in the forest beyond, he beheld four majestic lions walking slowly across the vley, a few hundred yards below my camp, and disappear over the river's bank, at a favorite drinking-place. These mighty monarchs of the waste had been holding a prolonged repast over the carcases of some zebras killed by Present, and had now come down the river to slake their thirst. This being reported, I instantly saddled up two horses, and directing my boys to lead after me as quickly as possible my small remaining pack of sore-footed dogs, I rode forth, accompanied by Cavey carrying a spare gun, to give battle to the four grim lions. As I rode out of the peninsula, they showed themselves on the bank of the river, and, guessing that their first move would be a disgraceful retreat, I determined to ride so as to make them think that I had not observed them, until I should be able to cut off their retreat frcm the river, across the open vley, to the endless forest beyond. That point being gained, I knew that they, still doubtful of my having observed them, would hold their ground on the river's bank, until my dogs came up, when I could more advantageously make the attack. I cantered along, as if I meant to pass the lions at a dis- tance of a quarter of a mile, until I was opposite to them, when I altered my course, and inclined a little nearer. The lions then (392) HUNTING LIONS. 395 •howed symptoms of uneasiness ; they rose to their feet, and, o> er- hauling us for half a minute, disappeared over the bank. They re^ appeared, however, directly, a little farther down j and finding that their present position was bare, they walked majestically along the top of the bank to a spot a few hundred yards lower, where the bank was well woo isd. Here they seemed half inclined to await my attack ; two stretched out their massive arms, and lay down in the grass, and the other two sat up like dogs upon their haunches. Deeming it probable that when my dogs came up and I approached they would Btill retreat and make a bolt across the open vley, I directed Carey to canter forward and take up the ground in the centre of the vley about four hundred yards in advance ; whereby the lions would be compelled either to give us battle or to swim the river, which, although narrow, I knew they would be very reluctant to do. I now sat in my saddle, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the dogs ; and whilst thus momentarily disengaged, I was much struck with the majestic and truly appalling appearance which these four noble lions exhibited. They were all full-grown immense males ; and I felt, I must confess, a little nervous, and very uncertain as to what might be the issue of the attack. When the dogs came up I rode right in towards the lions. They sprang to their feet, and trotted slowly along the bank of the river, once or twice halting and facing about for half a minute. Immedi- ately below them there was a small determined bend in the stream, forming a sort of peninsula. Into this bend they disappeared, and the next moment I was upon them with my dogs. They had taken shelter in a dense angle of the peninsula, well sheltered by high treei and reeds. Into this retreat the dogs at once boldly followed them, making a loud barking, which was instantly followed by the terrible Toices of the lions, which turned about and charged to the end of the cover. Next moment, however, I heard them plunge into the river, when I sprang from my horse, and running to the top of the bank, I saw three of them ascending the opposite bank, the dogs fol- lowing. One of them bounded away across the open plain at top speed, but the other two, finding themselves followed by the dogs, immediately turned tc tdy. It was now my turn, so, taking them 896 HUNTING ADVENTURES. coolly right and left with my little rifle, I made the most gloriotn double shot that a sportsman's heart could desire, disabling them both in the shoulder before they were even aware of my position. Then snatching my other gun from Carey, who that moment had ridden up to my assistance, I finished the first lion. with a shot about the heart, and brought the second to a standstill by disabling him is his hind quarters. He quickly crept into a dense, wide, dark green bush, in which for a long time it was impossible to obtain a glimpse of him. At length, a clod of earth falling near his hiding-place, he made a move which disclosed to me his position, when I finished him with three more shots, all along the middle of his back. Carey swam across the river to flog off" the dogs ; and when these came through to me, I beat up the peninsula in quest of the fourth lion, which had, however, made off". We then crossed the river a little higher up, and we proceeded to inspect the noble prizes I had won. Both lions were well up in their years j I kept the skin and skull of the finest specimen, and only the nails and tail of the other, one of whose ca- nine teeth was worn down to the socket with caries, which seemed to have aff'ected his general condition. On the 9th it rained throughout the day, converting the rich soil on which we were encamped into one mass of soft sticky clay. In the forenoon, fearing the rain would render the vley (through which we must pass to gain the firmer ground) impassable, I ordered my men to prepare to march, and leave the tent with its contents standing, the point which I wished to gain being distant only about five hundred yards. When the oxen were mspanned, however, and we attempted to move, we found my tackle, which was old, so rotten from the effects of the rain, that something gave way at every strain. Owing to this and the softness of the vley, we labored on till sundown, and only succeeded in bringing one wagoH to its destination, the other two remaining fast in the mud in the middle of the vley. Next morning, luckily, the weather cleared up, when my men brought over the tent, and in the afternoon the othei two wagons. We followed up the banks of the river for several days with the usual allowance of sport. On the 16th we came suddenly upon an Hnmense old bull muchocho rolling in mud. He sprang to his feet HUNTING LIONS. 397 jmmediatelj he saw me, and, charging up the bank, so frightened oui horses, that before I could get my rifle from my after-rider he waa past us I then gave him chase; and after a hard gallop of about a mile I sprang from my horse and gave him a good shot behind the Bhoulder. At this moment a cow rhinocerous of the same species, with her calf, charged out of some wait-a-bit thorn-cover, and stood right m my path. Observing that she carried an unusually long horn 1 turned my attention from the bull to her; and after a very long and severe chase I dropped her at the sixth shot. I carried one of my rifles, which gave me much trouble, that not being the tool required for this sort of work, where quick loading is indispensable. After breakfast I sent men to cut off the head of this rhinoceros, and proceeded with Ruyter to take up the spoor of the bull wounded m the morning. We found that he was very severely hit, and, having followed the spoor for about a mile through very dense thorn-cover, he suddenly rustled out of the bushes close ahead of us, accompanied by a whole host of rhinoceros birds. I mounted my horse and gave him chase, and in a few minutes he had received four severe shots. I managed to turn his course towards camp, when I ceased firing, as ^e seemed to be nearly done up, and Ruyter and I rode slowly behind him, occasionally shouting to guide his course. Presently, however, Chukuroo ceased taking any notice of us, and held leisurely on for the river, into a shallow part of which he walked, and after panting there and turning about for a quarter of an hour he fell over and expired. This was a remarkably fine old bull, and from his dentition It was not improbable that a hundred summers had seen him roaming as a peaceful denizen of the forests and open glades along the fair banks of the secluded Mariqua. During our march on the 19th we had to cross a range of very rocky hills, covered with large loose stones; and all hands were re- quired to be actively employed for about an hour in clearing them out of the way to permit the wagons to pass. The work went on fast and furious, and the quantity of stones cleared was immense. W« had now reached the spot where we were obliged to bid adieu to the Mariqua, and hold a westerly course across t>»- country for Sichely 898 HUNTING ADVENTURES. At sundown we halted under a lofty mountain, tlie highest in the district, called " Lynche a Cheny/' or the Monkey's Mountain. Next day at an early hour I rode out with Ruyter to hunt ; my camp being entirely without flesh, and we having been rationed on very tough old rhinoceros for several days past. It was a cloudy morning, and soon after starting it came on to rain heavily. I, how- ever, held on, skirting a fine well-wooded range of mountains, and after riding several miles I shot a zebra. Having covered the carcass well over with branches to protect it from the vultures, I returned to camp, and, inspanning my wagons, took it up on the march. We continued trekking on until sundown, when we started an immense herd of buffaloes, into which I stalked and shot a huge old bull. Our march this evening was through the most beautiful country I nad ever seen in Africa. We skirted along an endless range of well- wooded stony mountains lying on our left, whilst to our right the country at first sloped gently off, and then stretched away into a level green forest (occasionally interspersed with open glades,) boundless as the ocean. This green forest was, however, relieved in one direction j)y a chain of excessively bold, detached, well-wooded, rocky, pyra- midal mountains, which stood forth in grand relief. In advance the picture was bounded by forest and mountain ; one bold acclivity, in Bhape a dome, standing prominent among its fellows. It was a lovely evening : the sky, overcast and gloomy, threw an interesting, wild, mysterious coloring over the landscape. I gazed forth upon the ro- mantic scene before me with intense delight, and felt melancholy and sorrowful at passing so fleetingly through it, and I could not help ehouting out as I marched along, " Where is the coward who would not dare to die for such a land V* In the morning we held for a fountain some miles ahead in a gorge in the mountains. As we approached the fountain, and were passing close in under a steep rocky hill side, well wooded to its summit, I unexpectedly beheld a lion stealing up the rocky face, and halting behind a tree, he stood overhauling us for some minutes. I re- solved to give him battle, and seizing my rifle marched against him, followed by Carey, carrying a spare gun, and by three men leading my dogs, now reduced to eight. When we got close in to the base HUNTING LIONS. 401 of the mountain, we found ourselves enveloped in dense a jungle, which extended half way to its summit, and entirely obscured from our eyes objects which were quite apparent from the wagons. 