Norman Daily Independent. (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 150, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 24, 1909 Page: 3 of 4
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ING BIG G
IN EA
Elephant
Ivory
and How
It Is
Obtained
By Capt. Fritz Duquesne
Capt. Fritz Duquesne was born of
Barr parents in Soutli, Africa, edu-
cated in Europe (where he won con-
siderable distinction as a swords-
man), and has been a professional
hunter of big (/awe most of his life.
At the age of 11 he was a veteran of
the Kaffir wars. He served in the
Boer war and also in the Congo. In
the, recent events of South Africa's
kaleidoscopic history Capt.Duquesne
tool: a conspicuous part. He act-
ed in many capacities during the
hostilities between the Dot and the
British, being in turn spy, military
•detective, engineer, censor, dispatch-
carrier and propagandist. He was
wounded twice in the, fighting
around Colenso. II lien the, British
succeeded in cutting cable communi-
cation between the Doer republic
and the rest of the world. Duquesne
carried the news of the Iloer victo-
ries over the Mozambique border,
and from there he wrote dispatches
to the Petit Bleu, the official Euro-
pean organ of the, Boer government,
lie, was once captured by the Por-
tuguese and thrown into prison at
Lorenzo Marquis. Later he was ta-
ken as a prisoner fo Europe at the,
request of the British government.
When the ship that conveyed him
and his guard touched at Naples lie
was suffering from a fever and in
consequence teas placed in an Italian
hospital. On his recovery he was al-
lowed to go free. lie went to Brus-
sels and was sent back to the front
by Dr. Leyds, ivith plans for the
seizure of Cape Town by the Boer
commanders then mobilized ill Cape
Colony. Everything whs ready for
the taking of the city when, a traitor
having revealed the plot, Duquesne
and a number of others were cap-
tured in Cape Town inside the Brit-
ish defenses. This was the climax
of what has come to be known as the
"Cape Town Plot." Some of the
prisoners were sentenced to death
who later had their sentence changed
to life imprisonment. Capt. Duquesne
was among the latler. Ten months
later he escaped from the Bermuda
prisons, got aboard the A merican
■yacht Margaret of New York while
she was coaling at the dock, and was
conveyed to Baltimore. Back to Eu-
rope he went again, as war corre-
spondent and military writer on the
Petit Bleu; thence to Africa, where
he took a commission on the Congo.
In East Africa he hunted big game
for sport and profit, anil finally he
came to New York to do newspaper
and magazine work.
• experience Presl-
omb dent Roosevelt lias
' ■ f gained hunting
[ game on the North
American continent
will be of llltle use
to him on his expe-
dition into the wilds
of East Africa.
Hunting in America
Is a sport, something to be played at;
hunting in Africa is a trade, almost a
profession. In America one merely
takes a ride and goes out to shoot. In
Africa, to hunt a la mode, one takes
a battery of arms, usually three and
sometimes four, high power rilics of
different caliber, ranging from a six
and five-tenths millimeter to a 600
cordite express. The cartridges for
these rifles are charged with vari-
ous bullets, solid nickel, steel, soft
nose long, soft nose short and split.
Each of these bullets was designed
by experts for a special use, and on
the way they are used depends the
success of one's shot. Often the use
of the unsuitable bullet ends in the
hunter's death. On small game the
light caliber arm, six five-tenths milli-
meter, is used, and on large and dan-
gerous game the nine millimeter Muu-
ser and COO caliber cordite express
Klve the best results. The last-named
rifle strikes the enormous blow of
8,700 pounds, and has a recoil of close
on a hundred weight. That the man
whose hunting experiences has been
bring him down. The hunter must
put the shot into the animal's head or
heart, or he must face a charge that
will probably end in his destruction.
Rides of various caliber are carried
for economy. It is cheaper to use a
small six five-tenths millimeter ritle
on small game, a nine millimeter on
medium game, and a 600 express on
big game, than to carry one weapon
for all-round work, which would have
to be big enough at least for the
largest game. Nothing smaller than
a 450 express would do for that, and
It would be distinctly uneconomical,
not to say foolish, to shoot a small
antelope, the size of a goat, with a
600 express. It would be like using
a pile driver to kill a mosquito. Again,
cartridges become very costly by the
time they reach the interior of Africa.
