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diff --git a/old/54923-0.txt b/old/54923-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4199a20..0000000 --- a/old/54923-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6015 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's In Wildest Africa Vol 2 (of 2), by Carl Georg Schillings - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: In Wildest Africa Vol 2 (of 2) - -Author: Carl Georg Schillings - -Release Date: June 16, 2017 [EBook #54923] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN WILDEST AFRICA VOL 2 (OF 2) *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Kim, Wayne Hammond and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -IN WILDEST AFRICA - - - - - IN WILDEST AFRICA - - BY - C. G. SCHILLINGS - AUTHOR OF “WITH FLASHLIGHT AND RIFLE IN EQUATORIAL EAST AFRICA” - - TRANSLATED BY - FREDERIC WHYTE - - =WITH OVER 300 PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIES DIRECT FROM THE AUTHOR’S - NEGATIVES, TAKEN BY DAY AND NIGHT; AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS= - - VOL. II - - LONDON - HUTCHINSON & CO. - PATERNOSTER ROW - 1907 - - - - -[Illustration: YOUNG DWARF ANTELOPE] - -Contents of Vol. II - - - CHAP PAGE - - VIII. IN A PRIMEVAL FOREST 319 - - IX. AFTER ELEPHANTS WITH WANDOROBO 370 - - X. RHINOCEROS-HUNTING 431 - - XI. THE CAPTURING OF A LION 470 - - XII. A DYING RACE OF GIANTS 511 - - XIII. A VANISHING FEATURE OF THE VELT 550 - - XIV. CAMPING OUT ON THE VELT 578 - - XV. NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY UNDER DIFFICULTIES 637 - - XVI. PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAY AND BY NIGHT 657 - - - - -[Illustration: CORMORANTS.] - -List of Illustrations in Vol. II - - - PAGE - - Young Dwarf Antelope v - - Cormorants vii - - Spurred Geese 319 - - Views of Kilimanjaro 322, 323, 327 - - River-bed Vegetation on the Velt 331 - - A Fisherman’s Bag 335 - - Clatter-bills 340, 341 - - A Marsh-land View 346 - - Snow-white Herons 347 - - A Pair of Crested Cranes 349 - - A Snake-vulture 349 - - Preparing to Skin a Hippopotamus 352 - - Hippopotami Swimming 353 - - Head of a Hippopotamus 357 - - A Wandorobo Chief 359 - - Egyptian Geese 364 - - A Wounded Buffalo 365 - - Hunting Record-card 367 - - A Sea-gull 369 - - A Masai throwing his Spear 370 - - A Hippopotamus on his way to the Swamp _facing_ 370 - - Oryx Antelopes 374 - - Waterbuck 375 - - Wandorobo Guides on the March 380 - - A Party of Wandorobo Hunters 381 - - A Feast of Honey 386 - - Acacia-tree denuded by Elephants 387 - - An Oryx Antelope’s Methods of Defence 389 - - A Dwarf Kudu 390 - - Zebras 392 - - Giraffe Studies 392 - - Zebras on the open Velt 393 - - Laden Masai Donkeys 397 - - Pearl-hens on an Acacia-tree 393 - - A pair of Grant’s Gazelles taking to Flight _facing_ 398 - - Grant’s Gazelles 402 - - A Good Instance of Protective Colouring 402 - - Grant’s Gazelles 403, 408, 409 - - Young Masai Hartebeest 411 - - A Herd of Hartebeests 414 - - Hartebeests with Young 415 - - Waterbuck 415 - - The Skinning of an Elephant 420, 421 - - A Missionary’s Dwelling 424 - - Elephants killed by the Author 426, 427 - - Some African Trophies 429 - - Black-headed Herons 431 - - Rhinoceros Heads 434, 435 - - An Eland Bull _facing_ 438 - - An Eland, just before the Finishing Shot 441 - - An Eland Bull 445 - - Rhinoceroses, with and without Horns 450, 451 - - Snapshot of a Rhinoceros at twenty paces 455 - - Shelter from a Rhinoceros 459 - - An Emaciated Rhinoceros 461 - - Specimen of Stone against which Rhinoceroses whet their Horns 463 - - A “Rhino” in sitting posture _facing_ 464 - - A Rock-pool on Kilimanjaro 467 - - Masai Killing a Hyena with Clubs 470 - - The Moods of a Lion Cub 472, 473 - - Record of a Lion-hunt 479 - - A Lion at Bay 483 - - Studies of a Trapped Lion 485 - - The Lion ... had dragged the Trap some distance _facing_ 488 - - Carrying a Live Lion to Camp 489 - - A Captured Lioness 492 - - A Trapped Lion roaring 493 - - Flashlight Photograph of a Lion 495 - - Photograph of a Lion at five paces 499 - - Hauling a Live Hyena into Camp 501 - - Hyena Chained up in Camp 505 - - Masai making game of a Trapped Hyena 507 - - Specimens of Elephant-tusks 511 - - Record Elephant-tusks 513 - - A Store of Elephant-tusks 517 - - Auk and Auk’s Egg 521 - - Thicket frequented by Elephants 525 - - Velt Fires 532, 533 - - An old Acacia-tree 537 - - Studies of Elephants in Dense Forest Growth _facing_ 540 - - Elephants and Giraffe--a Quaint Companionship 544, 545 - - A Young Lion 549 - - Study in Protective “Mimicry” 550 - - Giraffe Studies 552, 553; 558, 559; 564, 565 - - Giraffes in Characteristic Surroundings _facing_ 568 - - Head of a Giraffe 569 - - Giraffe Studies 574, 575 - - _Giraffa schillingsi_, Mtsch. _facing_ 576 - - Crested Cranes on the Wing 577 - - Hungry Vultures 578 - - Pitching Camp 579 - - My Taxidermist at Work 581 - - Termite Ant-hills 583 - - An unusually large Ant-hill 587 - - Prince Löwenstein 589 - - Destroying an Ant-hill with Pick and Shovel 590 - - Serving out Provisions 592 - - Bearer’s Wife preparing a Meal 592 - - Young Baboons in front of my Tent 593 - - Young Ostriches 593 - - Marabou Nests 595, 598 - - Feathered members of my Camp 599 - - A rather Mixed-up Photograph 601 - - My Rhinoceros: in the Berlin “Zoo” and on the Velt 606, 607 - - How my captive “Rhino” was Carried to Camp 612 - - Carrying a Dead Leopard 612 - - My “Rhino” and her Two Companions 613 - - A Young Hyena extracted from its Lair 613 - - Vultures: - On the Wing 618 - Hovering over a Carcase 619 - Moving away from a Carcase 621 - - My Pelicans 623 - - A Siesta in Camp 625 - - A Strange Friendship 628 - - “Fatima” Prowling Round 629 - - Carrying a fine Leopard 631 - - Killing Game in accordance with Mohammedan rites 633 - - Cutting up the Carcase 633 - - A Trapped Leopard 635 - - The Baboon and the Little Black Lady 636 - - Moonlight on the Velt _facing_ 636 - - A Fowl of the Velt 637 - - A River-horse Resort 639 - - One of the Peaks of Donje-Erok 641 - - Drawing Water for the March 643 - - Vultures 645 - - Flashlight Photographs 648, 649 - - My Night-apparatus in position 653 - - A Pet of the Caravan 654 - - A Baobab-tree 655 - - Flashlight Photograph of a Mongoose 657 - - Apparatus for Night Photography 660, 661 - - Vultures contesting the Possession of Carrion 665 - - First Dry-plate Photograph, probably, - ever taken in the African Desert 667 - - Photographic Mishaps: - Cracked Glass Plate 669 - Plate Exposed Twice 673 - - Telephotograph of Ostriches 677 - - Photographs of Birds taken at distances - varying from 20 to 200 paces 681 - - Telephotographs of Birds on the Wing 683 - - Dwarf Gazelle, photographed at sixty paces 684 - - Jackal taking to Flight, startled by the Flashlight 685 - - Lioness frightened away from Carcase - by the Flashlight _facing_ 688 - - Aiming at a Pigeon and Hitting a Crow! _facing_ 688 - - Hand-camera Photograph of a Jackal 689 - - Photograph of a Jackal taken with my - first Night-apparatus 689 - - Flashlight Photography: my Native Models 691 - - Flashlight Failures 694, 695; 697, 698 - - Photographic Studies of Antelopes shot by the Author 699 - - Jackals _facing_ 702 - - East-African Antelopes shot by the Author 703 - - More Antelopes 707 - - Spotted and Striped Hyenas and Jackal 711 - - A Jackal in full Flight 713 - - Guinea-fowl 715 - - Farewell to Africa 716 - - - - -[Illustration: SPURRED GEESE (_PLECTROPTERUS GAMBENSIS_).] - -VIII - -In a Primeval Forest - - -Scenes of marvellous beauty open out before the wanderer who follows -the windings of some great river through the unknown regions of -Equatorial East Africa. - -The dark, turbid stream is to find its way, after a thousand twists -and turns, into the Indian Ocean. Filterings from the distant glaciers -of Kilimanjaro come down into the arid velt, there to form pools and -rivulets that traverse in part the basin of the Djipe Lake and at last -are merged in the Rufu River. As is so often the case with African -rivers, the banks of the Rufu are densely wooded throughout its long -course, the monotony of which is broken by a number of rapids and one -big waterfall. Save in those rare spots where the formation of the -soil is favourable to their growth, the woods do not extend into the -velt. Trees and shrubs alike become parched a few steps away from the -sustaining river. The abundance of fish in the river is tremendous in -its wilder reaches--inexhaustible, it would seem, despite the thousands -of animal enemies. The river continually overflows its banks, and the -resulting swamps give such endless opportunities for spawning that at -times every channel is alive with fry and inconceivable multitudes of -small fishes. - -It is only here and there and for short stretches that the river is -lost in impenetrable thickets. Marvellous are those serried ranks of -trees! marvellous, too, the sylvan galleries through which more usually -it shapes its way! They take the eye captive and seem to withhold -some unsuspected secret, some strange riddle, behind their solid mass -of succulent foliage. It is strange that these primeval trees should -still survive in all their strength with all the parasitic plants and -creepers that cling to them, strangling them in their embrace. You -would almost say that they lived on but as a prop to support the plants -and creepers in their fight for life. Convolvuli, white and violet, -stoop forward over the water, and the golden yellow acacia blossoms -brighten the picture. - -In the more open reaches dragonflies and butterflies glisten all -around us in the moist atmosphere. A grass-green tree-snake glides -swiftly through the branches of a shrub close by. A Waran (_Waranus -niloticus_) runs to the water with a strange sudden rustle through -the parched foliage. Everywhere are myriads of insects. Wherever you -look, the woods teem with life. These woods screen the river from the -neighbouring velt, the uniformity of which is but seldom broken in upon -by patches of vegetation. The character of the flora has something -northern about it to the unlearned eye, as is the case so often in -East Africa. It is only when you come suddenly upon the Dutch palms -(_Borassus æthiopicus_, Mart., or the beautiful _Hyphæne thebaica_, -Mart.) that you feel once again that you are in the tropics. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -VIEW OF MAWENZI, THE HIGHEST PEAK BUT ONE OF KILIMANJARO, TAKEN WITH A -TELEPHOTO-LENS.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -VIEW OF KILIMANJARO, TAKEN AT SUNSET.] - -The river now makes a great curve round to the right. A different kind -of scene opens out to the gaze--a great stretch of open country. In the -foreground the mud-banks of the stream are astir with huge crocodiles -gliding into the water and moving about this way and that, like -tree-trunks come suddenly to life. Now they vanish from sight, but only -to take up their position in ambush, ready to snap at any breathing -thing that comes unexpectedly within their reach. Doubtless they find -it the more easy to sink beneath the surface of the river by reason of -the great number of sometimes quite heavy stones they have swallowed, -and have inside them. I have sometimes found as much as seven pounds of -stones and pebbles in the stomach of a crocodile. - -The deep reaches of the river are their special domain. Multitudes of -birds frequent the shallows, knowing from experience that they are safe -from their enemy. One of the most interesting things that have come -under my observation is the way these birds keep aloof from the deep -waters which the crocodiles infest. I have mentioned it elsewhere, but -am tempted to allude to it once again. - -Our attention is caught by the wonderful wealth of bird-life now spread -out before us in every direction. Here comes a flock of the curious -clatter-bills (_Anastomus lamelligerus_, Tem.) in their simple but -attractive plumage. They have come in quest of food. Hundreds of other -marsh-birds of all kinds have settled on the outspread branches of the -trees, and enable us to distinguish between their widely differing -notes. - -Among these old trees that overhang the river, covered with creepers -and laden with fruit of quaint shape, are Kigelia, tamarinds, and -acacias. In amongst the dense branches a family of Angolan guereza apes -(_Colobus palliatus_, Ptrs.) and a number of long-tailed monkeys are -moving to and fro. Now a flock of snowy-feathered herons (_Herodias -garzetta_, L., and _Bubulcus ibis_, L.) flash past, dazzlingly -white--two hundred of them, at least--alighting for a moment on the -brittle branches and pausing in their search for food. Gravely moving -their heads about from side to side, they impart a peculiar charm to -the trees. Now another flock of herons (_Herodias alba_, L.), also -dazzlingly white, but birds of a larger growth, speed past, flying for -their lives. Why is it that even here, in this remote sanctuary of -animal life, within which I am the first European trespasser, these -beautiful birds are so timorous? Who can answer that question with any -certainty? All we know is, that it has come to be their nature to scour -about from place to place in perpetual flight. Perhaps in other lands -they have made acquaintance with man’s destructiveness. Perhaps they -are endowed with keener senses than their smaller snow-white kinsfolk, -which suffer us to approach so near, and which, like the curious -clatter-bill (which have never yet been seen in captivity), evince no -sign of shyness--nothing but a certain mild surprise--at the sight -of man. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -KIBO IN THE FOREGROUND, WITH THE SADDLE-SHAPED RANGE CONNECTING IT WITH -MAWENZI IN THE DISTANCE. THE AVERAGE HEIGHT OF THIS “SADDLE” IS MORE -THAN 16,OOO FEET.] - -Now, with a noisy clattering of wings, those less comely creatures, -the Hagedasch ibises, rise in front of us, filling the air with their -extraordinary cry: “Heiha! Ha heiha!” - -Now we have a strange spectacle before our eyes--a number of wild -geese, perched upon the trees. The great, heavy birds make several -false starts before they make up their minds to escape to safety. They -present a beautiful sight as they make off on their powerful wings. -They are rightly styled “spurred geese,” by reason of the sharp spurs -they have on their wings. Hammerheads (_Scopus umbretta_, Gm.) move -about in all directions. A colony of darters now comes into sight, and -monopolises my attention. A few of their flat-shaped nests are visible -among the pendent branches of some huge acacias, rising from an island -in mid-stream. While several of the long-necked fishing-birds seek -safety in flight, others--clearly the females--remain seated awhile on -the eggs in their nests, but at last, with a sudden dart, take also to -their wings and disappear. Beneath the nesting-places of these birds -I found great hidden shaded cavities, the resorts for ages past of -hippopotami, which find a safe and comfortable haven in these small -islands. - -The dark forms of these fishing-birds present a strange appearance in -full flight. They speed past you swiftly, looking more like survivals -from some earlier age than like birds of our own day. There is a -suggestion of flying lizards about them. Here they come, describing -a great curve along the river’s course, at a fair height. They are -returning to their nests, and as they draw near I get a better chance -of observing the varying phases of their flight. - -But look where I may, I see all around me a wealth of tropical -bird-life. Snow-white herons balance themselves on the topmost -branches of the acacias. Barely visible against the deep-blue sky, a -brood-colony of wood ibis pelicans (_Tantalus ibis_, L.) fly hither -and thither, seeking food for their young. Other species of herons, -notably the black-headed heron, so like our own common heron (_Ardea -melanocephala_, Vig., Childr.), and further away a great flock of -cow-herons (_Bubulcus ibis_, L.), brooding on the acacias upon the -island, attract my attention. Egyptian Kingfishers (_Ceryle rudis_, L.) -dart down to the water’s edge, and return holding tiny fishes in their -beaks to their perch above. - -The numbers and varieties of birds are in truth almost bewildering to -the spectator. Here is a marabou which has had its midday drink and -is keeping company for the moment with a pair of fine-looking saddled -storks (_Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis_, Shaw); there great regiments -of crested cranes; single specimens of giant heron (_Ardea goliath_, -Cretzschm.) keep on the look-out for fish in a quiet creek; on the -sandbanks, and in among the thickets alongside, a tern (_Œdicnemus -vermiculatus_, Cab.) is enjoying a sense of security. Near it are -gobbling Egyptian geese and small plovers. A great number of cormorants -now fly past, some of them settling on the branches of a tree which has -fallen into the water. They are followed by Tree-geese (_Dendrocygna -viduata_, L.), some plovers and night-herons, numerous sea-swallows -as well as seagulls; snipe (_Gallinago media_, Frisch.), and the -strange painted snipe (_Rostratula bengalensis_, L.), the _Actophylus -africanus_, and marsh-fowl (_Ortygometra pusilla obscura_, Neum.), -spurred lapwing (_Hoplopterus speciosus_, Lcht.), and many other -species. Now there rings out, distinguishable from all the others, the -clear cry--to me already so familiar and so dear--of the screeching -sea-eagle, that most typical frequenter of these riverside regions of -Africa and so well meriting its name. A chorus of voices, a very Babel -of sound, breaks continually upon the ear, for the varieties of small -birds are also well represented in this region. The most beautiful -of all are the cries of the organ-shrike and of the sea-eagle. The -veritable concerts of song, however, that you hear from time to time -are beyond the powers of description, and can only be cherished in the -memory. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -RIVER-BED VEGETATION ON THE VELT.] - -There is a glamour about the whole life of the African wonderland that -recalls the forgotten fairy tales of childhood’s days, a sense of -stillness and loveliness. Every curve of the stream tells of secrets -to be unearthed and reveals unsuspected beauties, in the forms and -shapes of the Phœnix palms and all the varieties of vegetation; in the -indescribable tangle of the creepers; in the ever-changing effects -of light and shade; finally in the sudden glimpses into the life of -the animals that here make their home. You see the deep, hollowed-out -passages down to the river that tell of the coming and going of the -hippopotamus and rhinoceros, made use of also by the crocodiles. It is -with a shock of surprise that you see a specimen of our own great red -deer come hither at midday to quench his thirst--a splendid figure, -considerably bigger and stronger than he is to be seen elsewhere. A -herd of wallowing wart-hogs or river-swine will sometimes startle you -into hasty retreat before you realise what they are. The tree-tops -rock under the weight and motion of apes unceasingly scurrying from -branch to branch. Every now and again the eye is caught by the sight of -groups of crocodiles, now basking contentedly in the sun, now betaking -themselves again to the water in that stealthy, sinister, gliding way -of theirs. - -Not so long ago the African traveller found such scenes as these along -the banks of every river. Nowadays, too many have been shorn of all -these marvels. Take, for instance, the old descriptions of the Orange -River and of the animal life met with along its course. No trace of it -now remains. - -I should like to give a picture of the animal life still extant along -the banks of the Pangani. The time is inevitably approaching when that, -too, will be a thing of the past, for it is not to be supposed that -advancing civilisation will prove less destructive here. - -So recently as the year 1896 the course of the river was for the most -part unknown. When I followed it for the second time in 1897, and when -in subsequent years I explored both its banks for great distances, -people were still so much in the dark about it that several expeditions -were sent out to discover whether it was navigable. - -That it was not navigable I myself had long known. Its numerous rapids -are impracticable for boats even in the rainy season. In the dry -season they present insuperable obstacles to navigation of any kind. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A FISHERMAN’S BAG! THREE CROCODILES SECURED BY THE AUTHOR IN THE WAY -DESCRIBED IN “WITH FLASHLIGHT AND RIFLE.”] - -The basin of the Djipe Lake in the upper reaches of the Pangani, and -the Pangani swamps below its lower reaches, formed a kind of natural -preserve for every variety of the marvellous fauna of East Africa. It -was a veritable El Dorado for the European sportsman, but one attended -by all kinds of perils and difficulties. The explorer found manifold -compensation, however, for everything in the unexampled opportunities -afforded him for the study of wild life in the midst of these stifling -marshes and lagoons. The experience of listening night after night to -the myriad voices of the wilderness is beyond description. - -Hippopotami were extraordinarily numerous at one time in the -comparatively small basin of the Djipe Lake. In all my long sojourn -by the banks of the Pangani I only killed two, and I never again went -after any. There were such numbers, however, round Djipe Lake ten years -ago that you often saw dozens of them together at one time. I fear that -by now they have been nearly exterminated. - -Here, as everywhere else, the natives have levied but a small tribute -upon the numbers of the wild animals, a tribute in keeping with the -nature of their primitive weapons. Elephants used regularly to make -their way down to the water-side from the Kilimanjaro woods. My old -friend Nguruman, the Ndorobo chieftain, used to lie in wait for them, -with his followers, concealed in the dense woods along the river. But -the time came when the elephants ceased to make their appearance. The -old hunter, whose body bore signs of many an encounter with lions as -well as elephants, and who used often to hold forth to me beside camp -fires on the subject of these adventures, could not make out why his -eagerly coveted quarry had become so scarce. Every other species of -“big game” was well represented, however, and according to the time of -the year I enjoyed ever fresh opportunities for observation. Generally -speaking, it would be a case of watching one aspect of wild life one -day and another all the next, but now and again my eyes and ears would -be surfeited and bewildered by its manifestations. The sketch-plans on -which I used to record my day’s doings and seeings serve now to recall -to me all the multiform experiences that fell to my lot. What a pity it -is that the old explorers of South Africa have left no such memoranda -behind them for our benefit! They would enable us to form a better idea -of things than we can derive from any kind of pictures or descriptions. - - * * * * * - -I shall try now to give some notion of all the different sights I would -sometimes come upon in a single day. It would often happen that, as I -was making my way down the Pangani in my light folding craft, or else -was setting out for the velt which generally lay beyond its girdle of -brushwood, showers of rain would have drawn herds of elephants down -from the mountains.[1] Even when I did not actually come within sight -of them, it was always an intense enjoyment to me to trace the -immense footsteps of these nocturnal visitors. Perhaps the cunning -animals would have already put several miles between my camp and their -momentary stopping place. But their tracks afforded me always most -interesting clues to their habits, all the more valuable by reason -of the rare chances one has of observing them in daylight, when they -almost always hide away in impenetrable thickets. What excitement there -is in the stifled cry “Tembo!” In a moment your own eye perceives the -unmistakable traces of the giant’s progress. The next thing to do is to -examine into the tracks and ascertain as far as possible the number, -age and sex of the animals. Then you follow them up, though generally, -as I have said, in vain. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -CLATTER-BILLS SETTLING UPON THE BARE BRANCHES OF RIVERSIDE TREES.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -CLATTER-BILLS (_ANASTOMUS LAMELLIGERUS_, Tem.).] - -The hunter, however, who without real hope of overtaking the elephants -themselves yet persists in following up their tracks just because -they have so much to tell him, will be all the readier to turn aside -presently, enticed in another direction by the scarcely less notable -traces of a herd of buffaloes. Follow these now and you will soon -discover that they too have found safety, having made their way into an -impenetrable morass. To make sure of this you must perhaps clamber up -a thorny old mimosa tree, all alive with ants--not a very comfortable -method of getting a bird’s-eye view. Numbers of snow-white ox-peckers -flying about over one particular point in the great wilderness of reeds -and rushes betray the spot in which the buffaloes have taken refuge. - -The great green expanse stretches out before you monotonously, and -even in the bright sunlight you can see no other sign of the animal -life of various kinds concealed beneath the sea of rushes waving -gently in the breeze. Myriads of insects, especially mosquitoes and -ixodides, attack the invaders; the animals are few that do not fight -shy of these morasses. They are the province of the elephants, which -here enjoy complete security; of the hippopotami, whose mighty voice -often resounds over them by day as by night; of the buffaloes, which -wallow in the mud and pools of water to escape from their enemies the -gadflies; and finally of the waterbuck, which are also able to make -their way through even the deeper regions of the swamp. Wart-hogs -also--the African equivalent of our own wild boars--contrive to -penetrate into these regions, so inhospitable to mankind. We shall find -no other representatives, however, of the big game of Africa. It is -only in Central Africa and in the west that certain species of antelope -frequent the swamps. In the daytime the elephant and the buffalo are -seldom actually to be seen in them, nor does one often catch sight of -the hippopotami, though they are so numerous and their voices are to be -heard. As we grope through the borders of the swamp, curlew (_Glarcola -fusca_, L.) flying hither and thither all around us, we are startled -ever and anon by a sudden rush of bush and reed buck plunging out from -their resting-places and speeding away from us for their life. Even -when quite small antelopes are thus started up by the sound of our -advance, so violent is their flight that for the moment we imagine that -we have to deal with some huge and perhaps dangerous beast. - -In those spots where large pools, adorned with wonderful -water-lilies, give a kind of symmetry to the wilderness, we come upon -such a wealth of bird-life as enables us to form some notion of what -this may have been in Europe long ago under similar conditions. The -splendid great white heron (_Herodias alba_, L., and _garzetta_, L.) -and great flocks of the active little cow-herons (_Bubulcus ibis_, -L.) make their appearance in company with sacred ibises and form a -splendid picture in the landscape. Some species of those birds with -their snow-white feathers stand out picturesquely against the rich -green vegetation of the swamp. When, startled by our approach, these -birds take to flight, and the whole air is filled by them and by the -curlews (_Glareola fusca_, L.) that have hovered over us, keeping -up continually their soft call, when in every direction we see all -the swarms of other birds--sea-swallows (_Gelochelidon nilotica_, -Hasselg.), lapwings, plovers (_Charadriidæ_), Egyptian geese, herons, -pelicans, crested cranes and storks--the effect upon our eyes and ears -is almost overpowering. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A MARSHLAND VIEW. AN OSPREY IN AMONG THE REEDS--THE BIRD FOR WHOSE -PROTECTION QUEEN ALEXANDRA OF ENGLAND HAS LATELY PLEADED.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -SNOW-WHITE HERONS MADE THEIR NESTS IN THE ACACIAS NEAR MY CAMP AND -SHOWED NO MARKED TIMIDITY.] - -[Illustration: A SINGLE PAIR OF CRESTED CRANES WERE OFTEN TO BE SEEN -NEAR MY CAMP.] - -[Illustration: A SNAKE-VULTURE. I SUCCEEDED TWICE ONLY IN SECURING A -PHOTOGRAPH OF THIS BIRD.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - - PREPARING TO SKIN A HIPPOPOTAMUS. THE PRESERVATION OF THE HIDE - OF THIS SPECIMEN PROVED UNSUCCESSFUL. IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO - PRESERVE HIPPOPOTAMUS-HIDES WITHOUT HUGE QUANTITIES OF ALUM AND - SALT, BOTH VERY HARD TO GET IN THE INTERIOR OF AFRICA. THE SKIN - OF THE HEAD IS THINNER AND MORE MANAGEABLE THAN THAT OF THE REST - OF THE BODY.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -HIPPOPOTAMI, POPPING THEIR HEADS OR EARS AND SNOUTS UP ABOVE THE -SURFACE OF THE WATER.] - -How mortal lives are intertwined and interwoven! The ox-peckers swarm -round the buffaloes and protect them from their pests, the ticks and -other parasites. The small species of marsh-fowl rely upon the warning -cry of the Egyptian geese or on the sharpness of the herons, ever on -the alert and signalling always the lightning-like approach of their -enemy the falcons (_Falco biarmicus_, Tem., and _F. minor_, Bp.). All -alike have sense enough to steer clear of the crocodiles, which have -to look to fish chiefly for their nourishment, like almost all the -frequenters of these marshy regions. - -The quantities of fish I have found in every pool in these swamps defy -description--I am anxious to insist upon this point--and this although -almost all the countless birds depend on them chiefly for their food. -Busy beaks and bills ravage every pool and the whole surface of the -lagoon-like swamp for young fish and fry. The herons and darters -(_Assingha rufa_, Lacèp. Daud.) manage even to do some successful -fishing in the deeper waters of the river. _And yet, in spite of all -these fish-eaters, the river harbours almost a superabundance of -fish._[2] - -Wandering along by the river, we take in all these impressions. For -experiences of quite another kind, we have only to make for the -neighbouring velt, now arid again and barren, and thence to ascend the -steep ridges leading up to the tableland of Nyíka. - -Behind us we leave the marshy region of the river and the morass of -reeds. Before us rises Nyíka, crudely yellow, and the laterite earth -of the velt glowing red under the blazing sun. The contrast is strong -between the watery wilderness from which we have emerged and these -higher ranges of the velt with their strange vegetation. Here we shall -find many species of animals that we should look for in vain down there -below, animals that live differently and on scanty food up here, even -in the dry season. The buffaloes also know where to go for fresh young -grass even when they are in the marshes, and they reject the ripened -green grass. The dwellers on the velt are only to be found amidst the -lush vegetation of the valley at night time, when they make their -way down to the river-side to drink.[3] It is hard to realise, but they -find all the food they need on the high velt. When you examine the -stomachs of wild animals that you have killed, you note with wonder the -amount of fresh grass and nourishing shrubs they have found to eat in -what seem the barrenest districts. The natives of these parts show the -same kind of resourcefulness. The Masai, for instance, succeeds most -wonderfully in providing for the needs of his herds in regions which -the European would call a desert. I doubt whether the European could -ever acquire this gift. Out here on the velt we shall catch sight of -small herds of waterbuck, never to be seen in the marshes. We shall -see at midday, under the bare-looking trees, herds of Grant’s gazelles -too, and the oryx antelope. Herds of gnus, going through with the -strangest antics as they make off in flight, are another feature in -the picture, while the fresh tracks of giraffes, eland, and ostriches -tell of the presence of all these. Wart-hogs, a herd of zebras in the -distance--like a splash of black--two ostrich hens, and a multitude -of small game and birds of all descriptions add to the variety. But -what delights the ornithologist’s eye more than anything is the -charming sight of a golden yellow bird, now mating. Up it flies into -the sky from the tree-top, soon to come down again with wings and tail -outstretched, recalling our own singing birds. You would almost fancy -it was a canary. Only in this one region of the velt have I come upon -this exquisite bird (_Tmetothylacus tenellus_, Cal.), nowhere else. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -HEAD OF A HIPPOPOTAMUS (_HIPPOPOTAMUS AFR. ARYSSINICUS_, Less.) WHICH -I ENCOUNTERED ON DRY LAND AND WHICH NEARLY “DID” FOR ME.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -MY OLD FRIEND “NGURUMAN,” A WANDOROBO CHIEF. HIS BODY IS SEARED BY MANY -SCARS THAT TELL OF ENCOUNTERS WITH ELEPHANTS AND LIONS.] - - -Thus would I spend day after day, getting to know almost all the wild -denizens of East Africa, either by seeing them in the flesh or by -studying their tracks and traces, cherishing more and more the wish -to be able to achieve some record of all these beautiful phases of -wild life. I repeat: as a rule you will carry away with you but one or -another memory from your too brief day’s wandering, but there come days -when a succession of marvellous pictures seem to be unrolled before -your gaze, as in an endless panorama. It is the experience of one such -day that I have tried here to place on record. Professor Moebius is -right in what he says: “Æsthetic views of animals are based not upon -knowledge of the physiological causes of their forms, colouring, and -methods of motion, but upon the impression made upon the observer -by their various features and outward characteristics as parts of a -harmonious whole. The more the parts combine to effect this unity and -harmony, the more beautiful the animal seems to us.” Similarly, a -landscape seems to me most impressive and harmonious when it retains -all its original elements. No section of its flora or fauna can be -removed without disturbing the harmony of the whole. - -Within a few years, if this be not actually the case already, all that -I have here described so fully will no longer be in existence along the -banks of the Pangani. When I myself first saw these things, often my -thoughts went back to those distant ages when in the lands now known -as Germany the same description of wild life was extant in -the river valleys, when hippopotami made their home in the Rhine and -Main, and elephants and rhinoceroses still flourished.... What I saw -there before me in the flesh I learnt to see with my mind’s eye in the -long-forgotten past. It is the duty of any one whose good fortune it -has been to witness such scenes of charm and loveliness to endeavour to -leave some record of them as best he may, and by whatever means he has -at his command. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -EGYPTIAN GEESE.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A WOUNDED BUFFALO.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - - FACSIMILE REPRODUCTION OF ONE OF MY HUNTING RECORD-CARDS, - ENUMERATING ALL THE DIFFERENT ANIMALS I SIGHTED ONE DAY (AUGUST - 21, 1898) IN THE COURSE OF AN EXPEDITION IN THE VICINITY OF THE - MASIMANI HILLS, HALF-WAY UP THE PANGANI RIVER. THE DOTTED LINE - SHOWS MY ROUTE AND THE NUMBERS INDICATE THE SPOTS AT WHICH I CAME - UPON THE VARIOUS SPECIES OF GAME. AT ANOTHER TIME OF THE YEAR - THIS DISTRICT WOULD BE ENTIRELY DESTITUTE OF WILD LIFE.] - -[Illustration: A SEA-GULL.] - - - - -[Illustration: A MASAI THROWING HIS SPEAR.] - -IX - -After Elephants with Wandorobo - - -“Big game hunting is a fine education!” With this opinion of Mr. H. A. -Bryden I am in entire agreement, but I cannot assent to the dictum so -often cited of some of the most experienced African hunters, to the -effect that Equatorial East Africa offers the sportsman no adequate -compensation for all the difficulties and dangers there to be faced. - -I cannot subscribe to this view, because to my mind these very -difficulties and dangers impart to the sport of this region a -fascination scarcely to be equalled in any other part of the world. -It is only in tropical Africa that you will find the last splendid -specimens of an order of wild creation surviving from other eras of -the earth’s history. It is not to be denied that you must pay a high -price for the joy of hunting them. That goes without saying in a -country where your every requisite, great and small, has to be carried -on men’s shoulders--no other form of transport being available--from -the moment you set foot within the wilderness. I am not now talking of -quite short expeditions, but of the bigger enterprises which take the -traveller into the interior for a period of months. I hold that this -breaking away from all the resources of civilised life should be one -of the sportsman’s chief incentives, and one of his chief enjoyments. -I can, of course, quite understand experienced hunters taking another -view. Many have had such serious encounters with the big game they have -shot, and above all such unfortunate experiences of African climates, -that they may well have had enough of such drawbacks. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A POWERFUL OLD HIPPOPOTAMUS ON HIS WAY TO HIS HAUNT IN THE SWAMP AT -DAYBREAK. ONE OF MY BEST PHOTOGRAPHS. ] - -Their assertions, in any case, tend to make it clear that sport in this -East African wilderness is no child’s play. In reality, all depends -upon the character and equipment of the man who goes in for it. The -apparently difficult game of tennis presents no difficulties to the -expert tennis-player. With an inferior player it is otherwise. So it is -in regard to hunting in the tropics. It is obvious that experience in -sport here at home is of the greatest possible use out there--is, in -fact, absolutely essential to one’s success. Only those should attempt -it who are prepared to do everything and cope with all obstacles for -themselves, who do not need to rely on others, and whose nerves are -proof against the extraordinary excitements and strains which out there -are your daily experience. - -I myself am conscious of a steadily increasing distaste for -face-to-face encounters with rhinoceroses, and with elephants still -more. There are indeed other denizens of the East African jungle -whose defensive and offensive capabilities it would be no less a -mistake to under estimate. The most experienced and most authoritative -Anglo-Saxon sportsmen are, in fact, agreed that, whether it be a -question of going-after lions or leopards or African buffaloes, sooner -or later the luck goes against the hunter. Of recent years a large -number of good shots have lost their lives in Africa. If one of these -animals once gets at you, you are as good as dead. To be chased by an -African elephant is as exciting a sensation as a man could wish for. -The fierceness of his on-rush passes description. He makes for you -suddenly, unexpectedly. The overpowering proportions of the enraged -beast--the grotesque aspect of his immense flapping ears, which make -his huge head look more formidable than ever--the incredible pace at -which he thunders along--all combine with his shrill trumpeting to -produce an effect upon the mind of the hunter, now turned quarry, which -he will never shake himself rid of as long as life lasts. When--as -happened once to me--it is a case not of one single elephant, but -of an entire herd giving chase in the open plain (as described in -_With Flashlight and Rifle_), the reader will have no difficulty in -understanding that even now I sometimes live the whole situation over -again in my dreams and that I have more than once awoke from them in a -frenzy of terror. - -Of course, a man becomes hardened in regard to hunting accidents in -course of time, especially if all his adventures have had fortunate -issues. When, however, a man has repeatedly escaped destruction by a -hairs-breadth only, and when incidents of this kind have been -heaped up one on another within a brief space of time, the effects -upon the nervous system become so great that even with the utmost -self-mastery a man ceases to be able to bear them. As I have already -said, the total number of casualties in the ranks of African sportsmen -is not inconsiderable. - -[Illustration: ORYX ANTELOPE BULL, NOT YET AWARE OF MY APPROACH.] - -[Illustration: A HERD OF ORYX ANTELOPES (_ORIX CALLOTIS_, Thos.), -CALLED BY THE COAST-FOLK “CHIROA.”] - -[Illustration: WATERBUCK. THEY SOMETIMES LOOK QUITE BLACK, AS THIS -PHOTOGRAPH SUGGESTS. IT DEPENDS UPON THE LIGHT.] - -[Illustration: HEAD OF A BULL WATERBUCK (_COBUS ELLIPSIPRYMNUS_, -Ogilb.).] - -In Germany, of course, we have time-honoured sports of a dangerous -nature too, but these are exceptions--for instance, killing the wild -boar with a spear, and mountain-climbing and stalking. - -In order to understand fully the mental condition of the sportsman in -dangerous circumstances such as I have described, it is necessary to -realise the way in which he is affected by his loneliness, his complete -severance from the rest of mankind. There is all the difference in -the world between the situation of a number of men taking up a post -of danger side by side, and that of the man who stands by himself, -either at the call of duty or impelled by a sense of daring. He has to -struggle with thoughts and fears against which the others are sustained -by mutual example and encouragement. - -But, as I have said, the great fascination of sport in the tropics lies -precisely in the dangers attached. Therein, too, lies the source of -that pluck and vigour which the sport-hardened Boers displayed in their -struggles with the English. The perils they had faced in their pursuit -of big game had made brave men of them. - - * * * * * - -Now let us set out in company with the most expert hunters of the velt -on an expedition of a rather special kind--the most dangerous you can -go in for in this part of the world--an elephant-hunt. In prehistoric -days the mammoth was hunted with bow and arrow in almost the same -fashion as the elephant is to-day by certain tribes of natives. -Taking part in one of their expeditions, one feels it easy to go back -in imagination to the early eras of mankind. This feeling imparts a -peculiar fascination to the experience. - -After a good deal of trouble I had got into friendly relations with -some of these nomadic hunters. It was a difficult matter, because they -fight shy of Europeans and of the natives from the coast, such as my -bearers and followers generally. I knew, moreover, that our friendship -might be of short duration, for these distrustful children of the -velt might disappear at any moment, leaving not a trace behind them. -However, I had at least succeeded, by promises of rich rewards in the -shape of iron and brass wire, in winning their goodwill. After many -days of negotiation they told me that elephants might very likely be -met with shortly in a certain distant part of the velt. The region in -question was impracticable for a large caravan. Water is very scarce -there, rock pools affording only enough for a few men, and only for a -short time. At this period of the year the animals had either to make -incredibly long journeys to their drinking-places, or else content -themselves with the fresh succulent grass sprouting up after the rains, -and with the moisture in the young leaves of the trees and bushes. - -I set out one day in the early morning for this locality with a few of -my men in company with the Wandorobo. After a long and fatiguing -march in the heat of the sun, we encamp in the evening at one of the -watering-places. To-day, to my surprise, there is quite a large supply -of water, owing to rain last night. The elephants, with their unfailing -instinct, have discovered the precious liquid. They have not merely -drunk in the pool, but have also enjoyed a bath; their tracks and the -colour and condition of the water show that clearly. Therefore we do -not pitch our camp near the pool, but out in the velt at some distance -away, so as not to interfere with the elephants in case they should be -moved to return to the water. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -MY WANDOROBO GUIDES ON THE MARCH, WITH ALL THEIR “HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE” -ON THEIR BACKS!] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A PARTY OF WANDOROBO HUNTERS COMING TO MY CAMP. I GOT SEVERAL OF THEM -TO ACT FOR ME AS GUIDES.] - -But the wily beasts do not come a second time, and we are obliged to -await morning to follow their tracks in the hope of luck. The Wandorobo -on ahead, I and two of my men following, make up the small caravan, -while some of my other followers remain behind at the watering-place -in a rough camp. I have provided myself with all essentials for two -or three days, including a supply of water contained in double-lined -water-tight sacks. For hour after hour we follow the tracks clearly -defined upon the still damp surface of the velt. Presently they lead us -through endless stretches of shrubs and acacia bushes and bow-string -hemp, then through the dried-up beds of rain-pools now sprouting here -and there with luxuriant vegetation. Then again we come to stretches of -scorched grass, featureless save for the footsteps of the elephants. As -we advance I am enabled to note how the animals feed themselves in this -desert-like region, from which they never wander any great distance. -Here, stamping with their mighty feet, they have smashed some young -tree-trunks and shorn them of their twigs and branches; and there, -with their trunks and tusks, they have torn the bark off larger trees -in long strips or wider slices and consumed them. I observe, too, that -they have torn the long sword-shaped hemp-stalks out of the ground, -and after chewing them have dropped the fibres gleaming white where -they lie in the sun. The sap in this plant is clearly food as well as -drink to them. I see, too, that at certain points the elephants have -gathered together for a while under an acacia tree, and have broken and -devoured all its lower branches and twigs. At other places it is clear -that they have made a longer halt, from the way in which the vegetation -all around has been reduced to nothing. We go on and on, the mighty -footsteps keeping us absorbed and excited. We know that the chances -are all against our overtaking the elephants, but the pleasures of the -chase are enough to keep up our zest. At any moment, perhaps, we may -come up with our gigantic fugitives. Perhaps! - -How different is the elephant’s case in Africa from what it is in India -and Ceylon! In India it is almost a sacred animal; in Ceylon it is -carefully guarded, and there is no uncertainty as to the way in which -it will be killed. Here in Africa, however, its lot is to be the most -sought-after big game on the face of the earth; but the hunter has to -remember that he may be “hoist with his own petard,” for the elephant -is ready for the fray and knows what awaits him. With these thoughts in -my mind and the way clearer at every step, the Wandorobo move on and on -unceasingly in front. - -It is astonishing what a small supply of arms and utensils these -sons of the velt take with them when starting out for journeys over -Nyíka that may take weeks or months. Round their shoulders they carry -a soft dressed skin, and, hung obliquely, a strap to which a few -implements are attached, as well as a leathern pouch containing odds -and ends. Their bow they hold in one hand, while their quivers, filled -with poisoned arrows, are also fastened to their shoulders by a strap. -In addition they carry a sword in a primitive kind of scabbard. Thus -equipped they are ready to cope with all the dangers and discomforts of -the velt, and succeed somehow in coming out of them victorious. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A FEAST OF HONEY. A HONEY-FINDER HAD LED US TO A HIVE, AND HERE MY MEN -MAY BE SEEN REJOICING IN THE RESULTS.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -ACACIA TREE DENUDED BY ELEPHANTS.] - -[Illustration: AN ORYX ANTELOPE’S METHODS OF DEFENCE.] - - -[Illustration: - - A DWARF KUDU (_STREPSICEROS IMBERBIS_, Blyth). I HAVE NEVER YET - SUCCEEDED IN PHOTOGRAPHING THIS ANIMAL ALIVE AND IN FREEDOM. SO - FAR I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PHOTOGRAPH ONLY SPECIMENS WHICH I HAVE - SHOT.] - -How thoroughly the velt is known to them--every corner of it! To -live on the velt for any time you must be adapted by nature to its -conditions. We Europeans should find it as hard to become acclimatised -to it as the Wandorobo would to the conditions of civilised life -in Europe. The one thing they are like us in being unable to forego -is water--and even that they can do without for longer than we can. -The most important factor in their life as hunters is their knowledge -where to get water at the different periods of the year. Their -intimate acquaintance with the book of the velt is something beyond -our faculty for reading print. Our experiences in our recent campaigns -in South-West Africa have served to bring home the wonderful way in -which the natives decipher and interpret the minutest indications to be -found in the ground of the velt and know how to shape their course in -accordance with them. - -[Illustration: ZEBRAS.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -GIRAFFE STUDIES (_GIRAFFA SCHILLINGSI_, Mtsch.) SECURED BY -TELEPHOTO-LENS.] - -[Illustration: ZEBRAS (_EQUUS BOHMI_) OUT ON THE OPEN VELT.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -MY MASAI DONKEYS ARRIVING IN CAMP, ESCORTED BY ARMED MEN. BEARERS -ADVANCING TO MEET THEM AND TO UNBURDEN THEM OF THEIR LOADS.] - -This had already been brought home to me in the regions through which -I had travelled. You must have had the experience yourself to realise -the degree to which civilised man has unlearnt the use of his eyes and -ears. Whether it be a question of finding one’s bearings or deciding in -which direction to go, or of sizing up the elephant-herds from their -tracks, or of distinguishing the tracks of one kind of antelope from -those of another, or of detecting some faint trace of blood telling us -that some animal we are after has been wounded, or of knowing where -and when we shall come to some water, or of discovering a bee’s nest -with honey in it--in all such matters the native is as clever as we -are stupid. We may make some progress in this kind of knowledge and -capability, but we shall always be a bad second to the native-born -hunter of the velt. - -With such men to act as your guides you get to feel that traversing -Nyíka is as safe as mountain-climbing under the guidance of skilled -mountaineers. You get to feel that you cannot lose your way or get -into difficulties about water. One reflection, however, should never -be quite absent from your mind--that at any moment these guides of -yours may abandon you. That misfortune has never happened to me, and -it is not likely to happen when the natives are properly handled. -Moreover, your friendship with them can sometimes be strengthened by -the establishment of bonds of brotherhood. A time-honoured practice of -this kind, held sacred by the natives, can be of the greatest benefit. -I am strongly in favour of the observance of these praiseworthy native -customs, and have always been most ready to go through with the -ceremonies involved. - -I endeavour to win the goodwill of my guides by keeping to the pace -they set--an easy matter for me. In every other way also I take -pains to fall in with the ways and habits of the Wandorobo, so as to -attenuate that feeling of antagonism which my uncivilised friends -necessarily harbour towards the European. I owe it to this, perhaps, -that they did their utmost to find the elephant-tracks for me. - -For hour after hour we continue our march, in and out, over velt and -brushwood, coming every few hours to a watering-place, and meeting in -the hollow of one valley an exceptionally large herd of oryx antelopes. -Under cover of the brushwood, and favoured by the wind, I succeed in -getting quite near this herd and thus in studying their movements close -at hand. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -PEARL-HENS ON AN ACACIA TREE.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A PAIR OF GRANT’S GAZELLES TAKING TO FLIGHT. ] - -In the bush, not far from these oryx antelopes, I come unexpectedly -on a small herd of beautiful dwarf kudus. They take to flight, but -reappear for a moment in a glade. This kind of sudden glimpse of these -timid, pretty creatures is a real delight to one. Their great anxious -eyes gaze inquiringly at the intruder, while their large ears stand -forward in a way that gives a most curious aspect to their shapely -heads. The colouring of their bodies accords in a most remarkable -degree with their environment, and this accentuates the individuality -of their heads, seen thus by the hunter. Off they scamper again now, -in a series of extraordinarily long and high jumps, gathering speed as -they go, and unexpectedly darting now in one direction, now in another. -It is very exciting work tracking the fugitive kudu, and when it is a -question of a single specimen you may very well mark it down in the -end; but according to my own experience it is next to impossible to -follow up a herd, for one animal after another breaks away from it, -seeking safety on its own account. - -Now we come again to an open grassy stretch of velt. With a sudden -clatter of hoofs a herd of some thirty zebras some hundred paces off -take to flight and escape unhurt by us into the security of a distant -thicket. The older animals and the leaders of the herd keep looking -backwards anxiously with outstretched necks. Even in the thicket their -bright colouring makes them discernible at this hour of the day. But -our attention is distracted now elsewhere. Far away on the horizon -appear the unique outlines of a herd of giraffes. The timorous animals -have noted our approach and are already making away--stopping at -moments to glance at us--into a dense thorn-thicket. The wind favours -us, so I quickly decide to make a detour to the right and cut them -off. After a breathless run through the brushwood I succeed in getting -within a few paces of one of the old members of the herd. This way of -circumventing a herd of giraffes--my followers helping me by moving -about all over the place, so as to put them off the scent--has not -often proved successful with me, because it can only be managed when -both wind and the formation of the country are in one’s favour. - -To-day I have no mind to kill the beautiful long-limbed beast, but it -is delightful to get into such close touch with him. Now he is off, -stepping out again, swinging his long tail, his immense neck dipping -and rising like the mast of a sea-tossed ship, and the rest of the herd -with him. - -Now, just because I have no thought of hunting, every kind of wild -animal crosses my path! Their number and variety are beyond belief. We -come upon more zebras, oryx antelopes, hartebeests, Grant’s gazelles, -impalla antelopes; upon ostriches, guinea-fowl (_Numida reichenowi_ and -_Acryllium vulturinum_, Hardw.), and francolins. The recent rains seem -to have conjured them all into existence here as though by magic. - -But everything else has to give precedence to the elephant-tracks, -which now are all mixed up, though leading clearly to the next -watering-place, towards which we are directing our steps down a way -trodden quite hard by animals, evidently during the last few -days. Large numbers of rhinoceroses have trampled down this way to -the water, but neither they nor the elephants are to be seen in the -neighbourhood while the sun is up. They are too well acquainted with -the habits of their enemy man, and they keep at a safe distance out -on the velt. To-day, therefore, I am to catch no glimpse of either -elephant or rhinoceros. Wherever I turn my eyes, however, I see other -animals of all sorts--among others, some more big giraffes. I am not -to be put off, however, and I decide to follow up the tracks of a -number of the elephants, evidently males, giving myself up anew to the -unfailing interest I find in the study of their