1 slipped my dogs, however, which, after snuffing about, took righ up the steep face on the spoor of the lions, for there was a troop of them — a lion and four lionesses. The people at the wagons saw the chase in perfection. Whoc the lions observed the dogs coming on, they took right up, and three of them crossed over the sky ridge. The dogs, however, turned one old rattling lioness, which came rumbling down through the cover, close past me. I ran to meet her, and she came to bay in an open spot near the base of the mountain, whither I quickly followed; and coming up within thirty yards, bowled her over with my first shot, which broke her back. My second entered her shoulder ; and fear- ing that she might hurt any of the dogs, as she still evinced signs of life, I finished her with a third in the breast. The bellies (f all the four lions were much distended by some game they had been gorging, no doubt a buffalo, as a large herd started out of the j angle immediately under the spot wh<»jre the noble be&sts were first disturbed S6 CHAPTER LXV. ROCTT3RNAL ADVENTURE WITH SIX LIONS >luT content with encountering four lions at once, Mr. (Jnmnuag, on a certain occasion, gave battle to six. He thus describes thia adventure. On the afternoon of the 4th, I deepened my hole and watched the water. As the sun went down two graceful springboks and a herd of pallah came and drank, when I shot the best pallah in the troop. At night I watched the water with Kleinboy : very soon a cow black rhinoceros came and drank, and got off for the present with two balls in her. A little afterwards two black rhinoceroses and two white ones came to the water-side. We both fired together at the finest of the two black rhinoceroses ; she ran three hundred yards, and fell dead. Soon after this the other black rhinoceros came up again and stood at the water-side; I gave her one ball after the shoulder ; she ran a hundred yards and fell dead. In half an hour a third old borele appeared, and, having inspected the two dead ones, he came up to the water-side. We fired together; he ran two hun- dred yards and fell dead. I felt satisfied with our success, and gave it up for the night. By the following evening the natives had cleared away the greater part of the rhinoceroses which lay right in the way of the game ap- proaching the water; I, however, enforced their leaving the third rhinoceros, which had fallen on the bare rising ground, almost oppo- eite my hiding-place, in the hope of attracting a lion, as 1 intended to watch the water at night. Soon after the twilight had died away, I went down to my hole with Kleinboy and two natives, who C402J HUNTING LIONS. 405 lay concealed in another hole, with Wolf and Boxer ready to slip, in the event of wounding a lion. On reaching the water I looked towards the carcass of the rhino- ceros, and, to my astonishment, I beheld the ground alive with large creatures, as though a troop of zebras were approaching the fountain to drink. Kleinboy remarked to me that a troop of zebras were standing on the height. I answered, " Yes ;" but I knew very well that zebras would not be capering around the carcass of a rhj noceros. I quickly arranged my blankets, pillow, and guns in t> j hole, and then lay down to feast my eyes on the interesting sight before me. It was bright moonlight, as clear as I need wish, and within one night of being full moon. There were six lar^e lions, about twelve or fifteen hyaenas, and from twenty to thirty ja^jkals, feasting on and around the carcasses of the three rhinoceroses. Thfl lions feasted peacefully, but the hyaenas and jackals fought over every mouthful, and chased one another round and round the car- casses, growling, laughing, screeching, chattering, and howling with- out intermission The hyaenas did not seem afraid of the lions, although they always gave way before them ; for I observed that they followed them in the most disrespectful manner, and stood laughing, one or two on either side, when any lions came after their comrades to examine pieces of skin or bones which they were dragging away. I had lain watching this banquet for about three hours, in the strong hope that, when the lions had feasted, they would come and drink. Two black and two white rhinoceroses had made their appearence, but, scared by the smell of the blood, they had made off. At length the lions sut^med satisfied. They all walked about with their heads up, and seemed to he thinking about the water ; and in two minutes one of them turner his face towards me, and came on ; he was immediately followed by a second lion, and in half a minuto by the remaining four. It was a decided and general move, they were all coming to drink right bang in my face, within fifteen yards of me I charged the unfortunate, pale, and panting Kleinboy to convert himself into a stone, and knowing, from old spoor, exactly where iLey would drink, I cocked my left barrel, and placed myself and 406 HUNTING ADVENTURES. gun in position. The six lions came steadily on along the stony ridge, until within sixty yards of me, when they halted for a minuta to reconnoitre. One of them stretched out his massive arms on the rock and lay down ; the others then came on, and he rose and brought up the rear. They walked, as i had anticipated, to the old drink- ing-place, and three of them had put down their heads and were lapping the water loudly, when Kleinboy thought it necessary to shove up his ugly head. I turned my head slowly to rebuke him^ and again turning to the lions I found myself discovered. An old lioness, who seemed to take the lead, had detected me, and with her head high, and her eyes fixed full upon me, she was coming slowly round the corner of the little vley to cultivate further my acquaintance. This unfortunate proceeding put a stop at once to all further contemplation. I thought, in my haste, that it was perhaps most prudent to shoot this lioness, especially as none of the others had noticed me. I accordingly moved my arm and covered her ; she saw me move and halted, exposing a full broadside. I fired ; the ball entered one shoulder and passed out behind the other. She then bounded forward with repeated growls, and was followed by her five comrades all enveloped in a cloud of dust; nor did they stop until they had reached the cover behind me, except one old gen tleman, who halted and looked back for a few seconds, when I fired, but the ball went high. I listened anxiously for some sound to de- note the approaching end of the lioness; nor listened in vain. I heard her growling and stationary, as if dying. In one minute her comrades crossed the vley a little below me, and made towards the rhinoceros. I then slipped Wolf and Boxer on her scent, and fol- lowing them into the cover, I found her lying dead within tw mty yards of where the old lion had lain two nights before. This was a fine old lioness, with perfect teeth, and was certainly a noble prize ; but I felt dissatisfied at not having rather shot a lion, which 1 had most certainly done if my Hottentot had not unfortunately destioyed Ht eontemplatioa CHAPTER LXVL A EAKV CHASE OF AN ELEPHANT. The i' )llo\*'ing narrative of an encounter with an elephant, is ana p/ the uiost interesting, of Mr. Cumming's adventures in South A frica. It occurs at the beginning of his second volume, as follows : I remained at Sabie, hunting elephant and rhinoceros with success, till the morning of the 22nd of August, when I inspanned, and marched for Mangmaluky, which we reached at sundown, when I drew up my wagons in an open grassy glade on a rather elevated cwsition, commanding a fine view of the bold outline of the surround l^g mountains. Oh the march I shot a white rhinoceros in the act of charging down a rocky face, with all the dogs in full pursuit of him. The ball disabled him in the shoulder, when, pitching upon his head, he described the most tremendous somersault, coming down among the stones and bushes with the overwhelming violence of an avalanche. On the 27th I cast loose my horses at earliest dawn of day, and then lay half asleep for two hours, when I arose to consume coffee and rhinoceros. Having breakfasted, I started with a party of na- tives to search for elephants in a southerly direction. We held *long the gravelly bed of a periodical river, in which were abund- ince of holes excavated by the elephants in quest of water. Here the spoor of the rhinoceros was extremely plentiful, and in every hole where they had drunk the print of the horn was visible. We soon found the spoor of an old bull elephant, which led us inio a ietae forest, where the ground was particularly unfavorable fol (409) 410 HUNTING ADVENTURES. spooring ; we, however, threaded it out for a considerable distance, when it joined the spoor of other bulls. The natives now requested me to halt, while men went off in different directions to reconnoitre. In the mean time a tremenduous conflagration was roaring and crackling close to windward of us. It was caused by the Bakalahari burning the old dry grass to enable the young to spring up with greater facility, whereby they retained the game within their domi- nions. The fire stretched away for many miles on either side of ua darkening the forest far to leeward with a dense and impenetrable canopy of smoke. Here we remained for about half an hour, when one of the men returned, reporting that he had discovered elephants. This I could scarcely credit, for I fancied that the extensive fire which raged so fearfully must have driven,, not only elephants, but every living creature out of the district. The native, however, pointed to his eye, repeating the word '^ Klow," and signed to me to follow him. My guide led me about a mile through dense forest, when w^ reached a little well wooded hill, to whose summit we ascended, whenc % a view might have been obtained of the surrounding country, had not volumes of smoke obscured the scenery far and wide, as though issuing from the funnels of a thousand steamboats. Here, to my as- tonishment, my guide halted, and pointed to the thicket close beneath me, when I instantly perceived the collossal backs of a herd of bull elephants. There they stood quietly browsing on the lee side of the hill, while the fire in its might was raging to windward within two hundred yards of them. I directed Johannus to choose an elephant, and promised to reward aim should he prove successful. G-alloping furiously down the hill, I started the elephants with an unearthly yell, and instantly selected the finest in the herd. Placing myself alongside, I fired both barrels behind the shoulder, when he instantly turned upon me, and in his Impetuous career charged head foremost against a large bushy tree, which he sent flying before him high in the air with tremenduous force, coming down at the same moment violently on his knees. He then met the raging ^re, when, altering his course, he wheeled to the right-about. As I galloped after him I perceived another noble •iephant meeting us in an opposite direction, and presently the gallant HUNTING THE ELEPHANT. 