A cartridge for a 600 express ritle, for
Instance, costing sixpence (12 cents)
In London, reaches an enormous price
by the time it gets into the hunting
grounds of Africa. I have Been them
bring five shillings ($1.25) each, and
very scarce at that. Nor is this such
an extravagant price when one takes
into consideration that every ounce
has to be carried by porters who plod
for months through swamps, across
rivers, over mountains, traversing the
parched veld and penetrating the dis-
mal forest, often fighting their way
foot by foot before they reach their
destination. It is easy to see that
weight is an important factor in cart-
ridge economics. Four six live-tenths
millimeter cartridges are equal in
weight to one 600 express. That is, it
is four deaths against one, for the
same weight.
These are the things President
Roosevelt must learn before he can
consider himself up on the ways of
safari.* If the president hunts like
are still thousands of herds of every-
thing Africa possesses for the hunter,
roaming over the veld only a few
days' travel afoot from the coast.
There are hundreds of rivers that
have rarely been visited by the white
man. On the banks of these streams
hippopotami, rhinoceroses, elephants,
leopards, lions, gorillas and dozens of
varieties of antelope, the names of
which have never been heard by the
majority of Europeans or Americans,
gambol and fatten in gluttonous plen-
titude undisturbed by the crack of the
600 caliber express. It is only in
reachable districts that the game is
killed to any great extent. The cost
and danger of hunting In most of the
country have protected it and will
protect It for many years to come.
Frightful Diseases of the Jungle.
Where game Is most abundant the
frightful diseases that nature seems
to have placed as a barrier against
the white man's invasion are also
abundant. In Africa's wild, beautiful,
mysterious forests, more to be feared
than all the lions and rhinos, lurk the
germs of the deadly blackwater fever,
malaria, science-defying sleeping sick-
ness and the unknown reason for the
veld sores that drain one's life out
in a few months. These, with the
•East African term for nn expedition of
any kind, especially a hunting expedition
mlasmal swamps, the noxious insects,
the slimy, poisonous spears of the
natives, make hunting In Africa no
game for the chicken-hearted.
Of course, hunting as a business is
one thing and hunting for pleasure is
another. It is possible to kill African
game to a limited extent without the
slightest hardship. One can go on
safari accompanied by natives who do
all the work, even to carrying the
sportsman in a hammock up to the
er. "The game that makes the story
Is the game that's missed," as the
Swahili (east coast natives) say, and
there is nothing truer than that say-
ing. as far as my experiences go, for
a bad shot nearly ended my trek a
little while ago in the I.ake country.
I was treking between Lake Albert
Edward N'Yanza and Lake KIvu, the |
greatest stretch of hunting ground in
the world, with a caravan of a hun-
dred men. We had inarched steadily
through the early part of the day and,
now that the merciless white-hot sun
was directly overhead, I called a halt.
Each member of the caravan threw
himself down In the shade excepting
my shikaree Nick, a "boy" from the
other side of the continent, a native
of Senegal, lie never rested, and as
he got a percentage of the ivory we
secured, he never let the soles of his
feet grow soft for want of exercise.
About an hour passed before Nick
same swinging into camp with his
white teeth gleaming like new swords.
I knew by his sinlle that there was
something afoot. He walked straight
to my elephant guns and beckoned
me. 1 knew he had struck a fresh
spoor (trail). Seizing my arms, I
signaled my gun bearer and struck
out, Nick leading.
Jf there are any elephants about at
midday, the hunter is pretty sure to
make a good bag, for at that time
they rest out of the direct rays of
the sun, dozing the hot hours away,
and are easily approached.
A Terrible Battle with Elephants.
After half an hour's walk through
grass that was at least. 20 feet high,
we came across a herd of about
twenty elephants, among which there
were some fine bull tuskers. As I ex-
pected, they were all resting out of
the sun. They were difficult to get at
i
WITH A ROAR HE CHARGED DOWN ON ME LIKE AN AVALANCHE.
an Africander and not like the av-
erage European that visits the dark
continent, he will certainly find
danger; danger that tries a hunter's
confined to bird shooting with shot-
guns, or small game, with, say, a 32-
callber ritle, may understand the
meaning of these figures, let me state
that the ordinary ;!2-callber rifle has
a refcoll of perhaps ten to twelve
pounds. The double-barreled shot-
gun, which to the ordinary hunter
seems to have all the "kicking" ca-
pacity any weapon needs, has a re-
soll of from 25 to 30 pounds.