ways, and confirming -the observations I had already made as to their finding their chief -nourishment on the velt in tree-bark and small branches. - -[Illustration: GRANT’S GAZELLES.] - -[Illustration: A GOOD INSTANCE OF PROTECTIVE COLOURING. A HERD OF -GRANT’S GAZELLES ALMOST INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM THEIR BACKGROUND OF -THORN-BUSH.] - -[Illustration: - - A GRANT’S GAZELLE BUCK STANDING OUT CONSPICUOUSLY ON THE DRIED-UP - BED OF A LAKE NOW SO INCRUSTATED WITH SALT AS TO LOOK AS THOUGH - SNOW-COVERED.] - -[Illustration: FOUR GRANT’S GAZELLES.] - -Night set in more quickly than we expected while we were pitching camp -before sunset in a cutting in a thorn-thicket. Spots on which fires -had recently been lit showed us that native hunters had been there a -few days before, and my guides said they must have been the Wakamba -people, keen elephant-hunters, with whom they live at enmity, and of -whose very deadly poisoned arrows they stand in great dread. Therefore -we drew close round a very small camp-fire, carefully kept down. The -glow of a big fire might have brought the Wakamba people down on us -if they were anywhere in the neighbourhood. It seems that natives -who are at war often attack each other in the dark. It may easily be -imagined, then, that the first hours of our “night’s repose” were not -as blissful as they should have been! After a time, however, our need -of sleep prevailed, sheer physical fatigue overcame all our anxieties, -and my Wandorobo slumbered in peace. They had contrived a “charm,” and -had set up a row of chewed twigs all round to keep off misfortune. -Unfortunately it is not so easy for a European to believe in the -efficacy of these precautions! It was interesting to observe that the -Wandorobo evinced much greater fear of the poisoned arrows of the -Wakamba than of wild animals. In view of my subsequent experience, I -myself in such a situation would view the possibility of being attacked -by elephants with much greater alarm. - -As it happened, however, this night passed like many another--if not -without danger, at least without mishap. - -Day dawned. No bird-voices greeted it, for, strange to relate, we -found nothing but big game in this wooded wilderness, save for -guinea-fowl (_Numida reichenowi_ and _Acryllium vulturinum_, Hardw.) -and francolins. The small birds seem to have known that the water would -soon be exhausted, and that until the advent of the next rainy season -this was no place for them. - -In the grey of early morning we made our way out again into the velt. -We had to visit the neighbouring watering-places and then to follow -up some fresh set of elephant-tracks. It turned out that some ten big -bull-elephants had visited one of the pools, and had left what remained -of the water a thick yellowish mud. They had rubbed and scoured -themselves afterwards against a clump of acacia trees. Judging -from the marks upon these trees some of the elephants in this herd -must have been more than eleven feet in height. With renewed zest we -followed up the fresh, distinct tracks through the bush, through all -their twistings and turnings. Again we came upon all kinds of other -animals--among others, a herd of giraffes right in our path. But these -were opportunities for the naturalist only, not for the sportsman who -was keeping himself for the elephants and would not fire a shot at -anything else unless in extreme danger. Later, at a moment when we -believed ourselves to have got quite close to the elephants, I started -an extraordinarily large land-tortoise--the biggest I have ever seen. -I could not get hold of it, however--I was too much taken up with -the hope of reaching the elephants; but after several more hours of -marching I had to call a halt in order to gather new strength. In -the end we did not overtake them. They had evidently been seriously -disquieted either by us or earlier by the Wakamba people. While we were -pitching our camp in the evening, nearly a day’s journey from our camp -of the night before, we sighted one after another three herds of elands -and four rhinoceroses on their way out into the velt to graze. During -these two days I had come within shot of about ten rhinoceroses while -on the march, and had caught glimpses of many more in the distance. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - - THE HERDS OF GRANT’S GAZELLES ARE SOMETIMES MADE UP ENTIRELY OF - MALES, SOMETIMES ENTIRELY OF FEMALES. IN THIS PICTURE WE SEE A - NUMBER OF YOUNG DOES IN SEARCH OF THE SCANTY FRESH GRASS ON A - PORTION OF THE VELT WHICH NOT LONG BEFORE HAD BEEN BURNT UP.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A SMALL HERD OF GRANT’S GAZELLES. THE KILIMANJARO RANGE IN THE -BACKGROUND.] - -[Illustration: YOUNG MASAI HARTEBEEST. I DID NOT SUCCEED IN MY EFFORTS -TO BRING BACK A SPECIMEN OF THIS SPECIES.] - -The third day’s pursuit of the elephants also proved entirely -fruitless. We did not even come within sight of a female specimen. - -My guides were now of opinion that the animals must be so thoroughly -alarmed that any further pursuit would be almost certainly in vain, so -we made our way back as best we could in a zigzag course to my main -camp, and reached it on the morning of the fourth day. - -Most elephant-hunts in Equatorial Africa run on just such lines as -these and with the same result, yet they are among the finest and most -interesting experiences that any sportsman or naturalist can hope -to have. The wealth of natural life that had been given to my eyes -during those three days was simply overpowering. But if you have once -succeeded in getting within range of an African elephant, all other -kinds of wild animals seem small fry to you. You have the same kind -of feeling that the German sportsman has when after a _Brunft_ -stag--he cares for no other kind of game; he has no mind for anything -but the stag. But the elephant fever attacks you out in Africa even -more virulently than the stag fever here at home. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A HERD OF HARTEBEESTS (_BUBALIS COKEI_, Gthr.).] - -[Illustration: HARTEBEESTS WITH YOUNG.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -WATERBUCK.] - -Yet it is fine to remember one’s ordinary shooting expeditions in the -tropics. You need some luck, of course--the velt is illimitable and -the game scattered all over it. But if the rains have just ceased, if -you have secured good guides, if you yourself are equal to facing all -the hardships, then indeed it is a wonderful experience. There is no -doubt about it--you have to be ready for a combination of every kind -of strain and exertion. You can stand it for a day perhaps, or two or -three, but you must then take a rest. The man who has gone through with -this may venture on the experiment of pursuing elephants for several -days together. He will, I think, bear me out in saying that until you -have done that also you do not know the limits of endurance and fatigue. - -The most glorious hour in the African sportsman’s life is that in -which he bags a bull-elephant. When he succeeds in bringing the animal -down at close range in a thicket such as I have so often described, -his heart beats with delight--it is just a chance in such cases what -your fate may be. Wide as are the differences in the views taken by -experienced travellers and by other writers in regard to African sport -in general, they are all agreed that elephant-hunting is the most -dangerous task a man can set himself. The hunting of Indian or Ceylon -elephants--save in the case of a “rogue”--is not to be compared with -the African sport as I understand it. I do not mean the easy-going, -pleasure-excursion kind of hunt ordinarily gone in for in the African -bush, but a one-man expedition, in which the sportsman sets himself -deliberately to bag his game single-handed. That, indeed, is my idea -of how one should go after big game in such countries as Africa in all -circumstances whatever. - -Barely as many as a dozen elephants have fallen to my rifle. Some of -these I killed in order to try and get hold of a young specimen which -I might bring to Europe in good condition--a desire which I have long -cherished, but which has not yet been fulfilled. Others I killed so -that I might present them to our museums. - -There were immense numbers of other bull-elephants that I might have -shot, and that are probably now roaming the velt, but that I had to -spare because I was more intent upon photographing them. My photographs -are, however, ample compensation to me. While, too, it is pleasant -to me to reflect that I have left untouched so many elephants that -came within easy range, I hope, none the less, some day to bring down -a specimen adorned with a really splendid pair of tusks. This is an -aspiration not often realised by African sportsmen, even when they have -been hunting for half a lifetime. Elephants with tusks weighing nearly -five hundred pounds, like those in our illustration, are extremely -rare--even in earlier times they were met with perhaps once in a -hundred years. - -The hunting of an African elephant, I repeat in conclusion, is a source -of the greatest delight to the sportsman, for even if he does not -bag his game he is well rewarded for his pains by all the interest and -excitement of the chase. But no one who has not himself gone through -with it can estimate what it involves. Even with the most perfected -equipment in regard to arms, it is often a matter of luck whether you -kill the animal outright and on the spot. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -THE SKINNING OF AN ELEPHANT. THIS SPECIMEN IS NOW IN THE NATURAL -HISTORY MUSEUM, BERLIN.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -PREPARING TO SKIN AN ELEPHANT.] - -An experience I had in the Berlin Zoological Gardens illustrates this. -I was called in to dispatch a huge bull-elephant which had to be -killed, and which had rejected all the forms of poison that had been -administered to it. In order to give it a quick and painless end I -selected a newly invented elephant-rifle, calibre 10·75, loaded with 4 -gr. of smokeless powder and a steel-capped bullet. On reflection the -steel cap seemed to me too dangerous in the circumstances, so I had -it filed off. I shall allow Professor Schmalz to describe what now -happened: “The first shot entered the skin between the second and third -ribs, and then simply went into splinters. It did no serious damage to -the interior organs, and a stag thus wounded would merely take madly -to flight. A piece of the cap reached the lung, but only a single -splinter had penetrated, causing a slight flow of blood. The second -shot was excellently placed, namely just below the root of the lung. -It lacerated both the lung arteries and both the bronchial, and thus -caused instant death.” - -The fact that, with such a charge, a bullet fired at a distance of -less than four yards should have gone into splinters in this way says -more than one could in a long disquisition, and serves to explain the -secret of many a mishap in the African wilderness.[4] - -[Illustration: A MISSIONARY’S DWELLING NEAR KILIMANJARO IN WHICH I -STAYED SEVERAL TIMES AS GUEST.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -HEAD OF A BULL-ELEPHANT KILLED BY THE AUTHOR. NOW IN THE NATURAL -HISTORY MUSEUM, BERLIN.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A FINE SPECIMEN OF A BULL-ELEPHANT KILLED BY THE AUTHOR.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - - SOME AFRICAN TROPHIES. 1. SPLINTER FROM AN ELEPHANT-TUSK BROKEN - OFF IN A ROCKY REGION. 2. PORTION OF A TREE BRANCH WHICH I FOUND - STUCK IN THE JAW OF A CAPTURED LION. 3. PORTION OF A POISONED - ARROW WHICH HAD BEEN STICKING IN AN ELEPHANT THAT I WAS TRACKING; - ARROW OF THE KIND USED BY THE WAKAMBA HUNTERS. 4. NICKEL BULLET, - PUT OUT OF SHAPE, WITH WHICH I BROUGHT DOWN AN ELEPHANT. 5. IRON - BULLET USED BY A NATIVE. 6. POISONED DART FOUND STICKING IN THE - WING OF A MARABOU.] - - - - -[Illustration: BLACK-HEADED HERONS (_ARDEA MELANOCEPHALA_. VIG. -Childr.).] - -X - -Rhinoceros-hunting - - -Many sportsmen of to-day have no idea what numbers of rhinoceroses -there used to be in Germany in those distant epochs when the -cave-dweller waged war with his primitive weapons against all the -mighty animals of old--a war that came in the course of the centuries -to take the shape of our modern sport. - -The visitor to the zoological gardens, who knows nothing of “big -game,” finds it hard perhaps to think of the great unwieldy “rhino” -in this capacity. Yet I am continually being asked to tell about -other experiences of my rhinoceros-hunting. I have given some already -in _With Flashlight and Rifle_. Let me, then, devote this chapter -to an account of some expeditions after the two-horned African -rhinoceros--one of the most interesting, powerful, and dangerous beasts -still living. - -Rhinoceroses used to be set to fight with elephants in the arena in -Rome in the time of the Emperors. It is interesting to note that, -according to what I have often heard from natives, the two species -have a marked antipathy to each other. It is recorded that both Indian -and African rhinoceroses used to be brought to Europe alive. In our -own days they are the greatest rarities in the animal market, and must -be almost worth their weight in gold. Specimens of the three Indian -varieties are now scarcely to be found, while the huge white rhinoceros -of South Africa is almost extinct. The two-horned rhinoceros of East -Africa is the only variety still to be met with in large numbers, and -this also is on its way swiftly to extermination. - -The kind of hunt I am going to tell of belongs to quite a primeval -type, such as but few modern sportsmen have taken part in. But it will -be a hunt with modern arms. It must have been a still finer thing to go -after the great beast, as of old, spear in hand. That is a feeling I -have always had. There is too little romance, too much mechanism, about -our equipment. In this respect there is a great change from the kind of -hunting known to antiquity. - -It was strength pitted against strength then. Strength and skill and -swiftness were what won men the day. Later came a time when mankind -learnt a lesson from the serpent and improved on it, discharging -poisoned darts from tightened bow-strings. The slightest wound from -them brought death. Then there was another step in advance, and the -hunter brought down his game at even greater ranges with bullets -of lead and steel. A glance through the telescopic sight affixed to the -perfected rifle of to-day, a gentle pressure with the finger, and the -rhinoceros, all unconscious of its enemy in the distance, meets its end. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -RHINOCEROS HEADS.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -RHINOCEROS HEADS.] - -But there is at least more danger and more romance for the modern -hunter in this unequal strife when it takes place in a wilderness -where bush and brushwood enforce a fight at close quarters. Then, if -he doesn’t kill his beast outright on the spot, or if he has to deal -with several at a time, the bravest man’s heart will have good reason -to beat fast. - -Now for our start. - -We make our way up the side of a hill with the first rays of the -tropical sun striking hot already on the earth. The country is wild, -the ascent is difficult, and we have to dodge now this way, now that, -to extricate ourselves from the rocky valley into which we have got. -The vegetation all around us is rank and strange; strong grass up to -our knees, and dense creepers and thorn-bushes retard our progress. -Here are the mouldering trunks of giant trees uprooted by the wind, -there living trees standing strong and unshaken. But as we advance -we come gradually to a more arid stretch, and green vegetation gives -place to a rocky region, broken into crevices and chasms. Here we find -the rock-badger in hundreds. But the leaders have given their warning -sort of whistle, and they are all off like lightning. It may be quite -a long time before they reappear from the nooks and crannies to which -they have fled. Lizards share these localities with them, and seem to -exchange warnings of coming danger. A francolin flies up in front of us -with a clatter of wings, reminding one very much of our own beautiful -heath-cock. The “cliff-springer” that miniature African chamois, one -of the loveliest of all the denizens of the wilderness, sometimes puts -in an appearance too. It is a mystery how it manages to dart about -from ridge to ridge as lightly as an india-rubber ball. If you examine -through your field-glasses, you discover to your astonishment that they -do not rest on their dainty hoofs like others of their kind, nor can -they move about on them in the same fashion. They can only stand on the -extreme points of them. It looks almost as though nature were trying -to free a mammal from its bonds to mother earth, when you see the -“cliff-springer” fly through the air from rock to rock. It would not -astonish you to find that it had wings. Now here, now there, you hear -its note of alarm, and then catch sight of it. It would be difficult -to descry these animals at all, only that there are generally several -of them together.... Deep-trodden paths of elephants and rhinoceroses -cut through the wooded wilderness; paths used also by the heavy elands, -which are fitted for existence alike in the deep valleys and high up -on the highest mountain. I myself found their tracks at a height of -over 6,000 feet, and so have all African mountain-climbers worthy of -the name, from Hans Meyer, the first man to ascend Kilimanjaro, down to -Uhlig, who, on the occasion of his latest expedition up to the Kibo, -noted the presence of this giant among antelopes at a height of 15,000 -feet. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -AN ELAND BULL (_OREAS LIVINGSTONI_, Sclat.). I MANAGED TO PREPARE -THIS ANIMAL’S SKIN SUCCESSFULLY, AND IT MAY NOW BE SEEN IN FLAWLESS -CONDITION IN THE BERLIN NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM. ] - -It is strange to contrast the general disappearance of big game in all -other parts of the earth with their endless profusion in those regions -which the European has not yet opened out. I feel that it sounds almost -incredible when I talk of having sighted hundreds of rhinoceroses with -my own eyes: incredible to the average man, I mean, not to the student -of such matters. Not until the mighty animal has been exterminated will -the facts of its existence--in what numbers it throve, how it lived and -how it came to die--become known to the public through its biographer. -We have no time to trouble about the living nowadays. - -For weeks I had not hunted a rhinoceros--I had had enough of them. I -had need of none but very powerful specimens for my collection, and -these were no more to be met with every day than a really fine roebuck -in Germany. It is no mean achievement for the German sportsman to bag -a really valuable roebuck. There are too many sportsmen competing for -the prize--there must be more than half a million of us in all! - -It is the same with really fine specimens of the two-horned -bull-rhinoceros. It is curious, by the way, to note that, as with so -many other kinds of wild animals, the cow-rhinoceros is furnished -with longer and more striking-looking horns than the bull, though the -latter’s are thicker and stronger, and in this respect more imposing. -The length of the horns of a full-grown cow-rhinoceros in East -Africa is sometimes enormous--surpassed only by those of the white -rhinoceroses of the South, now almost extinct. The British Museum -contains specimens measuring as much as 53½ inches. I remember well -the doubts I entertained about a 54-inch horn which I saw on sale in -Zanzibar ten years ago, and was tempted to buy. Such a growth seemed -to me then incredible, and several old residents who ought to have -known something about it fortified me in my belief that the Indian -dealer had “faked” it somehow, and increased its length artificially. -It might still be lying in his dimly lit shop instead of forming part -of my collection, only that on my first expedition into the interior -I saw for myself other rhinoceroses with horns almost as long, and on -returning to Zanzibar at once effected its purchase. A second horn of -equal length, but already half decayed when it was found on the velt, -came into my possession through the kindness of a friend. I myself -killed one cow-rhinoceros with very remarkable horns, but not so long -as these. - -There is something peculiarly formidable and menacing about these -weapons of the rhinoceros. Not that they really make him a more -dangerous customer for the sportsman to tackle, but they certainly give -that impression. The thought of being impaled, run through, by that -ferocious dagger is by no means pleasant. - -In something of the same way, a stag with splendid antlers, a great -maned lion, or a tremendous bull-elephant sends up the sportsman’s zest -to fever-pitch. - -It is astonishing how the colossal beast manages to plunge its way -through the densest thicket despite the hindrance of its great horns. -It does so by keeping its head well raised, so that the horn almost -presses against the back of its massive neck, very much after the -style of our European stag. But it is a riddle, in both cases, how they -seem to be impeded so little. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -AN ELAND, JUST BEFORE I GAVE IT A FINISHING SHOT.] - -I felt nearly sure that I could count on finding some gamesome old -rhinoceroses up among the mountains, and my Wandorobo guides kept -declaring that I should see some extraordinary horns. They were not -wrong. - -I strongly advise any one who contemplates betaking himself to the velt -after big game to set about the enterprise in the true sporting spirit, -making of it a really genuine contest between man and beast--a genuine -duel--not an onslaught of the many upon the one. Many English writers -support me in this, and they understand the claims of sport in this -field as well as we Germans do at home. The English have instituted -clearly defined rules which no sportsman may transgress. In truth, it -is a lamentable thing to see the _Sonntagsjäger_ importing himself with -his unaccustomed rifle amid the wild life of Africa! - -I shall always look back with satisfaction to the great Schöller -expedition which I accompanied for some time in 1896. Not one of the -natives, not one of the soldiers, ventured to shoot a single head of -game throughout that expedition, even in those regions which until -then had never been explored by Europeans. The most rigid control was -exercised over them from start to finish. I have good grounds for -saying that this spirit has prevailed far too little as a general thing -in Africa. - -I have invariably maintained discipline among my own followers, and -they have always submitted to it. How difficult it is to deal with -them, however, may be gathered from the following incident which I find -recorded in my diary. - -On the occasion of my last journey, a black soldier, an Askari, had -been told off to attach himself for a time to my caravan. Presently -I had to send him back to the military station at Kilimanjaro with a -message. A number of my followers accompanied him, partly to fetch -goods, etc., from my main camp, partly on various other missions that -had to be attended to before we advanced farther into the velt. The -Askari was provided, as usual, with a certain number of cartridges. -When my men returned, a considerable time afterwards, I discovered -quite accidentally that one of them bore marks on his body of having -been brutally lashed with a whip. His back was covered with scars -and open wounds. After the long-suffering manner of his kind, he had -said nothing to me about it until his condition was revealed to me by -chance--for, as he was only one of the hundred and fifty attached to -my expedition, I might never have noticed it. It transpired that not -long after he had set out the Askari, against orders, had shot big game -and, among other animals, had bagged a giraffe, whose head--a valuable -trophy--he had forced my bearers to carry for him to the fort. The -particular bearer in question had quite rightly refused, whereupon -the Askari had thrashed him most barbarously with a hippopotamus-hide -whip--a _sjambok_. I need hardly say that he was suitably punished for -this when I lodged a formal complaint against him. Had it not been for -his ill-treatment of my bearer, however, I should never have heard of -the Askari’s shooting the giraffe, for he had succeeded in terrorising -all the men into silence. - -[Illustration: AN ELAND BULL, THE LEADER OF A HERD WHICH AT THE MOMENT -OF THIS PHOTOGRAPH WAS IN CONCEALMENT BEHIND THE THORN-BUSHES.] - -Now we move onwards, following the rhinoceros-tracks up the -hill-slopes, where they are clearly marked, and in among the steep -ridges, until they elude us for a while in the wilderness. Presently we -perceive not merely a hollowed-out path wrought in the soft stone by -the tramplings of centuries, but also fresh traces of rhinoceroses that -must have been left this very day. We are in for a first-rate hunt. - -We have reached the higher ranges of the hills and are looking down -upon the extensive, scantily-wooded slopes. Are we going to bag our -game to-day? - -I could produce an African day-book made up of high hopes and -disappointments. Not, indeed, that returning empty-handed meant -ill-humour and disappointment, or that I expected invariable good luck. -But a day out in the tropics counts for at least a week in Europe, and -I like to make the most of it. Then, too, I had to reserve my hunting -for those hours when I could give myself up to it body and soul. How -often while I have been on the march at the head of heavily laden -caravans have the most tempting opportunities presented themselves -to me, only to be resisted--fine chances for the record-breaker and -irresponsible shot, but merely tantalising to me! - -On we go through the wilderness, still upwards. I am the first European -in these regions, which have much of novelty for my eyes. The great -lichen-hung trees, the dense jungle, the wide plains, all charm me. -The heat becomes more and more oppressive, and I and my followers are -beginning to feel its effects. We are wearying for a halt, but we must -lose no time, for we have still a long way before us, whether we return -to our main camp or press onwards to that wooded hollow yonder, four -hours’ march away, there to spend the night. - -A vast panorama has been opening out in front of us. We have reached -the summit of this first range of hills, and are looking down on -another deep and extensive valley. My field-glasses enable me to descry -in the far distance a herd of eland making their way down the hill, and -two bush-buck grazing hard by a thicket. But these have no interest -for us to-day: we are in pursuit of bigger game. Suddenly, an hour -later, my men become excited. “Pharu, bwana!” they whisper to me from -behind, pointing down towards a group of acacia trees on a plateau a -few hundred paces away. True enough, there are two rhinoceroses. I -perceive first one, then the other lumbering along, looking, doubtless, -for a suitable resting-place. My field-glasses tell me that they are -a pair, male and female, both furnished with big horns. Now for my -plan of campaign. I have to make a wide circuit which will take me -twenty-five minutes, moving over difficult ground. - -Arrived at the point in question, I rejoice to see that the animals -have not got far away from where I first spied them. The wind is -favourable to me here, and there is little danger at this hour of its -suddenly veering round. I examine my rifle carefully. It seems all -right. My men crouch down by my order, and I advance stealthily alone. - -I am under a spell now. The rest of the world has vanished from my -consciousness. I look neither to right nor left. I have no thought for -anything but my quarry and my gun. What will the beasts do? Will this -be my last appearance as a hunter of big game? Is the rhinoceros family -at last to have its revenge? - -I have another look at them through my field-glasses. The bull has -really fine horns; the cow good enough, but nothing special. I decide -therefore to secure him alone if possible, for his flesh will provide -food in plenty for my men. On I move, as noiselessly as possible, the -wind still in my favour. Up on these heights the rhinoceroses miss -their watchful friends the ox-peckers, so faithful to them elsewhere, -to put them on their guard. - -Often have my followers warned me of the presence of a “Ndege baya”--a -bird of evil omen. Many of the African tribes seem to share the old -superstitions of the Romans in regard to birds. Certainly one cannot -help being impressed by the way in which the ox-peckers suddenly -whizz through the air whenever one gets within range of buffalo or -hippopotami. - -The unexpected happens. The two huge beasts--how, I cannot tell--have -become aware of my approach. As though moved by a common impulse, they -swing round and stand for a moment motionless, as though carved in -stone, their heads turned towards me.... They are two hundred paces -away. Now I must show myself. Two things can happen: either they will -both come for me full pelt, or else they will seek safety in flight. -An instant later they are thundering down on me in their unwieldy -fashion, but at an incredible pace. These are moments when your life -hangs by a thread. Nothing can save you but a well-aimed bullet. This -time my bullet finds its billet. It penetrates the neck of the leading -animal--the cow, as always is the case--which, tumbling head foremost, -just like a hare, drops as though dead. A wonderful sight, lasting but -a second. The bull pulls up short, hesitates a moment, then swerves -round, and with a wild snort goes tearing down the hill and out of -sight. I keep my rifle levelled still at the female rhinoceros, for -I have known cases when an animal has got up again suddenly, though -mortally wounded, and done damage. But on this occasion the -precaution proves needless. The bullet has done its work, and I become -the possessor of two very fair specimens of rhinoceros horns. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - - RHINOCEROSES SHED THEIR HORNS FROM TIME TO TIME AND DEVELOP NEW - ONES. THE COW-RHINOCEROS IN THIS PHOTOGRAPH HAD SHED BOTH OF - HERS. THE RHINOCEROS WHICH I BROUGHT HOME AND PRESENTED TO THE - BERLIN ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS HAS RENEWED HER FRONT HORN SEVERAL - TIMES.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A GOOD SPECIMEN.] - -It was scarcely to be imagined that in the course of this same day -I was to get within range of eight more rhinoceroses. It is hard to -realise what numbers of them there are in these mountainous regions. -It is a puzzle to me that this fact has not been proclaimed abroad in -sporting books and become known to everybody. But then, what did we -know, until a few years ago, of the existence of the okapi in Central -Africa? How much do we know even now of its numbers? For that matter, -who can tell us anything definite as to the quantities of walruses in -the north, or the numbers of yaks in the Thibetan uplands, or of elks -and of bears in the impenetrable Alaskan woods? - -It seems to be the fate of the larger animals to be exterminated by -traders who do not give away their knowledge of the resources of the -hunting regions which they exploit. English and American authors, among -them so high an authority as President Roosevelt, bear me out in this. -I remember reading as a boy of a traveller, a fur-trader, who happened -to hear of certain remote northern islands well stocked with the wild -life he wanted. He kept the information to himself, and made a fortune -out of the game he bagged; but when he quitted the islands their entire -fauna had been wiped out. The same thing is now happening in Africa. -Our only clue to the extent of the slaughtering of elephants now being -carried on is furnished by the immense quantities of ivory that come -on the market. So it is, too, with the slaughtering of whales and seals -for the purposes of commerce. It is with them as with so many men--we -shall begin to hear of them when they are dead. - -But to come back to our rhinoceroses. Not long before sunset I saw -another animal grazing peacefully on a ridge just below me, apparently -finding the short grass growing there entirely to his taste. The -monstrous outlines of the great beast munching away in among the jagged -rocks stood out most strikingly in the red glow of the setting sun. -It would have been no good to me to shoot him, for all my thoughts -were set on finding a satisfactory camping-place for the night. Soon -afterwards I came suddenly upon two others right in my path--a cow -with a young one very nearly full grown. In a moment my men, who were -a little behind, had skedaddled behind a ridge of rocks. I myself -just managed to spring aside in time to escape the cow, putting a -great boulder between us. Round she came after me, and I realised as -never before the degree to which a man is handicapped by his boots in -attempting thus to dodge an animal. It was a narrow escape, but in this -case also a well-aimed bullet did the trick. We left the body where it -lay, intending to come back next morning for the horns. Some minutes -later, after scurrying downhill for a few hundred paces as quickly as -we could, so as to avoid being overtaken by the night, we met three -other rhinoceroses which evidently had not heard my shot ring out. -They were standing on a grassy knoll in the midst of the valley which -we had now reached, and did not make off until they saw us. By the -stream, near which we pitched our camp for the night, we came upon two -more among some bushes, and yet another rushing through a thicket which -we had to traverse on our way to the waterside. In the night several -others passed down the deep-trodden path to the stream, fortunately -heralding their approach by loud, angry-sounding snorts. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A SNAPSHOT AT TWENTY PACES WITH A HAND-CAMERA, WHICH I HAD TO THROW -AWAY THE NEXT SECOND, FOR THE “RHINO” MADE FOR ME AND ONLY TURNED ASIDE -WHEN IT HAD GOT WITHIN THREE PACES OF ME!] - -Many such nights have I spent out in the wild; but I would not now go -through with such experiences very willingly, for I have heard tell -of too many mishaps to other travellers under such conditions. That -seasoned Rhenish sportsman Niedieck, for instance, in his interesting -book _Mit der Büchse in fünf Weltteilen_, gives a striking account of -a misadventure he met with in the Sudan, near the banks of the Nile. -In very similar circumstances his camp was attacked by elephants -during the night; he himself was badly injured, and one of his men -nearly killed. This danger in regions where rhinoceroses or elephants -are much hunted is by no means to be underestimated. Rather it should -be taken to heart. According to the same writer, the elephants in -Ceylon sometimes “go for” the travellers’ rest-houses erected by the -Government and destroy them. These things have brought it home to -me that I was in much greater peril of my life during those night -encampments of mine on the velt and in primeval forests than I realised -at the time. - -In those parts of East Africa there is a tendency to imagine that a -zareba is not essential to safety, and that a camp-fire serves all -right to frighten lions away. It is a remarkable comment on this that -over a hundred Indians employed on the Uganda Railway should have -been seized by lions. In other parts of Africa even the natives are -reluctant to go through the night unprotected by a zareba, because -they know that lions when short of other prey are apt to attack human -beings, and neither the hunter nor his camp-fire have any terrors for -them. - -However that may be, the true sportsman and naturalist in the tropics -will continue to find himself obliged to encamp as best he may _à la -belle étoile_, trusting to his lucky star to protect him as he sinks -wearily to sleep. - - * * * * * - -The long caravan is again on the move, like a snake, over the velt. -Word has come to me that at a distance of a few days’ march there -has been a fall of rain. As by a miracle grass has sprung up, and -plant-life is reborn, trees and bushes have put out new leaves, and -immense numbers of wild animals have congregated in the region. -Thither we are making our way, over stretches still arid and barren. -Watering-places are few and far between and hidden away. But we know -how to find them, and hard by one of them I have to pitch my camp for -a time. - -As we go we see endless herds of animals making for the same -goal--zebras, gnus, oryx antelopes, hartebeests, Grant’s gazelles, -impallahs, giraffes, ostriches, as well as numbers of rhinoceroses, all -drawn as though by magic to the region of the rain. - -With my taxidermist Orgeich I march at the head of my caravan. My -camera has to remain idle, for once again, as so often happens, we get -no sun. It would be useless to attempt snapshots in such unfavourable -light. - -[Illustration: HOW ONE OF MY MEN SOUGHT SHELTER WHEN THE RHINOCEROS -CAME FOR US.] - -Suddenly, at last, the entire aspect of the velt undergoes a change, -and we have got into a stretch of country which has had a monopoly -of the downfall. It is cut off quite perceptibly from the parched -districts all around, and its fresh green aspect is refreshing and -soothing to the eye. On and on we march for hour after hour, the wealth -of animal life increasing as we go. Early this morning I had noted two -rhinoceroses bowling along over the velt. They had had a bath and were -gleaming and glistening