411 Johannus hove in sight, following his quarry at a respectful distance. Both elephants held on together, so I shouted to Johannus, " I will give your elephant a shot in the shoulder, and you must try to finish him." Spurring my horse, I rode close alongside, and gave the fresh elephant two shots immediately behind the shoulder, when he parted from mine, Johannus following; but before many minutes had elapsed that mighty Nimrod re-appeared, having fired one shot and lost h'm yrej. In the mean time I was loading and firing as fast as could be, some- times at the head, and sometimes behind the shoulder, until my ele- phant's fore-quarters were a mass of gore, notwithstanding which he continued to hold stoutly on, leaving the grass and branches of the forest scarlet in his wake. On one occasion he endeavored to escape by charging desperately amid the thickest of the flames ; but this did not avail, and I waa soon once more alongside. I blazed away at this elephant, until ] began to think that he was proof against my weapons. Having fired thirty-five rounds with my t\^o-grooved rifle, I opened fire upon him with the Dutch six-pounder ; and when forty bullets had perforated his hide, he began for the first time to evince signs of a dilapidated constitution. He took up a position in a grove ; and as the dogs kept barking round him, he backed stern foremost among the trees, which yielded before his gigantic strength. Poor old fellow 1 he had long braved my deadly shafts, but I plainly saw that it was now all over with him ; so I resolved to expend no further ammunition, but hold him in view until he died. Throughout the chase this elephant repeatedly cooled his person with large quantities of water, which he ejected from his trunk over his back and sides ; and just as the pangs of death came over him, he stood trembling violently beside a thorny t'fce, and kept pouring water into his bloody mouth until he died, when he pitched heavily forward, with the whole weight of his fore- quarters resting on the points of his tusks. A most singular occurrence now took place. He lay in this pos- ture for several seconds, but the amazing pressure of the carcass was more than the head was able to support. He had fallen with hii head so short under him that the tusks received little assistance from 4x2 HUNTING ADVENTURES. his i*gs. Something must give way. The strain on the mighty tusks «Tts fair; they did not, therefore, yield; but the portion of his head in which the tusk was imbedded, extending a long way above the eye, yielded and burst with a muffled crash. The tusk was thus free, and turned right round in his head, so that a man could draw it out, and the carcass fell over and rested on its side. This was a very first-rate elephant, and the tusks he carried were long and perfect. 5S5SO:^ charged furiously after me for several hundred yards in a direct line, not altering his course in the slightest i' :gree for the trees of the forest, which he snapped and overthrew like reeds in his headlong career. When he pulled up in his charge, I also halted ; and as he slowly turned to retreat, I let fly at his shoulder, ^' Sunday" capering and prancing, and giving me much trouble. On receiving the ball the elephant shrugged his shoulder, and made off at a free majestic walk. This shot brought several of the dogs to my assistance which had been following the other elephants, and on their coming up and barking another headlong charge was the result, accompanied by the never-failing trumpet as before. In his charge he passed close to me, when I saluted him with a second bullet in the shoulder, of which he did not take the slightest notice. I now determined not to fire again until I could make a steady shot ; but, although the elephant turned repeatedly, " Sunday" invariably disappointed me, capering so that it was impossible to fire. At length, exasperated, I became reckless of the danger, and, springing from the saddle, approached the elephant under cover of a tree, and gave him a bullet in the side of the head, when, trum- peting so shrilly that the forest trembled, he charged among the dogs, from whom he seemed to fancy that the blow had come ; after which he took up a position in a grove of thorns, with his head to- wards me. I walked up very near, and, as he was in the act of charging (being in those days under wrong impressions as to the im- practicability of bringing down an elephant with a shot in the fore- head,) stood coolly in his path until he was within fifteen paces of me, and let drive at the hollow of his forehead, in the vain expects^ tion that by so doing I should end his career. The shot only served to increase his fury — an effect which, I had remarked, shots in the head invariably produced; and, continuing his charge with incredible quicknsss aud impetuosity, he all but terminated my elephant-hunting for ever. A large party of the Bechuanas who had come up yelled HUNTING ELEPHANTS. 4x9 r)ut Bimultaneouslj, imagining I was killed, for tki elephant was at one moment almost on the top of me : I, however, escaped bj my activity, and by dodging round the bushy trees. As the elephant was charging, an enormous thorn ran deep into the sole of my foot, the old Badenoch brogues, which I that day sported, being worn through ; and caused me severe pain, laming me throughout the rest of the conflict. The elephant held on through the forest at a sweeping pace; but he was hardly out of sight when I was loaded and in the saddle, and soon once more alongside. About this time I heard Isaac blazinir away at another bull; but when the elephant charged, his cowardly heart failed him, and he very soon made his appearance at a safe distance in my rear. M3 elephant kept crashing along at a steady pace, with blood streaming from his wounds; the dogs, which were knocked up with fatigue and thirst, no longer barked around him, but had dropped astern. It was long before I again fired, for I wag afraid to dismount, and ^' Sunday" was extremely troublesome. At length I fired sharp right and left from the saddle; he got both balls behind the shoulder and made a long charge after me, rum- bling and trumpeting as before. The whole body of the Bamang- wato men had now come up, and were following a short distance be- hind me. Among these was Mollyeon, who volunteered to help; and being a very swift and active fellow, he rendered me important ser- vice by holding my fidgety horse's head while I fired and loaded. I then fired six broadsides from the saddle, the elephant charging almost every time, and pursuing us back to the main body in our rear, who fled in all directions as he approached. The sun had now sunk behind the tops of the trees; it would very soon be dark, and the elephant did not seem much distressed, notwithstanding all he had received. I recollected that my time was short, therefore at once rcsolvsd to fire no more from the saddle, but to go close up to him and fire on foot. Riding up to him I dis- mounted, and, approaching very near, I gave it him right and left in the side of (he head, upon which he made a long and determined charge after me ; but I was now very reckless of his charges, for I saw that he could not overtake me, and in a twinkling I was loaded, 420 HUNTING ADVENTURES. aDd, again approaching, I fired sharp right and left behind hia shoulder. Again he charged with a terrific trumpet, which sent " Sunday" flying through the forest. This was his i.ast charge. The wounds which he had received began to tell on his constitution, and he now stood at bay beside a thorny tree, with the dogs barking around him. These, refreshed by the evening breeze, and perceiv- ing that it was nearly over with the elephant, had once more come to my assistance. Having loaded, I drew near and fired right and left at his forehead. On receiving these shots, instead of charging he tossed his trunk up and down, and by various sounds and motions, most gratifying to the hungry natives, evinced that his demise was near. Again I loaded, and fired my last shot behind his shoulder ; on received it, he turned round the bushy tree beside which he stood, and I ran round to give him the other barrel, but the mighty old monarch of the forest needed no more ; before I could clear the bushy tree he fell heavily on his side, and his spirit had fled. My feelings at this moment can only be understood by a few brothel Nimrods, who have had the good fortune to enjoy a similar encouD er I neve felt so gratified on any former occasion as I did then. ^q^fUMAJIr ESTABLISHED 1875. CHAFkER^LXVni. ^^ £ MODERN ^%^&#^^%^ %-^«^«* The following is an account of an adventure wMch occurred \a Frank Forrester, in America. A large bear was traced to a cavern in the Round Mountain, and every effort made for three days with out success to smoke or burn him out. At length a bold hunter, familiar with the spot, volunteered to beard the bear in his den. The well-aperture, which, alone could be seen from without, descended for about eight feet, then turned off at right angles, running nearly horizontally for about six feet, beyond which it opened into a small circular chamber, where the bear had taken up his quarters. The man determined to descend, to worm himself, feet forward, on his back, and to shoot at the eyes of the bear, as they would be visible in the dark. Two narrow laths of pine wood were accordingly pro- cured, and pierced with holes in which candles were placed and lighted. A rope was next made fast about his chest, a butcher's knife disposed in readiness for his grasp, and his musket loaded with two good ounce bullets, well wrapped in greased buckskin. Gradually he disappeared thrusting the lights before him with his feet, and holding the musket ready cocked' in his hand. A few anxious moments- — a low stifled growl was heard — then a loud, bellowing, crashing report, followed by a loud and fearful howl, half anguish, half furious rage. The men above wildly and eagerly hauled up the rope, and the sturdy hunter was whirled into the aii uninjured, and retaining in his grasp his good weapon ; while the fierce brute rushed tearing after him iven to the cavern's mouth. As soon as the man had entered th« (423) 424 HUNTING ADVENTURES. small chamber, he perceived the glaring eyeballs of the bear, had taken steady aim, at them, and had, he believed, lodged his bi^Ueta fairly, Painful moanings were soon heard from within, and then all was still! Again the bold m^n determined to seek the monster; again he vanished, and his musket shot roared from the recesses of the rock. Up he was whirled ; but this time, the bear, streaming with gore, and furious with pain, rushed after him, and with a mighty bound, cleared the confines of the cavern ! A hasty and harmless volley was fired, while the bear glared around as if undecided upon which of the group to wreak his vengeance. Tom, the hunter, coolly raised his piece, but snap ! no spark followed the blow of the hammer ! With a curse Tom threw down the musket, and, drawing his knife, rushed forward to encounter the bear single handed. What would have been his fate had the bear folded him in his deadly hug, we may be pretty sure ; but ere this could happen, the four bullets did their work, and he fell ; a convulsive shudder passed through his frame, and all was still. Six hundred odd pounds did he weigh, an ] greit were the rejoicings at his destruotiou. CHAPTER LXIX. A LION HUNT ON THE RIVER MARIQUA. We trekked up along the banks of the river for the llariqaa, says Mr. Gumming, and a little before sundown fell in with two enormous herds of buffaloes, one of which, consisted chiefly of bulls, stood under the shady trees on one side of the bank, whilst the other, composed chiefly of cows and calves, stood on the opposite side, a little higher up the river. In all there were at least three hundred. Thinking it probable that if I hunted them 1 might kill Bome old bull with a head perhaps worthy of my collection, I orderef my men to outspan, and having saddled steeds, I gave chase to the herd of bulls, accompanied by Booi and my dogs. After a short burst they took through the river, where I lost sight of an old bull which carried the finest head in the herd. My dogs, however, brought a cow to bay as they crossed the river, which I shot stand- ing in the water, but not before she had killed a particularly favo- rite bull dog, named Pompey. I then continued the chase, and again came up with the herd, which was now considerably scattered ; and after a sharp chase, part of which was through thick wait-a-bit thorn cover, I brought eight or nine fine old bulls to bay in lofty reeds at the river's margin, exactly opposite to my camp; of these 1 singled out the two best heads, one of which I shot with five balls, and wounded the other badly, but he made ofi" while I was engaged with his comrade. In the morning I instructed four of my people to cross the rive* f ' bring ove4 a supply of buffalo beef. These men were very