The 600 caliber cordite express is
the most deadly hand arm made.
Notwithstanding the terrific force
of this 600 express bullet it must, be
placed in the correct part of an ele-
phant's or a rhinoceros' anatomy to
nerve, that requires ail alert intelli-
gence and a quick eye to pass through
it and live.
Mr. Cunninghame, wtio is organiz-
ing the Roosevelt expedition, is one
of the most experienced and clever of
African hunters. He will have com-
plete charge of everything from the
largest to the smallest detail. With
him at the head of things the presi-
dent can depend on having a success-
ful hunt. That Is, if he is going for
sport and not, merely as a scribe look-
ing for local atmosphere for his hook.
Many great African hunters have
killed all their game In the narrow
and dark confines of an Ink bottle.
Africa is a menagerie 11,500,000
miles In area, with the greatest com-
bination of lakes, rivers, mountains
and veld Imaginable, a veritable para-
dise for wild animals. Notwithstand-
luf t'd* destruction of big game, there
game, selecting tho correct rifle,
loading with tho proper ammunition,
pointing out the place to shoot at
and handing the hunter the weapon.
The hunter merely pulls the trigger,
after seeing that (here are a number
of shikarees (native hunters) in
readiness to protect him should
he miss his mark and the game
charge. As often as not he misses,
a shikaree shoots tho game, and
his employer gets the credit. It
is the dangerous side only of African
bunting that has any attractions for
the man with any sporting Instincts
in him, and it is only that side of
tho hunt that is of interest to the
laity.
According to present Intentions, Mr.
Cunninghame will take the Roosevelt
party over the route I have covered
twice, the last time very recently.
What I have passed through Roose-
velt must face. He will be lucky if
he comes out alive.
Like most lioers, I have been hunt-
ing, on and off, and associating wiih
hunters since I was ten years old.
Danger and hairbreadth escapes have
happened so frequently lo me that
most of my hunting experiences ap-
pear almost too commonplace to
record. Yet some of them stand out
vividly from the rest, especially those
of recent occurrence. It would be
impossible to hunt any length of time
In Africa without having some adven
tures worth relating; adventures in
which a steady eye, nerves nf steel,
and a brain as quick as lightning are
life-saving essentials to a big game
hunter. *
Most game drops at the first shot
from the rifle of an experienced huat-
I on account of the thickness of the
undergrowth. It meant a long, pa-
j tient crawl to a good shooting posl-
| tion, for to shoot at anything but
close quarters in such country meant
that tile bullet would be deflected by
the bush. 1 put a solid nickel ball in
the right barrel of my COO caliber ex
press for a head shot, and a soft nose
split In the left barrel for a body shot.
With the shikaree at my side and the
gun hearer at my back, we crept
silently, Inch by inch, foot by foot,
through the huge tufts of grass till a
good view of the game presented it-
self.
I took off my coat and hat, hung
them on a low limb and crawled a
few yards farther on. As I could not
get a vital shot at any of the ele-
| phants In their lying position, I gave
a sharp whistle. In an instant they
were upon their feet thrusting their
trunks up in the air to get a scent of
their enemies and holding out their
enormous ears to catch the slightest
sound. At last an old bull worked
into the right position. 1 aimed at
his weakest point, between the eye
and ear, and gave him the solid shot.
My aim was bad; a piece of his tusk
flew into the air With a roar he
charged down on ir.e like an ava
lanclie.
I leveled my express for a second
shot and the natives stood ready.
Down he came, the grass waving be-
fore him in billows. I waited 50, 40,
30, 20 yards, another second's sus-
pense and—bang! I gave hint the soft
bullet full In the chest. It failed to
stop him. A screeching roar of pain
burst from the charging monster and
blood gushed from his trunk, f
snatched my Mauser and Jumped
aside as he passed. My hat and coat, j
which were a ti w yards behind, at-
tracted his attention. With a snort
of satisfaction he crushed them dowu.
I gave him all my Mauser shots in
tile rear. With extraordinary sudden-
ness he turned. He sighted me and
charged, his tusks level wiih bis body.
My magazine was empty, l threw my
rifle down and ran, the elephant gain-
ing on me ai each step. 1 saw Nick
ahead of me with leveled rifle.