in the sun. - -Now we descry a huge something, motionless upon the velt, looking at -first like the stump of a massive tree or like a squat ant-hill, but -turning out on closer investigation to be a rhinoceros. It may seem -strange that one can make any mistake even at one’s first sight of the -animal, but every one who has gone after rhinoceroses much must have -had the same astonishing or alarming experience. - -In this case we have to deal with an unusually large specimen--a -bull. It seems to be asleep. My sporting instincts are aroused. My -men halt and crouch down upon the ground. I hold a brief colloquy -with Orgeich. He also gets to the rear. I advance towards the -rhinoceros over the broken ground between us--the wind favouring me, -and a few parched-looking bushes serving me as cover. I get nearer -and nearer--now I am only a hundred and fifty paces off, now only -a hundred. The great beast makes no stir--it seems in truth to be -asleep. Now I have got within eighty paces, now sixty. Between me and -my adversary there is nothing but three-foot-high parched shrubs, -quite useless as a protection. Ah! now he makes a move. Up goes his -mighty head, suddenly all attention. My rifle rings out. Spitting -and snorting, down he comes upon me in the lumbering gallop I have -learnt to know so well. I fire a second shot, a third, a fourth. It -is wonderful how quickly one can send off bullet after bullet in such -moments. Now he is upon me, and I give him a fifth shot, _à bout -portant_. In imagination I am done for, gashed by his great horn and -flung into the air. I feel what a fool I was to expose myself in this -way. A host of such impressions and reflections flash through my brain. - -[Illustration: A RHINOCEROS IN THE DRY SEASON, ITS BODY EMACIATED BY -THE SCANTINESS OF GRAZING-GROUNDS AND DRINKING-PLACES.] - -But, as it turns out, my last hour has not yet come. On receipt of my -fifth bullet my assailant swerves round and lays himself open to my -sixth just as he decides to take flight. Off he speeds now, never to -be seen again, though we spend an hour trying to mark him down--a task -which it is the easier for us to undertake in that he has fled in the -direction in which we have to continue our march. - -Orgeich, in his good-humoured way, remarks drily, “That was a near -thing.” - -Such “near things” may fall to the lot of the African hunter, however -perfectly he may be equipped. - -On another occasion, two rhinoceroses that I had not seen until that -moment made for me suddenly. In trying to escape I tripped over a -moss-covered root of a tree, and fell so heavily on my right hip that -at first I could not get up again. Both the animals rushed close by me, -Orgeich and my men only succeeding in escaping also behind trees at the -last moment. - - * * * * * - -To descry one or two rhinoceroses grazing or resting in the midst of -the bare velt and to stalk them all by yourself, or with a single -follower to carry a rifle for you, is, I really think, as fascinating -an experience as any hunter can desire. At the same time it is one of -the most dangerous forms of modern sport. An English writer remarks -with truth that even the bravest man cannot always control his senses -on such occasions--that he is apt to get dazed and giddy. And the -slightest unsteadiness in his hand may mean his destruction. He has to -advance a long distance on all fours, or else wriggle along on his -stomach like a serpent, making the utmost use of whatever cover offers, -and keeping note all the time of the direction of the wind. He has to -keep on his guard all the time against poisonous snakes. And he has to -trust to his hunter’s instinct as to how near he must get to his quarry -before he fires. I consider that a distance of more than a hundred -paces is very hazardous--above all, if you want to kill outright. I am -thinking, of course, of the sportsman who is hunting quite alone. - -[Illustration: - - PIECE OF VERY HARD STONE FROM THE SIRGOI MOUNTAIN IN BRITISH - EAST AFRICA, PRESENTED TO ME BY ALFRED KAISER. RHINOCEROSES WHET - THEIR HORNS AGAINST THIS KIND OF STONE, MAKING ITS SURFACE QUITE - SMOOTH.] - - -To-day I am to have an unlooked-for experience. A number of eland have -attracted my attention. I follow them through the long grass, just as -I did that time in 1896 when the flock of pearl-hens buzzed over me -and I started the two rhinoceroses which nearly “did for” me.[5] These -antelopes claim my undivided attention. The country is undulating in -its formation, and my men are all out of sight. I am quite alone, rifle -in hand. The animals make off to the left and in amidst the high grass. -I stand still and watch them. It would be too far to have a shot at -the leader of the herd, so I merely follow in their tracks, crouching -down. Now I have to get across a crevice. But as I am negotiating it -and penetrating the higher grass on the opposite slope, suddenly, -fifty paces in front of me, I perceive a huge dark object in among the -reeds--a rhinoceros. - -It has not become aware of me yet, nor of the peril awaiting it. It -sits up, turned right in my direction. Now there is no going either -forwards or backwards for me. The grass encumbers my legs--the old -growth (spared by the great fires that sometimes ravage the whole -velt between two rainy seasons) mingling with the new into an -inextricable tangle. Such moments are full of excitement. It is quite -on the cards that a second rhinoceros--perhaps a third--will now turn -up. Who knows? Moreover, I have absolutely no inducement to bag the -specimen now before my eyes--its horns are not of much account. I try -cautiously to retreat, but my feet are entangled and I slip. Instantly -I jump up again--the rhinoceros has heard the noise of my fall and is -making a rush for me, spitting and snorting. It won’t be easy to hit -him effectively, but I fire. As my rifle rings out I hear suddenly -the singing notes like a bird in the air above, clear and resonant, -and I seem to note the impact of the bullet. Next instant I see the -rhinoceros disappearing over the undulating plain. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -RHINOCEROSES OFTEN REMAIN IN THIS SITTING POSTURE FOR QUITE A LONG -TIME.] - -I conclude that the bullet must have struck one of his horns and been -turned aside, and that it startled the beast and caused him to abandon -his attack. - - * * * * * - -But there are yet other ways in which you may be surprised by a -rhinoceros. I had pitched my camp by the Pangani, in a region which at -the time of Count Telekis’ expedition, some years before, was a swamp. -Its swampy condition lasts only during the rainy season, but I found -my camping-place to be very unsatisfactory and unhealthy. I set out -therefore with a few of my men to find a better position somewhere on -dryer land, if possible shaded by trees, and at a spot where the river -was passable--a good deal to ask for in the African bush. For hours we -pursued our search through “boga” and “pori,” but the marshy ground did -not even enable us to get down to the river-side. Endless morasses of -reeds enfolded us, in whose miry depths the foot sinks even in the dry -weather, in which the sultry heat enervates us, shut in as we are by -the rank growth that meets above our heads as we grope through it. At -last we reach some solid earth, and it looks as though here, beneath -some sycamores, we have found a better camping place. Deep-trodden -paths lead down to the waterside. We follow them through the brushwood, -I leading the way, and thus reach the stream. The rush and roar of the -river resounds in our ears, and we catch the notes, too, of birds. -Suddenly, right in front of me, the ground seems to quicken into life. -My first notion is that it must be a gigantic crocodile; but no, it is -a rhinoceros which has just been bathing, and which now, disturbed, -is glancing in our direction and about to attack us or take to its -heels--who can say? Escape seems impossible. Clasping my rifle I -plunge back into the dense brushwood. But the tough viscous branches -project me forward again. Now for it. The rhinoceros is “coming for” -us. We tumble about in all directions. Some seconds later we exchange -stupefied glances. The animal has fled past us, just grazing us and -bespattering us with mud, and has disappeared from sight. How small we -felt at that moment I cannot express! In such moments you experience -the same kind of sensation as when your horse throws you or you are -knocked over by a motorcar. (Perhaps this latter simile comes home to -one best nowadays!) You realise, too, why the native hunters throw off -all their clothing when they are after big game. On such occasions -even the lightest covering hampers you, and perhaps endangers your life. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A ROCK-POOL ON KILIMANJARO.] - - * * * * * - -Countless thousands of two-horned rhinoceroses are still to the good in -East Africa. Yes, countless thousands! Captain Schlobach tells us that -he would encounter as many as thirty in one day in Karragwe in 1903 -and 1904. Countless also are the numbers of horns which are secured -annually for sale on the coast. But how much longer will this state of -things continue? And the specimens of the white rhinoceros of South -Africa which adorn the museum in Cape Town and the private museum of -Mr. W. Rothschild (and which we owe to Coryndon and Varndell) are not -more valuable than the specimens also to be found in the museums of the -“black” rhinoceroses still extant in East Africa. - -This view of the matter will perhaps receive attention fifty or a -hundred years hence. - - - - -[Illustration: MASAI KILLING A HYENA WITH THEIR CLUBS.] - -XI - -The Capturing of a Lion - - -Simba Station--Lion Station--is the name of a place on the Uganda -Railway, which connects the Indian Ocean with the Victoria-Nyanza. It -is situated near Nairobi, and the sound of its name recalls vividly to -my memory January 25, 1897, the great day when I came face to face with -three lions. - -At that time no iron road led to the interior of the country; there -were neither railway lines nor telegraph wires to vibrate to the sound -of the voice of the monarch of the wilderness. But the white man was -soon to bar his path by day and night along the whole length of the -great railroad from lake to ocean. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -IN A BETTER TEMPER.] - -[Illustration: A LION CUB IN A BAD TEMPER.] - -“Lion Station” deserves its name, for in the vicinity of this spot over -a hundred Indian workmen have been seized by lions. To me this was no -surprise, for years before I had visited the region, and had done -full justice to its wilderness in my description of it. Some stir was -caused when a lion killed a European in one of the sleeping-cars at -night-time. In company with two others, the unfortunate man was passing -the night in a saloon carriage which had been shunted on to a siding. -One of the Europeans slept on the floor; as a precaution against -mosquitoes he had covered himself with a cloth. Another was lying on a -raised bunk. The lion seized the third man, who was sleeping near the -two others on a camp-bed, killed him, and carried him away. One of the -survivors, Herr Hübner--whose hunting-box, “Kibwezi,” in British East -Africa, has given many sportsmen an opportunity of becoming acquainted -with African game--gave me the following account of the incident: “The -situation was a critical one. The door through which the beast had -entered the compartment was rolled back. I saw the creature at about -an arm’s length from me, standing with its fore-paws on the bed of my -sleeping friend. Then a sudden snatch, followed by a sharp cry, told -me that all was over. The lion’s right paw had fallen on my friend’s -left temple, and its teeth were buried deep in his left breast near the -armpit. For the next two minutes a deathly stillness reigned. Then the -lion pulled the body from off the bed and laid it on the ground.” The -lion disappeared with the corpse into the darkness of the night. It was -killed shortly after, as might be expected. - -Such scenes were probably more frequent in earlier days, when, in -the Orange Free State, a single hunter would kill five-and-twenty -lions. This was so even down to the year 1863, when impallah antelopes -(_Æpyceros suara_) had already become very rare in Bechuanaland, and in -Natal a keen control had to be instituted over the use of arms. Times -have changed. In the year 1899 much sensation was aroused by the fact -that a lion was killed near Johannesburg, and so far back as 1883 there -was quite a to-do over a lion that was seen and killed at Uppington, on -the Orange River. To Oswald and Vardon, well-known English hunters, as -well as to Moffat in Bechuanaland, the encountering of as many as nine -troops of lions in a day was quite an ordinary experience, and I still -found lions in surprising numbers in 1896 in German and British East -Africa. The practical records of the Anglo-German Boundary Commission -in East Africa, the observations made lately by Duke Adolf Friedrich of -Mecklenburg, and the evidence of many other trustworthy witnesses, have -confirmed these facts. - -Although I do not think that lions, at least in districts where game is -very plentiful, are so dangerous as some would make out, yet I quite -agree with the statement made by H. A. Bryden that a lion-hunt made on -foot must be reckoned as one of the most dangerous sports there are. -The experience of an authority like Selous, who was seized by lions -during the night in the jungle, proves this. - -In the region in which I had such success lion-hunting in 1897, there -were many mishaps. My friend the commandant of Port Smith in Kiku -uland, who was badly mauled by lions, has since had more than one -fellow-sufferer in this respect. - -Captain Chauncy Hugh-Stegand, who, like Mr. Hall and so many other -hunters of other nationalities, had been several times injured by -rhinoceroses, was once within an ace of being killed by a lion which -he encountered by night, and which he shot at and pursued. Severely -wounded, and cured almost by a miracle, he had to return to England to -regain his health. “Such are the casualties of sportsmen in Central and -East Africa” is the dry comment of Sir Harry Johnston in his preface to -the English edition of my book _With Flashlight and Rifle_. - -When I read about such adventures I call to mind vividly my own. I live -through them all again, and the magic of these experiences reawakes in -me. - -To-day I would fain give the reader some account of the capturing of -lions. Not of captures made by means of a net, such as skilful and -brave men used in olden days to throw over the king of beasts, thus -disabling him and putting him in their power, but of a capture that was -not without its many intense and exciting moments. - -Proud Rome saw as many as five hundred lions die in the arena in one -day. That was in the time of Pompey. Nearly two thousand years have -passed since then, and one may safely affirm that in the intervening -centuries very few lions have been brought to Europe that were caught -when full grown in the desert. The many lions that are brought over -to our continent are caught when young, and then reared, despite the -credence given sometimes to statements to the contrary. - -It goes without saying that lions which have matured in confinement -cannot compare with the lions that have come to their full development -in the wilderness. Full-grown tigers and leopards are still nowadays -in some cases ensnared alive, and we can see them in our zoological -gardens in all their native wildness, and without any artificial -breeding, marked with the unmistakable stamp common to all wild -animals. It is an established fact that all captive monkeys show -symptoms after a certain time of rachitis. This is also the case -frequently with large felines. Lions brought up in captivity, however, -have far finer manes than wild ones. - -Of course a certain number of the lions used in the arena-fights in -Rome were probably reared in the Roman provinces by some potentate. But -without doubt a large number were caught when fully grown by means of -nets, pitfalls, and other devices of which we have no precise details. - -It seemed to me worth while to make a trial of the means which had once -been so successful. As I have already pointed out, there is a great -difference between a man who scours the wilderness solely as a hunter, -and one who makes practical investigations into the life of the animal -world. The sportsman may possibly sneer at the use of pitfalls. He -has no mind for anything but an exciting encounter with the lion, an -encounter which, thanks to modern means of warfare, is much easier for -the man than formerly. - -[Illustration: - - ANOTHER OF MY HUNTING CARDS. THE RECORD OF MY LION-HUNT OF THE - 25TH JANUARY, 1897, ON THE ATHI PLAINS, WHEN I KILLED TWO LIONS - AND A LIONESS (“LÖWE”=LION; LÖWIN=LIONESS).] - -However, I have no wish whatever to lay down the law on this question -of the relative amount of danger involved in the shooting or the -trapping of lions. In many parts of Africa lion-hunting is a matter -of luck, above all where horses cannot live owing to the tsetse-fly, -and where dogs cannot be employed in large numbers (as used to be the -practice in South Africa) to mark down the lions until the hunter can -come. For example, we have it on good authority that the members of an -Anglo-Abyssinian Border Commission, aided by a pack of dogs, were able -to kill about twenty lions in the course of a year. But on entering -the region of Lake Rudolf all the dogs fall victims to the tsetse-fly. -Hunting with a pack of dogs is very successful. Dogs were used by the -three brothers Chudiakow, who, some nine years ago, near Nikolsk on -the Amur, in Manchuria, killed nearly forty Siberian tigers in one -winter[6]; whilst a hunting party near Vladivostock killed in one month -one hundred and twenty-five wild boars and seven tigers. Tigers are -so plentiful near Mount Ararat that a military guard of three men is -necessary during the night-watch to ward off these beasts of prey.