re. (427) 428 HUNTING ADVENTURES. luctant to go, fearing a lion might have taken possession of the carcass On proceeding to reconnoitre from our side, they beheld the majesti'S beast they dreaded walk slowly up the opposite bank from the dead buffalo, and take up a position on the top of the bank under some ehady thorn-trees. I resolved to give him battle, and rode forth with my double-barrelled Westley Richards rifle, followed by men leading the dogs. Present, who was one of the party, carried hia "roer," no doubt to perform wonders. The wind blew up th« river , I accordingly held up to seek a drift, and crossed a short dis- tance above where the buffalo lay. As we drew near the spot, I ob- served the lion sitting on the top of the bank, exactly where he had been seen by my people. On my right, and within two hundred yard? of me, was a very extensive troop of pallahs, which antelope invari ably manages to be in the way when it is not at all wanted. On this occasion, however, I succeeded in preventing my dogs from ob- serving them. When the lion saw us coming, he overhauled us for a moment, and then slunk down the bank for concealment; being well to leeward of him, I ordered my dogs to be slipped, and galloped forward. On finding that he was attacked, the lion at first made a most de- termined bolt for it, followed by all the dogs at a racing pace j and when they came up with him he would not bay, but continued hia course down the bank of the river, keeping close in beside the reeds, growling terribly at the dogs, which kept up "in incessant angry bark- ing. The bank of the river was intersected by deep water-courses, and, the ground being extremely slippery from the rain which had fallen during the night, I was unable to overtake him until he came to bay in a patch of lofty dense reeds which grew on the lower bank, immediately adjacent to the river's margin. I had brought out eleven of my dogs, and before 1 could come up three of then were killed. On reaching the spot I found it impossible to obtain the smallest glimpse of the lion, although the ground favored me, I having the upper bank to stand on; so, dismounting from my horse, I tried to guess, from his horrid growling, his exact position, and fired several shots on chance, but none of these hit him. I then commenced pelt- ing him with lumps Oi earth and sticks, there being no stones at HUNTING LIONS. 429 hand. This haa the effect of making him shift his position, but he Biill kept in the densest part of the reeds, where I could do nothing with him. Presently my followers came up, who, as a matter of course, at once established themselves safely in the tops of thorn-trees. After about ten minutes' bullying, the lion seemed to consider his quarters too hot for him, and suddenly made a rush to escape from his perse- cutors, continuing his course down along the edge of the river. The dogs, however, again gave him chase, and soon brought him to bay in another dense patch of reeds, just as bad as the last. Out of this in a few minutes I managed to start him, when he bolted up the river, and came to bay in a narrow strip of reeds. Here he lay so close that for a long time I could not ascertain his whereabouts ; at length, however, he made a charge among the dogs, and, coming forward took up a position near the outside of the reeds, where for the first time I was enabled to give him a shot. My ball entered Lis body a little behind the shoulder. On receiving it he charged growling after the dogs, but no farther than the edge of the reeds, out of which he was extremely reluctant to move. I gave him a second shot, firing for his head; my ball entered his eye, and passed through the back of the roof of his mouth. The lion then sprang up, and facing about, dashed through the /eeds, and plunged into the river, across which he swam, dyeing the waters with his blood; one black dog, named ''Schwart," alone pursued him. A huge crocodile, attracted by the blood, followed in jheir wake, but fortunately did not take my dog, which I much feared he would do. Present fired at the lion as he swam, and missed him ; both my barrels were empty. Before, however, the lion could make the opposite bank, I had one loaded without patch, and just as his feet grazed the ground I made a fine shot at his neck, and turned him over dead on the spot. Present, Carollus, and Adonis, then swam in and brought him through. We landed him by an old hippopotamus foot-path, and, the day being damp and cold, we kindled a fire, beside which we skinned him. While this was going forward I had a painful duty to perform viz. to load one barrel, and blow out Rascality's brains, whom the lion had ut- 430 HUNTING ADVENTURES. ierlj disabled in his after-quarters. Thus ended this protracted and all but unsuccessful hunt ; for when I at length managed to shoot him, the dogs were quite tired of it, and, the reeds being green, I eould not have set them on fire to force him out. The lion proved to be a first-rate one ; he was in the prime of life and had an exquisitely beautiful coat of hair. His mane was not ?ery rank ; his awful teeth were quite perfect, a thing which in lion^ of his age is rather unusual ; and he had the finest tuft of hair on the end of his tail that I had ever seen on a lion. In the chase my after-rider, who fortunately did not carry my rifle, got a tremenduous capsize from bad riding, a common occurrence with most after-riders who have been employed in my service. The afternoon was spent in drying the wet mane of the lion, skinning out the feet, and pre- serving the skin with alum and arsenical soap. CHAPTER LXX. SIR. w. c. Harris's giraffe hunt. Some of the best and most animating accounts of giraffe kanti Me contained in the work of Sir W. Cornwallis Harris. Of his magnificent folio, *' Portraits of the Game and Wild Animals of Africa/' we cannot speak too highly ; it is equal, in many respects, to the truly-superb folios of Mr. Gould. From it we extract the following spirit-stirring adventures : It was on the morning of our departure from the residence of hia Amazoola majesty, that I first actually saw the giraffe. Although I had been for some weeks on the tiptoe of expectation, we had hith erto succeeded in finding the gigantic footsteps only of the tallest c/ all the quadrapeds upon the earth ; but at dawn of that day, a large party of hungry savages, with four of the Hottentots on horseback, having accompanied us across the Mariqua in search of elands, which were reported to be numerous in the neighborhood, we formed a long line, and, having drawn a great extent of country blank, divided into two parties, Richardson keeping the right, and myself to the left. Beginning, at length, to despair of success, I had shot a hartebeeste for the savages, when an object, which had repeatedly attracted my eye, but which I had as often persuaded myself was nothing more than the branchless stump of some withered tree, suddenly shifted its position, and the next moment I distinctly perceived that singular form of which the apparition had ofttimes visited my slumbers, but ^pon whose reality I now gtzed for the first time. Gliding rapidly among the trees, above the topmost bran les, of many of which ita 28 (43i5) 434 HUNTING ADVENTURES. graceful head nodded like some lofty pine, all doubt was in another moment at an end — it was the stately, the long-sought giraffe, and, putting spurs to my hors.e, and directing the Hottentots to follow, I presently found myself half choked with excitement, rattling at the heels of an animal which, to me, had been a stranger even in its cap- tire state, and which, thus to meet free on its native plains, has fcllen to the lot of but few of the votaries of the chase ; sailing be- fore me with incredible velocity, his long swan-like neck, keeping time to the eccentric motion of his stilt-like legs — his ample black tail curled above his back, and whisking in ludicrous concert with the rocking of his disproportioned frame — he glided gallantly along *^ like some tall ship upon the ocean's bosom," and seemed to leave whole leagues behind him at each stride. The ground was of the most treacherous description ; a rotten, black soil, overgrown with long, coarse grass, which concealed from view innumerable gaping fissures, that momentarily threatened to bring down my horse. For the first five minutes, I rather lost than gained ground, and, despairing over such a country of ever diminish- ing the distance, or improving my acquaintance with this ogre in seven league boots, I dismounted, and the mottled carcass present- ing a fair and inviting mark, I had the satisfaction of hearing two balls tell roundly upon his plank-like stern. But as well might I have fired at a wall ; he neither swerved from his course or slackened his pace, and pushed on so far ahead during the time that I was re- loading, that, after remounting, I had some diffinilty in even keep- ing sight of him among the trees. Closing again, however, I re- peated the dose on the other quarter, and spurred my horse along, ever and anon sinking to the fetlock — the giraffe now flagging at each stride — until, as I was coming up hand-over-hand, and success seemed certain, the cup was suddenly dashed from my lips, and down I came headlong — my horse having fallen into a pit, and lodged me close to an ostrich's nest, near which two of the old birds were sitting. Happily, there were no bones broken, but the violence of the shock had caused the lashings of my previously-broken rifle to give way, and had do ibled tt»e stocks in half, the barrels only hang- ing to the wood by the trigger guard. Nothing dismayed, however, HUNING THE GIRAFFE. 43& Dy this b iavy calamity, I remounted my jaded beast, and one more gffort brought me ahead of my wearied victim, which stood still and allowed me to approach In vain did I now attempt to bind my frao- tured rifle with a pocket-handkerchief, in order to admit of my ad- ministering the coup de grace. The guard was so contracted that, in the tantalizing phantasies of a night-mare, the hammer could not be brought down upon the nipple. In vain I looked around for a Btone, and sought in every pocket for my knife, with which either to htrike the copper-cap and bring about ignition, or hamstring the co- lossal but harmless animal, by whose towering side I appeared the verie&t pigmy in the creation. Alas ! I had lent it to the Hotten- tots to cut off the head of the hartebeeste, and, after a hopeless search ia the remotest corners, each hand was withdrawn empty. Yainly did I then wait for the tardy and rebellious villians to come to my assistance, making the welkin ring, and my throat tingle with reite rated shouts. Not a soul appeared, and in a few minutes the giraffe, having recovered his wind, and being only slightly wounded on the hind-quarters, shuffled his long legs, twisted his bushy tail over hig back, walked a few steps, then broke into a gallop, and, diving into the mazes of the forest, presently disappeared from my sight. Dis- appointed and annoyed at my discomfiture, I returned toward the wagons, now eight miles' distant, and on my way overtook the Hot- tentots, who, pipe in mouth, were leisurely strolling home, with an air of total indifference as to my proceedings, having- come to th^ conclusion that " Sir, could not fung de kameel" (catch the giraffe,) for which reason they did not think it worth while to follow me, asi I had directed. Two days after this catastrophe, having advanced to the Tolaan River, we again took the field, accompanied by the whole of the male inhabitants of three large kraals, in addition to those that had accompanied us from the last encampment. The country had now become undulating, extensive mimosa groves occupying all the valley as well as the banks of the Tolaan winding among them, on its way to join "'le Mariqua. Before we had proceeded many hun- dred yards, our progress was opposed by a rhinocer-)s, who looked in defiance, but quickly took the hint we gave him to get out of the way. Two fat elands had been pointed out at the verge of the copw t36 HUNTING ADVENTURIJS. the moment before. One jf which Richardson di?posed of ifith bul little difficulty, the other xeading me through all the intricacies of the labyrinth to a wide plain on the opposite side. On entering which, I found the fugitive was prostrate at my feet in i,he middle of a troop of giraffes, who stooped their long necks, astounded at the intrusion, :hen consulted a moment how they should best escape the impending danger, and in another they were sailing away at their utmost speed. 