To keep running meant (hat I j
would soon be overtaken. Instinctive-
ly I threw myself on the ground and I
Nick fired. With a thud that made
the earth tremble the elephant
dropped. The huge trunk twisted like
a wounded snake lor u moment, and
then the gigantic body relaxed In
death. It all took about two minutes
to happen and was a pretty close
shave, but it was worth the trouble,
for the tusks wo got were big, weigh-
ing close to a hundred pounds.
The Killing of Nick. Hunter Boy.
\ few months after this occurrence,
on tho same trip, I lost Nick, my
Senegal "boy," under terrible circum-
stances. This brave man who had
hunted everything in Africa from tho
Cape to Cairo, and from Zanzibar to
llanana, boasted many a time that he
would never be killed by anything but
old age. Hut he was too sure. Long
association with danger had made
him careless, and this cost him his
life.
We were treking south toward Lake
Tanganyika along a native path run-
ning parallel with the Huslzi river. It
was frightfully hot, so hot that the
gun barrels burned our hands. The
porters staggered under their heavy
loads in a long string, mumbling
songs, each in his native tongue, to
keep up liis fagged spirits, ami the
sun rays danced in misty vibrations
from the parched earth. Suddenly tho
jungle ceased and we broke into the
open veld. Four hundred yards away,
coming in the opposite direction, wafl
a herd of at least twenty elephants.
They had evidently made a long jour-
ney and were suffering from the in-
tense heat Some of them were oecu-
pied in thrusting their trunks into
their mouths and drawing water from
their stomachs. With this water they
were sprinkling their sunburned
backs. This is a habit that elephants
always practice when they are over-
heated and cannot find the shade of a
friendly forest.
To me the sight of the approaching
herd was welcome. 1 saw ivory which
meant thousands of dollars to us if
we could get in a few good shots. I
ordered my caravan back into the un-
dergrowth. and, bringing up the shik
arees, prepared for the slaughter, f
loaded my nine millimeter Mauser
with solid bullets for long shots. At
300 yards I opened fire and the leader,
a fine bull, dropped in his tracks. The
crack of my rifle threw the herd into
consternation. They were not sure
where the noise came from, and they
as yet had not caught sight of us.
After a little indecision they kept on
the old route and marched toward us.
A hundred yards nearer and I gave
the nearest, another bull, my second
shot. It went wild. He shrieked and
threw his trembling head back and
forth frantic with pain. I had evi-
dently given liim a bad face wound. I
fired again and must have missed. He
saw me, and, trumpeting loudly,
charged down on us, followed by the
whole herd. I emptied my magazine
into them with no effect. Nearer they
came, their ivory gleaming in the sun
and the dust curling up in clouds be-
hind them. The ground vibrated like
a beaten drum top under their thun-
derous charge.
1 saw a tusk-crested wave of mam-
moths sweeping down to destroy us.
It was no time for inaction. The gun
bearer handed me the GOO caliber ex-
press. At a hundred yards I gave the
leader one barrel after the other. He
fell, and those behind tumbled over
him in a heap. For a moment the
mad charge was broken. 1 thought
we were out of danger, but another
leader forged ahead and bore down
on us. "Run!" I shrieked, and every
man made for safety, excepting Nick,
the coolest in the face of danger and
always the last to run. I threw my-
self behind a tree, just escaping be-
ing crushed to death. A screech rose
above the thunder of the hoofs and
the next instant I saw Nick hoisted
into the air with a bloodstained tusk
through his body. The infuriated
mass swept past, leaving a red
marked trail. 1 immediately set out
on the spoor of the herd in hope of
getting the body of the shikaree. Al-
though I searched till sundown I waa
unsuccessful.
That night I heard the lions roar-
ing down toward the river. The next
morning, with a few natives, I con
tinned the search, in the direction
that the lions' roars came from dur-
ing the night. We soon sighted a
flock of vultures, a sure sign of dead i
game, and, coming up with them, wo
found the chewed carcass of an ele
phant and the scattered bones of a
human being, among which 1 found
Nick's hunting knif«- and belt. The '
wounded elephant had carried him on
his tusk till it. fell exhausted through j
loss of blood, and died. It was one of
the best ivory hauls I ever made at ,
one shooting and it was the saddest. '
Nick was a great shikaree. He pos-
sessed every attribute of manhood.
He died like many a hunter lias died.
Nick was the twentieth native that
I have lost on my various expeditions.
It was in the same country that on a
previous expedition a rhinoceros In-
vaded our camp and killed two native
porters, wounding three and giving
me a close call.
(Copyright, by HenJ. H Hampton.) j
0' Wilbur DNesbit.
\ Pl iM 11 ION
• nix? A';
I' M t
, lo« k• I tin; door
upon them all;
they're waiting
• mi tho walk—
o man ti teach
nn how to
In . it lie, the ono
who touches talk,
. ono who guar-
antors to give a
Kia'fful, easy
Kill I.
And all tho other
specialists; I'll
leave thom thcra
to wait.
I'm tlr.Ml, tired, tired
ami their books
nro on the shelf.
And for to-day I'm
going to bo my
simple, awkward
stir:
I ahull not draw my
breath Just a<y
and hold it while
I « onnt:
I do not care how
mm h I breathe,
nor measure thu
amount—
I'm simply going to
take my breath
so that It Rets In-
side;
The yearning of my muscles for a rest
won't bo denied.
(), what relief to draw a breath and not
think of the rules
For breathing from tho diaphragm, aa
ordered by the sthools!
To-day I shall not talk just so—I shall
not place my tones
So that 1 feel a tremor in the little nasal
bones;
I'll vocalise to suit myself; I'll turn my
larynx loose
And let It shuttle up and down and sim-
ply raise the deuce—
The elocution teacher Isn't hero upon tho
watch
And I intend to have a spree—a lingual
debauch!
To-day 1 will not hold my chin at Just
the right degree
Nor keep my bolt-lino gathered In and
ba'aneo from my knee;
I'll ^ilk just any way I please, Hat-foot-
ed, pigeon-toed.
Or any w i\ I feel Inclined that Isn't a
la mode.
I'll drag my feet, I'll shuffle them. I'll
step on too or heel-
And would that I had words to toll tho
tlufll of joy I feel!
I'm Independent for a day! I will not
hold tho thought,
I will not worry my poor bruin by think-
ing as 1 ought,
1 will not plumb my consciousness, nor
• iro
Aha! I looked outsid<> and saw my teach-
ers all had gone!
I'm tired, tired, tired—and their books
nre on tho slo lf.
And for to-day sit least I'll be my simple,
awkward self!
Owned by the British Public.
The. value of pictures In the British
National Qaifaij >• aUva*' ffi ?-"0,QQQ. i
QLD }\\N GlDDIES
Observes.
trouble with this
world Is that
everybody wants
to talk and no
body wants to lis-
ten.
l.otw of men
criticise the Cu-
bans for not run-
ning their coun-
try peaceably, and
then go borne and make the family
inhappy by kicking about some un-
• mportant thing.
Some people's Idea of patience la
"or you to stand meekly while they
get the best of you.
While I do not relish the idea of
kings kissing each other how-de-do
and good-by, still I doubt if either of
the kings accuses the other of having
been drunk again.
Here Is an epitaph you have never
seen: "He Never Made a Fool of
Himself."
Kzra Timnis is so afraid of being a
bore that he bores everybody.
A real statesman is one who can
keep right on looking dignified after
his collar has wilted.
Enterprise.
"No time to talk to you," growls
the man at the desk.
"nut I—"
"Don't want to look at anything, I
tell you."
"I merely—"
"Won't buy a thing."
"One moment, sir. I—"
"Can't stop to listen."
"1 simply wanted to get you to buy
one of these neatly-printed cards read-
ing. 'This Is My Ilusy Day' to hang
over your desk. Ah, thank you, sir."
Overly Enthusiastic.
That new man you hired yesterday
seems to be very enthusiastic about
his work. I'm glad of that. It Is a
good trait In a man," says the propri-
etor
"Yes," replies the foreman, doubt-
fully. "Hut Ihe trouble with him Is
thai he is so < nthuslustlc about his
work he wants to talk about it all the
time, instead of doing it."
Better So.
"The critics," growls the disgruntled
author, have roasted my book with-
out looking at it."
"You should not complain," sooth-
ingly says tlti- friend who has had to
read the story as a matter of cour-
tesy. "Think what they might have
said about it if they had lead it.
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Danner, V. E. Norman Daily Independent. (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 150, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 24, 1909, newspaper, June 24, 1909; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc106830/m1/3/: accessed April 18, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.