1 o have followed upon my then jaded horse would have been absurd, and I was afterward unable to recover any trace of them. Many days elapsed before we again saw the tall giraffe, nor were our eyes gladdened with his sight until after we had crossed *he Cashan Mountains to the country of the Baquaina, for the express purpose of seeking for him. After the many contretemps, how shall I express the sensations I experienced as, on a cool November evening, after rapidly following some fresh traces in profound silence, for sev- eral miles, I at length counted from the back of *' Breslau," my most trusty steed, no fewer than thirty-two of various sizes industriously stretching their peacock necks to crop the tiny leaves that fluttered above their heads, in a flowering mimosa grove which beautified the Ecenery. My heart leaped within me, and my blood coursed like quicksilver through my veins, for, with a firm wooded plain before mo, I knew they were mine; but, although they stood within a hun- dred yards of me, having previously determined to try the " boarding^* system, reserved my fire. Notwithstanding that I had taken the field expressly to look foi giraffes, and in consequence of several of the remarkable spoors of these animals having been seen the evening before, had taken four mounted Hottentots in my suite, all excepting Piet had, as usual, slipped off unperceived in pursuit of a troop of koodoos. Our steal- thy approach was soon opposed by an ill-natured rhinoceros, which, with her old fashioned calf, stood directly in our path, and the twinkling of her bright little eyes, accompanied by a restless rolling of the body, giving earnest of her mischievous intentions, I directed Piet to salute her with a broadside, at the same time putting spurs to my horse. At the report of the gun, and sudden clatter of the hoofs- away bounded the herd in grotesque confusion, clearing the HUNTING THE GIRAFFE. 437 gr-mnd by a succession of frog-like leaps, and leaving me far ir the rear. Twice were their towering forms concealed from view by a park ct trees, which we entered at the same instant, and twic3, on emerging from the labyrinth, did I perceive them tilting over an eminence far in advance, their sloping backs reddening in the sun- shine, as with giant port they topped the ridges in right gallant style. A white turban that I had round my hunting cap, being drawn off by a projecting bough, was instantly charged and tramplea , under foot by three rhinoceroses, and long afterward, looking over ujy shoulder, I could perceive the ungainly brutes in the rear faggmg themselves to overtake me. In the course of five minutes the fugi- tives arrived at a small river, the treacherous sands of which receiv- ing their spider-legs, their flight was greatly retarded, and by the time they had floundered to the opposite side and scrambled to the top of the bank, I could perceive that their race was run. Patting the neck of my good steed, I urged him again to his utmost, and in- stantly found myself aside of the herd. The lordly chief being readily distinguishable from the rest by his dark chestnut robe, and superior stature, I applied the muzzle of my rifle behind his dappled shoulder with my right hand, and drew both triggers; but he still continued to shuffle along, and being afraid of losing him should I dismount, among the extensive mimosa groves with which the land- scape was now obscured, I sat in my saddle, loadm^ and firing be- hind the elbow, and then placing myself across his path to obstruct his progress. Mute, dignified, and majestic stood the unfortunate victim, occasionally stooping his elastic neck towards his persecutor, the tears trickling from the lashes of his dark humid eye, as broad- lide after broadside was poured into his brawny front. " His drooping head sinks gradually low, And through his side the last drops ebbing slow From the red gash fall heavy one by one, Like the first of a thunder shower." Presently a convulsive shivering seized his limbs, his coat stood on end, his lofty fn.me began to totter, and at the seventeenth discharge from the deadly grooved bore, like a falling minaret bowing his grace- 488 HUNriNG ADVENTUl ES. ful head from the skies, his proud form was prostrate in *he dust. Never shall I forget the intoxicating excitement of that moment ! A* lastj then, the summit of my ambition was actually attained, and the towering giraffe laid low ! Tossing my turbanless cap into the air, ilone m the wild wood, I hurraed with bursting exultation, and un- saddling my steed, sank, exhausted with delight, beside the noble prize I had won. While I leisurely contemplated the massive form before me, seeni* ing as though it had been cast in a mould of brass, and wrapped ia a hide an inch and a half in thickness, it was do longer matter of astonishment that a bullet discharged from a distance of eighty or ninety yards should have been attended with little effect upon suoh amazing strength. Two hours were passed in completing a drawing, and Piet still not making his appearance, I cut off the ample tail, which exceeded five feet in length, and was measureless the most estimable trophy I bad ever gained. But on proceeding to saddle my horse, which I had left quietly grazing by the running brook, my chagrin may be conceived when I discovered that he had taken advantage of my occupation to free himself from his halter and abscond. Being ten miles from the wagons, and in a perfectly strange country, I felt convinced that the only chance of saving my pet from the clutches of the lion, was to follow his trail; while doing which with infinite difficulty, the ground scarcely deigning to receive a foot-print, I had the satisfac- tion of meeting Piet and Mohanycom, who had fortunately §een and re-captured the truant. Returning to the giraffe, we all feasted merrily on the flesh, which although highly scented with the rank mokaala blossoms, was far from despicable, and losing our way in consequence of the twin-like resemblance of two scarped hills, we did not finally regain the wagons until after the setting sun beams had ceased to play upon the trembling leaves of the light acacias, and the golden splendor which was sleeping upon the plain had gradually pasr^ed away. Singular and striking as is the form of the giraffe, it only ftir« nishes a proof of the wonderful manner in which *a all wise Creato* has adapted means to ends. A vegetable fee4«j but an inhabitant HUirriNG THE GIRAFFE. 439 of sterile and sandy deserts, its long slender neck and sloping body^. enable it to reach with ease its favorite food ; leaf by leaf is daintily plucked from the lofty branch by the pliant tongue and a mouth- ful of tender and juicy food is speedily accumulated. The oblique and narrow apertures of the nostrils, defended even to their mlirgina by a chevaux de frise of strong hairs, and surrounded by muscular fibres by which they can be hermetically sealed, effectually prevent the entrance of the fine particles of sand which the suffocating storms oi the desert raise in fiery clouds, destructive to the lord of the cre- ation. Erect on those stilt-like legs, the giraffe surveys the wide ex- panse, ana feeds at ease, for those mild, large eyes are so placed tL at it can see not only on all sides, but even behind, rendering it next to impossible for an enemy to approach undiscovered. As we reflect on these and numberless other points for admiration presented , y the giraffe, we involuntarily exclaim with the Psalmist, " Oh, Lord 1 bow manifoM are thy works ; in wisdom has thou made them all !" " Nature to these, without profusion kind, The proper organs, proper powers assigned; Each seeming what compensated of course, Here with degrees of swiftness, there of foiv« } All in exact proportion to the state, Koihing to addi, aod notluiig to ftbfti*." CHAPTER LXXI. A BRUSH WITH A BISON. iJUiL loiiowing t .rilling narrative of a buffalo hunt, is by John M: Ufl^ Esq. We were now on the verge of the upper prairies, no longer ena- meled with flowers and flowering plants, but covered with a short, soarse, herbage called '' buffklo grass," on which the buff'alo loves to feed. These hunting grounds are far easier to ride over, from being free from vines and entangling shrubs which interlace each other in impenetrable masses, although the yawning clefts, made by the water courses, the» wallows formed by the buffaloes making baths for them- selves by ripping the earth open with their heads in soft, oozy spots, and the burrowing of that sharp and watchful little animal the prairie dog, cause both horse and horseman to run considerable risk when taking a spin over the flat. Hill and dale, bluffs and level, the land- scape broken upon the eye in one of those infinite and fruitful waters, strikes the mind with awe at its grand and boundless scale. The serious object of the expedition was now on the eve of being realized, and the land of promise being gained, every preparation had been made the succeeding morning for a regular buffalo hunt In addition to my rifle and pistols, I carri 3d a long lance with the shaft made of the toughest ash. This weapon I lound rather un- wieldy and awkward, and saw how diiTerent it looked in the hands of my companions ; but Hawkoye ii;sisted that it was indispensable, as I could not attempt the use of bow and arrow. Stripped of all superfluous garments, and fully equipped for the ex- pedition, my companions mounted their horses, with their lassoes uncoiled and trailing upon the ground, as invariably is the rule in (440) HUNTING THE BISON. 443 «f Ar or hunting, for the purpose of facilitating the re-capture of the animal should an unlucky separation take place between the rider and his saddle. Alike eager for the sport, both horses and men seemed to be moved by a desire to let no "important delay" stand between them and the consummation of their hopes, and, as we moved forward to give chase to the herds which were known to be in the vicinity, I thought that a finer set of Osage hunters, albeit the last of the race, never, perhaps, drew a bowstring or couched st lance. Indeed, nothing can be conceived handsomer than they looked, ds, with their bronzed chests and finely-developed limbs exposed, they sat upon their plunging horses like statues of faultless mould. A few had decorated their bits and bridles with blue and scarlet tassels, and not the least of the most gayly-decked was my retainer, Hawkeye, who appeared disposed to be equally conspicuous in field, or tent, or lady's bower. It was now that I rued the luckless mishap which cost me Sunny- eide, and learned — alas ! not for the first time — the true value of lessons taught by experience. For knowing how much depends on their horses, in expeditions of this kind, the Indians take the great- est care in running no unnecessary risks with them, although when in the ardor of the chase they ride like demons, and reck little of- danger to life and limb. As my wild colt had successfully given me the slip at the moment of anticipating his services in carrying me " to buiFalo," I was fain to depend still upon Nigger, who, Hawkeye swore by the shades of his fathers, would outstrip the best of the herd, " if I only drove my spurs well in and held them there." Certes, this was a fair specimen of Indian treatiaent to the horse, more particularly should his master be in possession of the white man's instruments of control. Delighted with making an exhibition of his horsemanship, and totally regard- less of the maddening eflfects of bit and spur, the Indian is never at rest with them, but keeps both at work with relentless rigor and perseverance. Among the red man's virtues, humanity to tho brute creation, or indeed to those of his own kind, can not be classed with an approach to truth. Without evincing any emotion of deep chagrin, Adonis was lef 444 HUNTi:^G ADVENTURES. behind to guard such goods, chattels, and provisions as would havi proved useless to have been carried forward, and as it was expected that we should be enabled to return to the encampment before night- fall, he was directed to hold all things in readiness, and more espe- cially to withstand temptation in keeping his mouth from the bung of my whiiky-jug. In an extended line, or by the familiar descrip- tion of Indian file, we began this march as usual just at ruddy day- break, and were not far advanced on the great prairie stretching be- fore us like a vast and limitless ocean, when Blackwolf, who headed the force, reined in his dark iron-gray steed with a sudden jerk whi^h sent him nearly upon his haunches. In an instant all was commotion. Arrows were drawn from their quivers, bow-strings were tied and thrummed, lances poised, and every eye directed to the spot on which the chief fixed his earnest and flashing gaze. Not two miles distant, and feeding in fancied security on a piece of table land as level as a bowling-green, a large herd of bufi"alo was descried, looking at the distance like so many black specks on the waste. Some I could perceive were lying down, and the scene alto- gether may be compared, without violence to the imagination, to what the tourist may witness by the aid of railways, within a few hours of any of our principal cities, and where no dread exists of Pawnees and Camanches. It was decided that we should head the herd, and endeavor to drive them back toward the encampment, in order to save as little time and trouble as possible in getting the meat and skins to that quarter. In prosecuting this scheme we had to make a wide circle from the direct course, and, indeed, it would have been impossible to approach them in any other way, as we were down the wind, and their powers of scent, like those given to the denizens of the wild in ge- neral, are of the most acute order. ^' You know, major," observed Hawkeye, as he turned our horses considerably to the left, for the purpose of covering our circumvent- ing manoeuvre under the screen of two lines of bluffs running parallel with each other, "You know, major," repeated he, with a slight twinkle of satire in his snake-like eyes, " for all de Britishers dat come here, say * you know' to every thing, dat hnSalo smell Indian HUNTING THE BISON. 445 mile off. No see far; but smell — Hah! no saying how far buffalo smell." Taking every precaution to prevent an exercise of these powers upon the force now approaching their precincts, our head and fioni of the party, Blackwolf led us, with consummate generalship, close to ^;he rear of the unsuspecting animals, and we were upon them with- out a single head being disturbed. At first, we gave ourselves to view from behind the bluffs, a few of the nearest jerked up their heads, and after a stare, remarkable for its brevity, erected their tufted tails over their backs and moved off not rapidly, but evidently preparing for a bolt. This example was soon followed by several others; but as the main body, consisting of upward of a hundreu, Still remained undisturbed, the signal for attack was reserved, as the first object in buffalo-hunting appears to be precisely ihat in our own glorious fox-hunting — to get on good terms with the chase. Cau- tiously, and restraining the ardent and fierce spirit cf our horses to tecp within the compass of control, we still slowly advanced in a doubie iine, while many of the animals knowing, like an old seasoned En- glish hunter when he catches a glimpse of the pack at the meet, tbs tun in preparation, pulled with might and main and almost defied tne .,talwart tug upon their iawa The pickets having been driven in, 1 noticed an animai of striking appearance surrounded by a knot of others, suddenly throw up hi!, head, and elevating his tail simultaneously with his pericranium, whee* suddenly in an opposite direction and gallop away, douotlessly, as fa.«: as his legs and hoofs would carry him. This praiseworthy precedent of self-preservation was immeaiaier, adopted by the entire family, and the patriarch, leading the way. found ready follow irs at a pace corresponding with his own. It was a moment of the most thrilling excitement of my life, as with a swoop the Indians dashed ahead, and with halter and reiii dangling free, to see their horses strain their utmost powers to out- strip the fugitives, and bring them within reach of bow and lance. Nigger, I may confidently state, did his best without the aid of Hawk- eye's cruel suggestion, although in a very short distance, it was con- •lusively obvious that he could not long live the pace wp were going 446 HUNTING ADVENTURES. At The pon^ however, with his ears thrown back like a race horse, at his final effort, and we were within a few score yards at the mo ment of Black wolf's bearing close to the right side of the nearest buffalo, and drawing his bow at the moment of passing, buried the arrow to the feather. In an instant the horse wheeled to avoid the thrust which the wounded buffalo often makes; but Blackwolf's victim was stricken in a vital part, and he rolled over struggling and bleed- ing in the throes of deadly agony. Right and left the Indians scoured the plain in hot pursuit of the doomed and frightened animals, and never halting in the chase, but rushing from one to another as thtt huge beasts shouldered along in their ungainly gallop down the val- lies and over the bluffs, and across huge gaping rents in the prairie, aused by the winter torrents, brought them to the ground like skittlea from well-directed hands. There appeared to be no chance for me to flesh my maiden lance, and I began to despair of adding a single head to the number slain, when I caught sight of a solitary fugitive stealing away through & stony ravine much to the left of the line which the rest had taken, and from his action I concluded that he had met with a wound which materially interfered with his speed. With an unequivocd disposi- tion to refuse taking any other course than the one he was pursu- ing, Nigger began to wrestle for the i^astership, and being encum- bered with my lance, I had some difficulty in pricking him toward the point where the buffalo, alone in his flight, was using his best energies to escape. The pointed iron, however, prevailed, and the plucky little horse, seeing the animal scramble over a conical shaped hillock in the distance, settling himself again in his best pace, and carried me forward in winning style. The buffalo in his stride is a most singular looking animal, pitch- ing to and fro in heavy lumbering fashion, and yet gets over the ground much faster than he appears. From the thickness of his foic- hand he is any thing but speedy on rising ground ; but on a level, or descent, he can play a merry Dat. He is, however, no mateh fof a horse under any circumstances, and under-sized as Nigger was, and notwithstanding the distance lost at the start, I have no doubt, HUNTING THE BISON. 44"^ had he not been crippled, but that we should have come up with the patriarch in a rua of somewhat longer duration. As it was, we were, in nautical phraseology, coming up with the chase hand over hand, and after floundering through a spongy bottom, in which were several ^fallows of some dozen feet in diameter made by the buffaloes, I found myself near enough to try the effect of lead, and dropping my l&nce to trail along the ground by a thong attached to my wrist, for I was not expert enough to handle both it and my rifle, as an Indian would have done without inconvenience, I brought the barrels to bear and gave the contents of both just as Nigger's nose was on a level with the haunch of one of the largest and blackest bulls that ever ranged over a western plain. With due regard for the preservation of himself, and possibly his rider, Nigger made an abrupt curve, and sheering off, almost at a right angle, avoided an ugly vicious thrust, which the bull might have made much more effective than my brace of bullets, had not the sagacity of the pony taught him to avoid it. Upon reining in my gallant and discreet little steed, and turning his head again to- ward the buffalo, I saw that he was standing still, and giving as bold a front as was ever offered to an enemy. Coming to a correspond- ing position, I deliberately re-loaded my rifle, and approached him with the greatest caution ; for whether he intended to wait my se- cond attack, or plunge forward and send me and Nigger skimming to some unknown corner of the earth, appeared a matter of doubt not quite made up. After a few brief moments for reconnoitring, I urged ray horse to advance to within less than thirty paces of where the bull stood gazing at us, with his curling mane and beard sweeping below his knees, and his distended jaws dropping foam, scarlet dyed with blood. Nothing, indeed, can be imagined more ferocious than the wounded animal looked, fixing the peculiar white balls and blaek iris of his eyes upon us, under his shaggy frontlet, with the expression of the devil in a mood far from funny. Think- ing it expedient to bring the contest to a conclusion without further waste of time, I essayed a manoeuvre in order to obtain a sight at a more vulnerable part of my victim's carcass than that which, as I had been given to understand by Hawkeye, his head presented. But. as as HUNTINQ ADVE^JTXJKES. the baited grimalkin turns to the worrying cur, so did tl e bull tun tyactly with my movements, ever presenting his head, and nothing but his head. This proving exceedingly wearisome, and quickly ex- hausted the shnder stock of patience with which nature supplied me at my birth, I resolved to try what a shot would do in the centre of bis forehead, and steadying my horse for a moment, snapped my left barrel at him, when with the crack he dropped down, and spurring forward with the belief that I had given him his coup de grace, \ was not a little surprised to see him again stagger to his feet, ready to receive me on his two short black horns, curved in the best possible shape for the ripping business. Perceiving, however, that notwithstanding the last bullet had only flattened on his face, he was fast sinking from the internal hemor- rhage caused by the two first, which brought him to a check, I determined, therefore, to expend no more valuable ammunition upon him, but inflict a final thrust or two of cold steel. Re-slinging my rifle across my shoulders, I for the first time couched a lance foi a deadly object, and i-ode at the bulFs flank ; but he was too quick for me, and turned, as if upon a pivot. Round and round we went Nigger, with pricked ears and nimble limbs, keeping a steady loot upon the bufi'alo's movements, and far from liking the loud snorts of mingled rage and pain which he momentarily sent forth as we whirled about him. But the attempts of the enemy to foil our par- pose grew gradually weaker, and at length failing to twist with his former adroitness, I plunged the head of the lance to the shaft in his body, and as I plucked it out, the crimson current of his life poured forth, and falling upon his knees, he rolled over dead without a struggle. Dismounting from Nigger, who steamed and reeked, probably from the combined efi"ects of fear and exertion, I commenced a close in- spection of my victim, and found that an arrow had passed into the fleshy part of the near thigh, not far from the hock, and, breaking within a few inches of the barbed point, left it buried there. The beast was certainly a fine specimen of the wild bull of the prairie, and might, from his huge size, patriarchial beard, and luxuriant mane irhich almost imbedded his head, ears, and horns, have roved maiif HUNTING THE BISON. 449 «iicoe»sive jears as the chieftain of his clan. But in a luckless liouf the Osage hunters espied his whereabouts, and within a short half hour of the discovery, not a single head lived, not a remnant was left. So occupied and engrossed had I been with mj own sport, that I had taken no interest in what was going on with my companions; but upon making a sweep of the horizon, I perceived a few in sight, scattered here and there, evidently occupiea with the carcasses of the slain. Climbing again into the saddle, I rode to the nearest, and found Firefly busily engaged in stripping a skin from a cow, and as it smoked from his bloody fingers, I must own, a slight nausea affected the regions of my stomach. Hot, naked, and fierce from ex* citement, the savage was tearing away at his butchering task, and 1 was glad to turn aside from the gory and sickening sight. The rest, he informed me, I should find similarly employed with himself, as the whole herd was killed, and seven had fallen to his bow. He boasted of having used but a single arrow to each head ; but I subsequently found this was not quite in accordance with the truth, although the first three had fallen as he described, at the first shot, and his quiver proved that many shafts had not been thrown away. Upon leaving Firefly at his truly dirty work, I put Nigger to a gentle canter, and soon passed several carcasses of the buffaloes stretched on the greensward, where they had fallen dead, or been disabled by the arrow, and subsequently lanced by the hunters who swept in the trail of the bowmen. Like flies collecting around carrion, so do the birds and beasts of prey hover and slink towards the scene of carnage on the prairie from every quarter, and with marvellous powers discover the spot where tiieir feast is prepared. In incredible numbers, ravens, bui- zards, crows, and others of the same large family, now wheeled, screaming most discordantly in the air, and packs of wolves appeared howling impatient for the banquet. The appearance of the animals in the distance is that of a flock of sheep, being generally perfectly white; but among some dozen or fifteen occupied a bluff" in the course I was taking, and howling a most dismal chorus, I perceived a jet black member, whose skin I felt desirous of possessing. It is dot, howevtr, an easy task to get on close term? with a wolf, unlesi 29 450 HUNTING ADVENTURES. gorging himself, when so reluctant is he to quit his meal, that, cra« ren-hearted as he is, he can scarcely be driven from it; but turning Nigger's head away from them, as if I intended in no way to inter* npt the assembly, I suddenly brought him in an opposite direction, upon getting on a line with the yelling crew, and, spurring hard, Bent them scampering at their best speed. It was a long, raking shot, but covering the knight of the sable hue, I pulled, and dropped him with a shot through the spine. He grinned most horribly, and snapped his teeth together like the rattle of castanets, as I rode up close to his side, and gave him his quietus with a pistol. There being an insurmountable difficulty in marking the spot where he fell, as neither tree nor bush was to be seen by which it could be retraced, I considered it advisable to make sure of my booty by car- rying it with me, and as I was not expert in flaying, I was compelled to lift the carcass, and, bearing it with me across the pony's shoulders, commenced a piece of diversion for my red-skinned friends, which lasted as long as I was with them. Seeing a group of hunters coming towards me, I advanced to meet them, among the foremost I distinguished the bold Hawkeye, who carried a large bale of hides in front of him, and in the same way that T was carrying my treasure. " Has major killed buff''lo V inquired he; but before I could re- turn any answer, he saw the quality of my prize, and bursting into a roar of laughter, exclaimed, '' Major's meat ! Ha ! ha ! ha ! Major's meat ! Nice roast, major, but herry lean !" The rest also were moved with equal mirth at the trouble I had taken at bagging a wolf, and I was twitted immensely by my fac- tious critics, who, had they been seen rolling on their horses, making the welkin ring with shout? of laughter, would have given a practi- cal denial of the solemn character assigned to them by the writers of fiction for the subscribers of circulating libraries. Notwithstand- ing the explanation given, I was frequently reminded of the great care T bestowed upon the carcass of the black wolf, it being alleged that my intention was to eat the most savory parts, only for th€ discovery of the error that he did not come under the head of game CHAPTER LXXn. GERARD, THE LION-SLAYER. The people of India, Turkey, and Arabia, who profess the Mahom- h^edan faith, are fatalists ; that is, they believe every thing that will happen to them has been decreed beforehand by God, and that it is therefore useless to resist misfortune, or in other words, to contend against fate. Clinging to this creed, they are naturally indolent, and comparatively helpless. They sink, whenever circumstances permit, into habits of voluptuousness, and endeavoring to fill up life with as much enjoyment and as little exertion as possible. They ar6» alike fanatics and cowards. Without energy to contend against a sudden danger, their chief virtues are submission and resignation Thus, at the appearance of a royal tiger in India, the population will retreat before him, abandoning their houses and harvests; and in Africa the Arab trembles when he hears the roaring of the lion,- - resistance is too frequently not thought of; one hides himself, and another flies, and the monster reigns, a terror and scourge. Such are the people amongst whom the hero of our story, Geraro, the lion-slayer, has won his laurels, — a man of delicate frame, but an iron heart, — poor in his fortunes and simple in his habits as the Arab of the desert; like him living on nuts and iates; drinking from the same springs as the lion whose steps he trajks ; exposing himself tc a thousand dangers, that he may be able to brave a peril greater than all ; and this without noise or edat, but with an unassuming modesty that is the invariable accompaniment of true merit. Jules Gerard Is a native of Pignan, where he was born in 1817, and having em (463J 454 HUNTING ADVENTURES. braced the profession of arms, joined the 3d regiment of cavalry in the French army of Algeria, as a volunteer, on the 23d of June, 1842. At first, absorbed in military duties and studies, he gave himself but little to the exercises of the chase, if we may dignify with that term shooting excursions, after such small prey as quail, water-fowl, rabbits, foxes, antelopes, jackals, and wild-boara, which were in abund- ance. From more distant enterprises, the soldiers were deterred by the fear of the panther and the lion, and the yet unconquered Arab. Nor were they less afraid of those vast swarms of deadly flies which haunt the heights of Algeria, and settle with such deter mination and vigor upon their victims, as to overcome the bravest and strongest man. The immediate vicinity of Bone, having submitted to the French authority, the garrison of that place had but Kttie to do but to keep a watchful eye upon the more distant provinces whose attitude was threatening ; and Gerard had little opportunity, therefore, of parti- cipating in the military service and glory for which he thirsted. In consequence of this circumstance, he was among the first to inscribe his name as a volunteer to serve at Guelma, an advanced post to the north of the lower chain of the Atlas, where he took part in various expeditions, between the years 1843 and 1846, and so distinguished himself by his valor, that he had twice the honor of being mentioned in the military despatches. It is not our province to record bis ex- ploits as a soldier. War is a capricious mistress. Her moods are variable. Sometimes she gives action and glory, at others idleness and discontent. Inaction is the purgatory of a brave and adventurous man. Against this common enemy, each soldier arms himself as his in- clinations direct and his resources permit. The book-shelf of a mill* tary man is soon exhausted. Men look anxiously about for other Bources of occupation and amusement. One night a soldier might have been seen climbing the ramparta, heedless of the challenges of the sentinels, and thus exposing him- self to the chances of an inglorious death. It was Jules Gerard, who had beard the howling rf wild beasts, und had set off to encounte* iheu y&wa bad reached Liir Ax. old li^n from the Atlas moun HUNTING THE LION. ^55 tarns is ravaging the country around Archioua, and innumerable victims, men as well as cattle, attested the terrible presence of the monster. Tne whole population is in despair, and cries aloud for an avenger. As an avenger Gerard offers himself. In the course of a few hours, accompanied by his dog^-called by tHo prophetic name of Lion— he has traversed the vast plain of GueL . *, broken by ravens and hidden streams, and clad by the untrained ixuriance of nature with a gorgeousness of vegetation far exceeding .xie richest productions of European climes. Gerard, having exa< mined the theatre of the enemy's depredations, and made himself familiar with the necessary landmarks, calmly waits the return of night. The hour of the evening watch has sounded. Refreshments circulate in the hospitable tent where the elders of the tribe are as- eembled, and one of the most gifted of the natives chants a long and monotonous ballad in honor of the renowned Arsenne. This Arsenne was by birth a Turk, who had acquired great cele- brity under the ancient beys of Constantino, as a lion-hunter, or lion- enarer. Sometimes aloft in a tree, sometimes buried in a cavity of the rocks, always sheltered in impregnable ambuscade, he killed a great number of these ferocious creatures without ever daring openly to face them. He wanted the glory of this exploit, or to speak more truly, he was challenged by his betrothed, and, in her sweetest tones, Bhe said to him one day, — ^' Arsenne, dost thou hear in the moun- tain the roaring of the lion V " I hear it," Arsenne replied. '' You must bring me his skin to-night; not as a new trophy of thy •ddress, but of thy valor. lu the open country only shalt thou attack him." Such was her command. She waited the result. To humor hia betrothed, the enamored Arsenne threw himself upon the track of ^^^^^^ His bones only were discovered at the foot of a ravine. ^ This little history imparted something of a solemnity to the occa. Si^n. Was it intended as a prudent warning against the rashne^a of his enterprise ? Or was it a last confession of humiliation on the part of the Arab, ip accepting the heroic protection of the /nfidcH 45(5 HUNTING ADVENTURES. \^^hateve^ the design, it missed its aim ; for the heart of Gerard, proof equally against intimidation and flattery, took note of nothing but the hospitality of his hosts. Having lighted a fresh pipe, and made his acknowledgements to his entertainers, he took his way to- ward the wood-clothed ravines, which seemed at this hour of the dusk to encincture the country of Archioua with a girdle of mourning. During the entire night he explored the district, but his search was vain ; not a trace of the foe he sought met his eye. On the fol- lowing day at the same hour he was at his post, scanning with eage look every ravine and hollow. in vain the hyaena and the jackal bounded howling beneath his feet. Thr panther himself had been deemed unworthy of his arras, or rather of t^e solitary shot it was in his power to discharge; for by accident ne of ehe locks of his musket had become broken. An old Roman, interacting the mischance as an augury, would have retraced his Bteps J but Gerard was only rendered by it the more daring, as placing himself more on an equality with the noble beast. It will now, he 8aid, be lion matched against lion. At length, about eight o'clock in the evening of the 8th of July, a terrific howling, repeated again and again by many-voiced echo, was heard to issue from a neighboring ravine. At the dread sound of its notfs all nature seemed abashed into silence, and the cattle crept awaj, and him themselves. Gerard was impatient for the fray; his heart beat high, and his breast expanded. He essayed to tear away the branches that sepa- rated him from the enemy, who he feared might yet retreat, and de- cline * 9 combat. Eagerly his eye penetrated the gloom. He removed in a ' minutes the last screen. His watchful dog followed his mas* J eye, and suddenly crouched at his feet, without uttering so mur d as a cry of terror ; for fear had paralyzed his voice. It was a sublime and imposing sight, that forest king, in all his colossal proportions, his shaggy mane floating in the wind, his eyes on fire, and his mouth reeking with blood. He had planted himself within twenty paces of Gerard, whose pulse throbbed, not with fear, but, as he has related with admirable simplicity, with joy at having HUNTING THE LION. 457 reached the crisis of his enterprise, and finding himseif face fco fact with the enemy he had been seeking. The lion saw his antagonist, and did not attempt flight. Man. who had so often fallen before his midnight depredations, seemed to him an eany and certain prey. He knew not how Gerard was armed. Profiting by the few seconds, which seemed an eternity, during which the monster stood glaring at him, Jules schooled himself to lustain his flashing looks ; then bringing his weapon to bear with a oautious movement, so as not to excite suspicion, he grasped it with the firmness of a vice. His body slightly inclined forward, resting on limbs as immovable as buttresses of masonry He pauses a moment to steady his aim. If it fail, the monster will be upon him before he can reload. Life and death are at an issue upon tha* single shot. Now he is ready. Kis finger presses the trigger An explosion, of sweeter melody to the ear of our hero than strains of softest music, shows that the trusty weapon has not failed. Stricken between the eyes, the huge beast shakes the earth with a convulsive bound, and as the volume of smoke clears away, Gerard oontemplatea his victim gasping out its latest breath at his feet. As the news spread that the lion was dead, men, women, and children filled the air with shouts of joy. The traces of their de spair and misery passed away. Torches were burned ; guns were fired as the signal for a feast ; wheaten puddings, light beer, and bis- cuits circulated ; discordant flourishes of native music, songs and dances, made up an Arab carnival full of spirit and originality. The entire population presently poured along the path that led to the lion's den — their torches shining like a long riband of flame — and soon, illumined by the reflection of a thousand torches, thp monster was seen stretched out motionless upon the earth. It was one of the fiercest lions of Atlas, exhibiting the -^ery pe« faction of strength and beauty. On measurement, he was found t. l>e seventeen feet in length, and a thick curly and knotted mau veiled half of his huge frame. One instant kept silent by astonishment, the delirious joy of the multitude quickly found vent in shouts that rent the air. A thou land voices joined in one, like the voice of a thousand grains of 458 HUNTING ADVENTURES. powder uniting in the report of a cannon, hailecj Gerard as thi Lion-Slayer. Such was his first exploit in a career in which he has since gained such di?tinguished renown. The fame of his prowess quickly spread abroad, and innumerable applications were made to him for succor from districts ravaged by lions. The natives themselves are gene- rally too much terrified to adopt efficient means of defending themselves from the depredations of these monsters, and with all the extravagance of enthusiasm, hailed our hero as a saviour. They wore astonished at the courage and self-possession which dared en- counter these formidable beasts single-handed. Their own opera- tions, whenever the extremity of their peril rouses them to resistance, invariably take the shape of a combined movement on a very extensive scale. In the southern district of the circle of Constantine, for example,, the Arabs are accustomed to meet the lion in true array of battle, only refraining from the use of artillery itself, because they happen to be destitute of that resource. When one of the monarch beasts has been committing his depre- dations, the Arabs of the tribe which has suffered most severally assemble at some rendezvous. The horsemen then take up their position at the foot of the mountain where it is ascertained the lion reposes during the day, whilst those on foot, uttering loud shciits, advance in parties of thirty or forty to his retreat. At the first war-cry, the lion, if it is a young one, (and a lioness unless she have her young one with her will do the same,) quits his lair, to avoid a combat ; but as the mountains in this part are but scantily wooded, he is generally perceived, and a few shots are sufficient to bring him to battle. An adult lion will lazily arouse himself like a sluggard awakened too soon ; then, stretching and rubbing his sides against the bushes from which he has risen, and shaking his thick matted mane, he listens to the cries that reach him, and angrily scratches the earth with hia claws. Proceeding slowly to the nearest point of rock which com mands the country below, he looks around on every side, and when he has surveyed the scene, awaits the issue. HUNTING THE LION. 459 Immediately an Arab perceives him, he exclaims, in a loud voice, ^ He is there ; " and the cry, rising distinctly above the incoherent shouts of the multitude, is at once understood by all. Its eflFect ia instantaneous. Every voice is hushed to silence. Those to whom the lion is visible involuntarily stop and gaze at him, and the more distant parti 3s quickly gather to the spot. A long pause ensues. The Arabs examine the priming of their guns, and try the edge of their yatagans, (Turkish swords,) and the UoD licks his paws, and rubs his face and mane, as if performing his toilette before the battle. Then an Arab advances from the group, and addresses the majestic creature in language of defiance. He says, " Do you not know us, since you thus continue to stand before us ? Get thee up and fly, for we are the men of such a tribe, and I am ,^' proclaiming his name. The lion, who has made his meal of more than one native who had apostrophized him in the same valiant terms, disregards the warning, and with unruffled dignity proceeds with his toilette. Another of his assailants bids him begone; and not show- ing any disposition to obey, the ears of the poor beast are presently stunned with such a torrent of abuse, — in the midst of which may be heard the contemptuous epithets of "Jew," " Christian," "Infidel," &c., strangely mingled, — that enraged at the annoyance, he springs to his feet, and lashing his sides with his tail, marches on to thp attack. The combat begins. Blood is shed. More than one rock and more than one bush, are marked by it. It is the blood of the bravest, who were the foremost in the encounter. The footmen, wounded and repulsed, retreat before the enemy to the plain whore the cavalry have taken their position. Warned of the approach of the beast, these hastily prepare for action. They gallop wildly about, brandish tneir weapons in the air, and add to the confusioa by loud and discordant shouts. But the lion watches their manoeuvres, and maintains his vantage-ground. He will not venture out into the un- sheltered plain. Their utmost provocations fail. Some one must approach him and fire. There is a moment perhaps of hesitation, when an aged man, who has some kindred to avenge, addresses his comrades, " Young men," he says, " if any among you is afraid of death, let him go back." No one moves. The Arab who should i60 HUNTING ADVENTURES. retire at such a moment would be lost forever in the estimation o! his tribe. He who has spoken takes some steps in advance, and, deliberately taking aim, fires. Perhaps his shot goes home, and then the rest of the party rushing in, complete the slaughter of the beast. Perhaps he misses his aim, and the lion, rightly interpreting the design of the shot, becomes himself tlie assailant, and springs forward in a rage on his foes. Now the panic becomes universal ; there is an indiscrimi- nate flight, a few only, perhaps, reaihing ambush, and discharging their weapons from their hiding-places. If the enemy succeed in making a capture of one of his assailants (and this happens almost as a matter of course,) his deliverance may generally be effected by one of the horsemen rallying, and, at a proper distance firing. The lion will quit his prisoner to resent this new attack, and thus give his terrified prey an opportunity of escape, whilst he himself, exhausted in the fruitless pursuit of horses, to whom fear has lent wings, crouches down and awaits death upon the spot. This is the critical moment. The scattered riders rapidly come up ; an irregular fire is opened ; the lion receives, without moving, numerous balls discharged at the distance of eighty or a hundred paces ; but if any one more venturous approaches much nearer than this, the monster at once rouses himself, and either rider is torn from his saddle, or both rider and horse roll in the dust, and perish together. '^ I have seen many Arabs," says Gerard, *' who have been seized by lions, and have escaped at the commencement of an affray j but who- ever has the mischance to fall into the hands of one in whose body a dozen bullets have been lodged, is quickly torn to pieces. You may approach him near enough then to put the muzzle of your musket in his ear, and he will die before he will release his prey." Gerard was often questioned as to his exploits by the Arabs amongst whom he fell, and to whose tents his fame had been carried. '' How is it possible," they would say, " that alone, and in the darkness of night, you have been able to slay lions (unless you are something more than a man,) when we experience so much difl&culty, and en- counter so many perils, in despatching one on horseback and in open iay, — even after we have wounded him with eighty balls, and l