[7] - -My extraordinary luck on January 25, 1897, when I killed three -full-grown lions, fine big specimens, was of course a source of much -satisfaction to me. The little sketch-map of the day’s hunt which -accompanies this chapter shows the route I took on that memorable -occasion, and gives a good idea of the way in which I am accustomed to -keep a record of such things in my diary. I must add that my adventures -and narrow escapes while trying to secure lions have been of a kind -such as would be to the taste only of those most greedy of excitement. - -In 1897 I had already observed that the lion was to be found in -great troops in thinly populated neighbourhoods, where he was at no -loss for prey and where he had not much to fear from man. As many -as thirty lions have been found together, and I myself have seen a -troop of fourteen with my own eyes. Other sportsmen have seen still -larger troops in East Africa. Quite recently Duke Adolf Friedrich of -Mecklenburg, who, on the occasion of his second African trip, made some -interesting observations in regard to lions, has borne witness to the -existence of very large troops. During the period in which I devoted -myself entirely to making photographic studies of wild life, and -consequently left undisturbed all the different species of game which -swarmed around my camp, I was sometimes surrounded for days, weeks -even, by great numbers of them, sometimes to an alarming extent. I have -already described how one night an old lion brushed close by my tent to -drink at the brook near which we were encamping, although it was just -as easy for him to drink from the same stream at any point for miles -to either side of us. On another occasion, as could be seen from the -tracks, lions approached our camp until within a few yards of it. When -I was photographing the lions falling upon the heifers and donkeys, as -described in _With Flashlight and Rifle_, I must have been, judging -by the tracks, surrounded by about thirty. I trapped a number of them, -either for our various museums, where specimens in various stages of -development and age are much needed, or to protect the natives who were -menaced by lions, or whose relatives had perhaps been seized by them. - -[Illustration: AT BAY.] - -It is the more necessary to have recourse to traps in that one may -spend years hunting in Equatorial East Africa without getting a single -chance of firing a shot at a lion. The hunt has to take place at night, -for the lion leads a nocturnal life, and makes off into inaccessible -thickets by day. - -But what I was most anxious to do was to secure a specimen or two that -I could bring alive to Europe. To do this, I required the lightest -possible and most portable iron cages, which should yet be strong -enough to resist every effort of the imprisoned animals to get free. -This problem was solved for me as well as it could be by Professor -Heck, the Director of the Berlin Zoological Gardens. Yet even he -declared it to be impossible to make such cages under 330 lbs. in -weight. For the transport of one such cage the services of six bearers -would be necessary. I arranged for several such cages to be sent -oversea to Tanga, and took them thence into the interior. Thus I had -the assurance of keeping my captives in security, but first I had to -get hold of them without hurting them. By means of a modified form -of iron traps I was able to manage this eventually. Those who are -not acquainted with the difficulties of transport in countries where -everything has to be borne on men’s shoulders will hardly be able to -realise the straits to which one may be put. Thus I was much hampered, -when carrying back my first lion (which was unharmed save for a few -skin scratches), by a lack of bearers owing to famine and other causes. - -[Illustration: STUDIES OF A TRAPPED LION AT CLOSE QUARTERS.] - -I had found the tracks of a lioness with three quite little cubs. I -followed them for an hour over the velt--they then got lost in the -thick bush. As I had already observed the tracks of this little band -for several days, I naturally concluded that the old lioness was making -a stay in the neighbourhood. So I decided, as one of my heifers was -ill from the tsetse sickness and bound to die, to pitch my tent in the -neighbourhood and to bait a trap with the sick animal. - -I found water at about an hour and a half’s distance from the spot -where I had observed the lion’s tracks. I was thus obliged to encamp -at this distance away. Later on in the evening, after much labour, I -succeeded in setting a trap in such a way that I had every reason to -hope for good results. - -In the early hours of the following morning I started out, full of -hope, to visit my trap. Already in the distance I could see that my -heifer was still alive, and I immediately concluded that the lions had -sought the open. But it was not so, for to my surprise I presently -found fresh tracks of the old lioness and her cubs. Evidently she had -visited the trap, but had returned into the bush without taking any -notice of the easy prey. The lie of the land allowed me to read the -lion’s tracks imprinted into the ground as if in a book. They told -me that the cubs had at one point suddenly darted to one side, their -curiosity excited by a land-tortoise whose back was now reflecting the -rays of the sun, and which in the moonlight must have attracted their -attention. They had evidently amused themselves for a while with this -plaything, for the hard surface of the tortoise’s shell was marked with -their claws. Then they had returned to their mother. I concluded that -the old lioness was not hungry and had no more lust for prey--another -confirmation of the fact that lions, when sated, are not destructive. -This new proof seemed to me to be worth all the trouble I had taken. - -The two following nights, to my disappointment, the lions approached my -heifer again without molesting it. - -This was the more annoying because I had hoped by capturing the old -lioness to obtain possession of all the young cubs as well. - -In this case, as in many others, the behaviour of the heifer was a -matter of great interest. As already remarked, in most cases I made use -of sick cows mortally afflicted by the tsetse-fly. In many districts in -German East Africa the tsetse-fly, which causes the dreadful sleeping -sickness in man, also makes it impossible to keep cattle except under -quite special conditions. This heifer, then, was already doomed to -a painful death through the tsetse illness, and the fate I provided -for it was more merciful, for the lion kills its prey by one single -powerful bite. I observed, moreover, that the bound animal took its -food quite placidly and showed no signs of unrest so long as the lion -came up to her peaceably, as in this case. This accorded entirely -with my frequent observations of the behaviour of animals towards -lions on the open velt. Antelopes out on the velt apparently take -very little notice of lions, though they hold themselves at a -respectful distance from them. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - - THIS LION, AN OLD ANIMAL WITH A FINE MANE, HAD DRAGGED AWAY THE - IRON TRAP SOME DISTANCE. HE MADE FOR ME THE MOMENT I HAD TAKEN - THIS PHOTOGRAPH AT NEAR RANGE, BUT THE TRAP IMPEDED HIS MOVEMENTS - AND A WELL-PLACED BULLET PUT AN END TO HIM.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -CARRYING IN TRIUMPH TO MY CAMP A LION WHICH I HOPED TO BRING BACK WITH -ME TO EUROPE.] - -In spite of my want of success, I decided to try my luck once more, -though the surroundings of my camp were not very alluring and game was -very scarce with the exception of a herd of ostriches, which for hours -together haunted the vicinity. I hoped this time the lioness would be -bagged. But no, I never came across her or her young again. - -Instead, on the fourth morning, I found a good maned specimen--an old -male--at my mercy. Loud roars announced the fact of his capture to me -from afar. The first thing was to discover whether he was firmly held -by the iron, and also whether he was unhurt. I assured myself of both -these points after some time, with great trouble and difficulty, and, -needless to add, not without considerable danger. I leave the reader to -imagine for himself the state of mind in which one approaches the King -of Beasts in such circumstances. I can vouch for it that one does so -with a certain amount of respect for His Majesty. - -The roaring of an enraged lion, once heard, is never to be forgotten. -It is kept up by my captive without intermission, a dull heavy rumble -suddenly swelling to a tremendous volume of sound. The expression -of its face and head, too, show fierce anger and threaten danger. -The terrible jaws now scrunch the branches within reach, now open -menacingly. - -It was now necessary to free the lion from the trap and to bring it -into camp. It would take a week to get my cage, but meanwhile I -decided to fasten the animal by means of a strong chain and with a -triple yoke specially made for such a purpose in Europe. - -But even the bravest of my men absolutely refused to obey my command. -It needed the greatest persistence to persuade some of them, at last, -to lend a helping hand to me and my assistant Orgeich. As usual they -required the stimulus of a good example. After some time I had, as can -be seen on pages 485 and 499, set up my photographic apparatus right in -front of the lion so as to take several photos of him at the distance -of a few paces. - -[Illustration: A CAPTURED LIONESS, SNAPSHOTTED AT THE VERY MOMENT OF -BEING TRAPPED.] - -Then we cut a few saplings about as thick as one’s arm, and with these -we tried to beat down the lion so as to secure him. At first this -did not succeed at all. I then had recourse to strong cord, which I -made into a lasso. It was wonderful, when I caught the head of the -prisoner in the noose, to see him grip it with his teeth and to watch -the thick rope fall to pieces as if cut with a pair of scissors after -a few quick, angry bites. During this trial I made a false step on the -smooth, grassy ground, so well known to African explorers, and was -within a hair’s breadth of falling into the clutches of the raging -beast had not my good taxidermist happily dragged me back. After -various further efforts, during which my people were constantly taking -fright, I at length succeeded in fastening the head as well as the paws -of the beast. With the help of the branches the body was laid prostrate -on the ground, a gag was inserted between the teeth, the prisoner was -released from the trap and, fastened to a tree-trunk, was carried into -camp. - -[Illustration: A TRAPPED LION. I HEARD HIM ROARING AT A DISTANCE OF A -MILE AND A HALF.] - -But what takes only a few words to describe involved hours of work. -It was a wonderful burden, and one not to be seen every day! In my -previous book I have already described how we carried a half-grown lion -in a similar manner, and I have given an illustration of the scene. -Unfortunately some of my best photographs, showing my bearers carrying -this full-grown lion, were lost while crossing a river. - -I was full of delight at the thought of my captive as he would appear -in my encampment. But to my great chagrin the lion died in it quite -suddenly, evidently from heart failure. We could find no trace of any -wound. - -There was something really moving at this issue to the struggle, in the -thought that I, using wile against strength, should have overpowered -and captured this noble beast only to break his heart! - -This failure made me fear that I should never succeed in capturing -a lion by such methods. It seemed almost better to use a large -grating-trap in which it could be kept for several days and gradually -accustomed to the loss of its freedom. But this meant an expensive -apparatus which was quite beyond the funds of a private individual with -narrow means like myself. My efforts to capture lions by means of pits -dug by the natives were quite unsuccessful, because the lions always -found a way out. - -A younger male lion which was entrapped lived for nearly a month -chained up in my camp. This one had hurt its paw when captured, and in -spite of every care a bad sore gradually festered. It wounded one of -my people very badly by ripping open a vein in his arm when he went to -feed it. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -FLASHLIGHT PHOTOGRAPH OF A LION. THE ANIMAL HAD MOVED SO SWIFTLY THAT -THE APPARATUS WAS NOT QUITE IN TIME TO TAKE IN ITS WHOLE BODY.] - -Thus terminated my efforts to bring an old lion to Europe. - -Much that is easy in appearance is troublesome in reality. Even when -the animal is overcome, the transportation of it to the coast is -accompanied by almost insuperable difficulties. It means something -to carry beast and cage, a burden amounting to something like eight -hundred pounds, right through the wilderness by means of bearers. -Even with the help of the Uganda Railway it has not been possible to -bring home a full-grown lion. I have repeatedly caught lions for this -purpose, but have always experienced ultimate failure. - -Sometimes the animals would not return to the place where I had -tracked or sighted them, or would steer clear of the decoy. One often -meets with this experience in India with tigers, which are decoyed -in much the same way, and then shot from a raised stand. Interesting -information about the behaviour of tigers in such cases may be found -in the publications of English hunters, as well as in the very -interesting book on tropical sport by P. Niedieck, a German hunter of -vast experience. I might perhaps have succeeded on subsequent occasions -in transporting old lions, but I never had the strong cages at hand. -Now perhaps they are rusted and rotted, as well as the other implements -which I hid or buried on the velt, not having bearers enough to carry -them, and hoping to find them again later. - -I had a most interesting adventure, once, with a lion on the right bank -of the Rufu River. - -For several nights the continuous roaring of a lion had been heard in -the immediate vicinity of my camp. In spite of all my attempts to get -a sight of the beast by day I could not even find the slightest trace -of it. Moreover, the vegetation in the neighbourhood of the river was -not at all suitable for a lion-hunt. I decided to try my luck with a -trap. A very decrepit old donkey was used as a bait, and killed by the -lion the very first night. But to my disappointment the powerful beast -of prey had evidently killed the ass with one blow, and with incredible -strength had succeeded in dragging it off into the thicket without as -much as touching the trap. Very early the next morning I found the -tracks, which were clearly imprinted on the ground. Breathlessly I -followed up the trail step by step in the midst of thick growth which -only allowed me to see a few paces around me. I crept noiselessly -forward, followed by my gun-bearer, knowing that in all probability I -should come upon the lion. - -The trail turned sharply to the left through some thick bushes. Now we -came to a spot where the thief had evidently rested with his spoil; -then the tracks led sharply to the right and went straight forward -without a pause. - -We had been creeping forward on the sunlit sand like stealthy cats, -with every nerve and muscle taut, my people close behind me, I with my -rifle raised and ready to fire--when, suddenly, with a weird sort of -growl it leapt up right in front of us and was over the hard sand and -away. It is astonishing how the stampede of a lion reverberates even -in the far distance! - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - - PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN AT A DISTANCE OF ABOUT FIVE PACES OF A LION - WHICH I CAPTURED ALIVE AND BROUGHT BACK TO CAMP--A SPECIMEN OF - THE MANELESS LIONS OF THE MASAI VELT. SOME OF THE VERY OLD LIONS - DEVELOP MANES EVEN IN THIS REGION, BUT NEVER TO THE EXTENT USUAL - WITH LIONS IN CAPTIVITY, OR WITH THE ALMOST EXTINCT SPECIES OF - THE ATLAS COUNTRY OR OF SOUTH AFRICA.] - -[Illustration: MY PLUCKY TAXIDERMIST MANAGED TO GET THIS CAPTURED HYENA -UNHARMED INTO CAMP, PROTECTING HIMSELF WITH A BIG CUDGEL.] - -A few steps further I came upon the remains of the ass. The lion had -gained the open when I got out of the brushwood. It was useless to -follow the tracks, for they led only to stony ground, where they would -be lost. Discouraged, I gave up the pursuit for the time, but only to -return a few hours later. Approaching very cautiously to the place -where I had left the remains of the donkey, we found they were no -longer there. The lion had fetched them away. We followed again, but to -my unspeakable disappointment with the same result as in the morning. I -managed this time, however, to get near the lion through the brushwood, -but he immediately took to flight again--when only a few yards from -me, though hidden by bushes. Perhaps he is still at large in this same -locality! - -Lions--generally several of them together--killed my decoys on several -occasions without themselves getting caught. I once surprised a lion -and two lionesses at such a meal in the Njiri marshes, in June 1903. -Unfortunately the animals became aware of my approach, and now began -just such a chase as I had already successfully undertaken on January -25, 1897.[8] - -I was able by degrees to gain on the satiated animals. A wonderful -memory that! Clear morning light, a sharp breeze from over the swamps, -the yellowish velt with its whitish incrustation of salt--a few bushes -and groups of trees--and ever before me the lions, beating their -reluctant retreat, now clearly visible, now almost out of sight. - -I try a shot. But they are too far--it is no use. Puffing and panting, -I feel my face glow and my heart beat with my exertions. At length one -lioness stops and glances in my direction. I shoot, and imagine I have -missed her. All three rapidly disappear in a morass near at hand. All -my efforts seem to have been in vain.... Eight days later, however, I -bag the lioness, and find that my ball has struck her right through the -thigh. - -It may happen that a lion caught in a trap gets off with the iron -attached to him, and covers vast stretches of country. The pursuer has -then an exciting time of it. If the animal passes through a fairly open -district the issue is probably successful. But I have sometimes been -obliged to wade through a morass of reeds for hours at a stretch. -The hunter should remember that the irons may have gripped the lion’s -paw in such a way that he may be able to shake them off with a powerful -effort. Then the tables may easily be turned, and the lion may clasp -the hunter, never to let him go again. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -CARRYING A LIVE HYENA BACK TO CAMP.] - -[Illustration: MY HYENA, THE ONE I AFTERWARDS BROUGHT TO EUROPE AND -PRESENTED TO THE BERLIN ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. IT WAS CHAINED UP IN CAMP.] - -On another occasion I caught two full-grown lions in one night. They -had roamed about quite near my camp night after night. They had -frightened my people, and had been seen by the night sentinels; but in -the daytime no one had been able to catch a glimpse of them. At last -one night a sick ass, that had been placed as a bait, was torn away. -The trail of the heavy irons led, after much turning and twisting, to -a reedy swamp. Here it was impossible to follow the tracks further. -Several hours passed before I succeeded finally in finding first one -lion and then the other. To kill them was no easy matter. I could hear -the clanking of the chains where they were moving about, but I must -see them before I could take effective aim. Meanwhile one of the lions -was making frantic efforts to free himself. Supposing the irons were -to give way! But these efforts were followed by moments of quiet and -watching. How the beasts growled! - - * * * * * - -I cannot agree with those who condemn indiscriminately the trapping of -lions. Of course, it must be done for a good purpose. I should not have -been able to present the Imperial Natural History Museum in Berlin with -such beautiful and typical lions’ skins had I not had recourse to these -traps. - -A lion story with a droll ending came to me from Bagamo o. There a lion -had made itself very obnoxious, and some Europeans determined to trap -it. The trap was soon set, and a young lion fell into it. Several men -armed to the teeth approached the place, to put an end to the captive -with powder and shot. I cannot now exactly remember what happened -next, but on the attempt of the lion to free itself from the trap the -riflemen took to their heels and plunged into a pond. According to one -version, the lion turned out afterwards to be only a hyena! - -At one time there was a perfect plague of lions near the coast -towns--Mikindani, for instance. Hungry lions attacked the townsfolk -on many occasions, and even poked their heads inside the doors of the -dwellings. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - - MASAI MAKING GAME OF A HYENA WHICH HAD ATTACKED THEIR KRAAL AND - WHICH I HAD TRAPPED AT THEIR REQUEST. THEY KILLED IT AT LAST WITH - A SINGLE SPEAR-STAB THROUGH THE HEART.] - -The extermination of wild life has been almost as great a disaster -to the lions as to the bushmen of South Africa. Extermination awaits -bushman and lion in their turn--not through hunger alone. - -I was more fortunate in my attempt to get a fine example of the striped -hyena (_Hyena schillingsi_, Mtsch.), which I had previously discovered, -and in bringing it to Germany, where I presented it to the Berlin -Zoological Gardens. On page 501 is to be seen a picture of one of this -species caught in a trap. Orgeich, my plucky assistant, had armed -himself with a big cudgel, for use in the case of the beast attacking -him, but never lost his equanimity, and smoked his indispensable and -inseparable pipe the whole time! Another illustration is of a hyena -which was confined in the camp. This fine specimen, an old female, was -very difficult to take to the coast. Something like forty bearers were -needed to transport the heavy iron apparatus with its inmate as far as -Tanga. This representative of its species was one of the first brought -alive to Europe, and lived for several years in the Berlin Zoological -Gardens. - -It is less troublesome to obtain possession of smaller beasts of prey. -Thus I kept three jackals (_Thos. schmidti_, Noack) in my camp until -they became quite reconciled to their fate. It is very interesting to -study the various characteristics of animals at such times. Some adapt -themselves very easily to their altered circumstances; others of the -same species do so only after a long struggle. The study of animal -character can be carried on very well under the favourable conditions -of camp life in the wild. - -Although grown jackals may be fairly easily brought over to Europe, we -had great difficulty with members of the more noble feline race, and -above all with the King of Beasts himself. I learnt by experience that -lynxes and wild cats were only to be tamed with great difficulty, and -I once lost a captive lynx very suddenly in spite of every care. - -These things are not so simple. This is why it is not yet possible -to bring many of the most charming and most interesting members of -the African animal world to Europe. I much wish that it were possible -to bring full-grown lions over. I would far rather see one or two of -them in all their native wildness and majesty than a whole troop of -home-reared and almost domesticated specimens. - -But the hours I devoted to my own attempts in this direction were not -spent in vain. They were memorable hours, full of splendid excitement. - - - - -[Illustration: A FEW SPECIMENS OF ELEPHANT-TUSKS SECURED BY THE -EMISSARIES OF DEUSS & CO., IN PORTUGUESE EAST AFRICA.] - -XII - -A Dying Race of Giants - - -Every one who knows Equatorial East Africa will bear me out in saying -that it is easier nowadays to kill fifty rhinoceroses than a single -bull-elephant carrying tusks weighing upwards of a couple of hundred -pounds. - -There are only a few survivors left of this world-old race of giants. -Many species, probably, have disappeared without leaving a single -trace behind. The block granite sarcophagi on the Field of the Dead in -Sakkarah in Egypt, dating from 3,500 years ago, are memorials (each -weighing some 64 tons) of the sacred bulls of Apis: the mightiest -monument ever raised by man to beast. Bulls were sacred to Ptah, the -God of Memphis, and their gravestones--which Mariette, for instance, -brought to light in 1851--yield striking evidence of the pomp attached -to the cult of animals in those days of old. - -But no monument has been raised to the African elephants that have been -slaughtered by millions in the last hundred years. Save for some of the -huge tusks for which they were killed, there will be scarcely a trace -of them in the days to come, when their Indian cousins--the sacred -white elephants--may perhaps still be revered. - -John Hanning Speke, who with his fellow-countryman Grant discovered the -Victoria Nyanza, found elephant herds grazing quite peacefully on its -banks. The animals, nowadays so wild, hardly took any notice when some -of their number were killed or wounded: they merely passed a little -farther on and returned to their grazing. - -The same might be said of the Upper Nile swamps in the land of the -Dinkas, in English territory, where, thanks to specially favourable -conditions, the English have been successfully preserving the -elephants. Also in the Knysna forests of Cape Colony some herds of -elephants have been preserved by strict protective laws during the -last eighty years or so. Experience with Indian elephants has proved -that when protected the sagacious beasts are not so shy and wild as is -generally the case with those of Africa. For the latter have become, -especially the full-grown and experienced specimens, the shyest of -creatures, and therefore the most difficult to study. - -Should any one differ from me as to this, I would beg him to -substantiate his opinion by the help of photographs, taken in the -wilderness, of elephants which have not been shot at--photographs -depicting for us the African elephant in its native wilds. When he -does, I shall “give him best”! - -[Illustration: - - _Photographed at Zanzibar._ - - THE HEAVIEST ELEPHANTS’ TUSKS EVER RECORDED IN THE ANNALS OF EAST - AFRICAN TRADE. THEY WEIGHED 450 POUNDS. I TRIED IN VAIN TO SECURE - THEM FOR A GERMAN MUSEUM. THEY WERE BOUGHT FOR AMERICA.] - -The elephant is no longer to be found anywhere in its original numbers. -It is found most frequently in the desert places between Abyssinia and -the Nile and the Galla country, or in the inaccessible parts of the -Congo, on the Albert Nyanza, and in the hinterlands of Nigeria and the -Gold Coast. But in the vicinity of the Victoria Nyanza things have -changed greatly. Richard Kandt tells us that a single elephant-hunter, -a Dane, who afterwards succumbed to the climate, alone slaughtered -hundreds in the course of years. - -According to experts in this field of knowledge, some of the huge -animals of prehistoric days disappeared in a quite brief space of time -from the earth’s surface. But we cannot explain why beasts so well -qualified to defend themselves should so speedily cease to exist. -However that may be, the fate of the still existing African elephant -appears to me tragic. At one time elephants of different kinds dwelt in -our own country.[9] Remains of the closely related mammoth, with its -long hair adapted to a northern climate, are sometimes excavated from -the ice in Siberia. Thus we obtain information about its kind of food, -for remnants of food well preserved by the intense cold have been -found between the teeth and in the stomach--remnants which botanists -have been able to identify. - -By a singular coincidence, the mammoth remains preserved in the ice -have been found just at a time when the craze for slaughtering their -African relations has reached its climax, and when by means of arms -that deal out death at great, and therefore safe distances, the work of -annihilation is all too rapidly progressing. The scientific equipment -of mankind is so nearly perfect that we are able to make the huge -ice-bound mammoths, which have perhaps been reposing in their cold -grave for thousands of years, speak for themselves. And it can be -proved by means of the so-called “physiological blood-proof” that the -frozen blood of the Siberian mammoths shows its kinship with the Indian -and African elephant! - -It is strange to reflect that mankind, having attained to its present -condition of enlightenment, should yet have designs upon the last -survivors of this African race of giants--and chiefly in the interests -of a game! For the ivory is chiefly required to make billiard balls! Is -it not possible to contrive some substitute in these days when nothing -seems beyond the power of science? - -A. H. Neumann, a well-known English hunter, says that some years ago it -was already too late to reap a good ivory harvest in Equatorial Africa -or in Mombasa. He had to seek farther afield in the far-lying districts -between the Indian Ocean and the Upper Nile, where he obtained about -£5,000 worth of ivory during one hunting expedition. - -[Illustration: - - A STORE OF ELEPHANTS’ TUSKS IN ONE OF THE WORKROOMS OF THE - IMPORTANT IVORY FACTORY OF A. MEYER AT HAMBURG. IT SHOULD BE - BORNE IN MIND THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER SUCH FACTORIES ON - THE CONTINENT AND IN AMERICA.] - -Meanwhile powder and shot are at work day and night in the Dark -Continent. It is not the white man himself who does most of the work of -destruction; it is the native who obtains the greater part of the ivory -used in commerce. Two subjects of Manga Bell, for instance, killed a -short time back, in the space of a year and a half, elephants enough -to provide one hundred and thirty-nine large tusks for their chief! -There is no way of changing matters except by completely disarming -the African natives. Unless this is done, in a very short time the -elephant will only be found in the most inaccessible and unhealthy -districts. It does not much matter whether this comes about in a -single decade or in several. What are thirty or forty or fifty years, -in comparison with the endless ages that have gone to the evolution -of these wonderful animals? It is remarkable, too, that in spite of -all the hundreds of African elephants which are being killed, not a -single museum in the whole world possesses one of the gigantic male -elephants which were once so numerous, but which are now so rarely to -be met with. Accompanying this chapter is a photograph of the heaviest -elephant-tusks which have ever reached the coast from the interior. The -two tusks together weigh about 450 pounds. One can form some idea of -the size of the elephant which carried them! I was unfortunately unable -to obtain these tusks for Germany, although they were taken from German -Africa. They were sent to America, and sold for nearly £1,000. - -I should like the reader to note, also, the illustration showing a room -in an ivory factory. The number of tusks there visible will give an -approximate notion of the tremendous slaughter which is being carried -on. - -The price of ivory has been rising gradually, and is now ten times -what it was some forty years ago in the Sudan, according to Brehm’s -statistics. In Morgen’s time one could buy a fifty-pound tusk in the -Cameroons for some stuff worth about sevenpence. In the last century or -two the price of ivory has risen commensurately with that of all other -such wares. Nowadays a sum varying from £300 to £400 may be obtained -for the egg of the Great Auk, which became extinct less than half a -century ago: whilst a stuffed specimen of the bird itself is worth at -least £1,000. What will be the price of such things in years to come! - -In the light of these remarks the reader will easily understand how -greatly I prize the photographs which I secured of two huge old -bull-elephants in friendly company with a bull-giraffe, and which are -here reproduced. It will be difficult, if not indeed impossible, ever -again to photograph such mighty “tuskers” in company with giraffes. -In the year 1863 Brehm wrote that no true picture existed of the real -African elephant in its own actual haunts. The fact brought to light by -these pictures is both new and surprising, especially for the expert, -who hitherto has been inclined to believe that giraffes were dwellers -on the velt and accustomed to fight shy of the damp forests. That they -should remain in such a region in company with elephants for weeks at a -time was something hitherto unheard of. I do not know how to express my -delight at being able after long hours of patient waiting to sight -this rare conjunction of animals from my place of observation either -with a Goerz-Trizeder or with the naked eye, but only for a few seconds -at a time, because of the heavy showers of rain which kept falling. -How disappointing and mortifying it was to find oneself left in the -lurch by the sun--and just immediately under the Equator, where one -had a right to it! What I had so often experienced in my photographic -experiments in the forests by the Rufu River--that is, the want of -sunlight for days together--now made me almost desperate. At any moment -the little gathering of animals might break up, in which case I should -never be able to get a photographic record of the strange friendship. -Since the publication of my first work I have often been asked to give -some further particulars about this matter. Therefore, perhaps these -details, supported by photographs, will not be unacceptable to my -readers. - -[Illustration: - - AN AUK’S EGG, ABOUT THREE-FIFTH OF ACTUAL SIZE. AUK’S EGGS COME - INTO THE MARKET IN ENGLAND FROM TIME TO TIME AND FETCH AS MUCH AS - £300 APIECE.] - -[Illustration: - - THE SPECIMEN OF THE AUK PRESERVED IN THE BERLIN NATURAL HISTORY - MUSEUM. IT WOULD BE WORTH AT LEAST £1,000 IF OFFERED FOR SALE. - -(REPRODUCED HERE BY KIND PERMISSION OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM, DR. -BRAUER VON FRL. ELFRIEDE ZIMMERMANN.)] - -I candidly admit that had I suddenly come upon these great -bull-elephants in the jungle in years gone by I could not have resisted -killing them. But I have gradually learned to restrain myself in this -respect. It would have been a fine sensation from the sportsman’s -standpoint, and would besides have brought in a round sum of perhaps -£500; but what was all that in comparison with the securing of one -single authentic photograph which would afford irrefutable proof of so -surprising a fact? - -The western spurs of the great Kilimanjaro range end somewhat abruptly -in a high table-land, which is grass-grown and covered in patches with -sweet-smelling acacias. This undulating velt-region gradually slopes -down until in its lowest parts the waters collect and form the western -Njiri marshes, which at some seasons of the year are almost dry. -Volcanic hills arise here and there on the plain, from whose summits -one can obtain a wide view. One of the most prominent of these hills -has a cavity at its summit. It is evidently the crater of an extinct -volcano which is filled with water, like the volcanic lakes of my -native Eifel district. A thicket begins not far from this hill, and -gradually extends until it merges into the forest beyond. The burning -sun has dried up all the grass up to the edge of the thicket. There is -so little rain here that the poor Xerophites are the only exception -that can stand the drought. Only on the inner walls of the steep crater -do bushes and shrubs grow, for these are only exposed at midday to the -sun’s heat. - -Thus a cool moisture pervades this hollow except during the very -hottest season. Paths, trodden down by crowds of game, lead to the -shining mirror of the little lake. It used to be the haunt of beasts -of prey, and the smaller animals would probably seek drinking-places -miles distant rather than come to this grim declivity. There is, -however, a kind of road leading to the summit of this hill, a very -uneven road, wide at first, then gradually narrower and narrower, which -had become almost impassable with grass and brushwood when I made my -way up. This road was trodden by the cattle herds of the Masai. It -may be that rhinoceroses and elephants were the original makers of it -before the warlike shepherds began to lead their thirsty cattle to this -secluded lake. Be this as it may, my Masai friends assured me that -they brought their herds here time out of mind until the rinderpest -devastated them. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A THICKET, HUNG WITH LICHENS, MUCH FREQUENTED BY ELEPHANTS AND -SOMETIMES ALMOST IMPENETRABLE TO MAN.] - -For weeks I had had natives on the look-out for elephants. They could -only tell me, however, of small herds composed of cows and young -bulls, and that was not good enough from the point of view of either -sportsman or photographer. However, I made several excursions round -the Kilepo Hill from my camp, never taking more than a few men with -me--it so often happens that one’s followers spoil the chase, perhaps -quite frustrate it. This is well known to natives and experienced -elephant-hunters. - -I soon became familiar with the district and its vegetation. For -hours I followed paths which led through thick undergrowth, and I had -some unpleasant encounters with rhinoceroses. I knew well that the -neighbourhood of the hills, with its tall impenetrable growth, was a -most likely one for astute and cautious bull-elephants to haunt. - -Hunting elephants in this fashion, day after day, with only a few -followers, is a delightful experience. It happens, perhaps, that one -has to pass the night in the forest under the free vault of heaven, -with the branches of a huge tree as shelter. The faint glow of the -camp-fire fades and flickers, producing weird effects in the network of -the foliage. How quickly one falls victim to atavistic terrors of the -night! Terrors of what? Of the “pepo ya miti,” the spirit of the woods, -or of some other mysterious sprite? No, of wild animals--the same kind -of fear that little children have in the dark of something unknown, -dangerous and threatening. My followers betake themselves to their -slumbers with indifference, for they have little concern for probable -dangers. But the imaginative European is on the look-out for peril--the -thought of it holds and fascinates him.... Somewhere in the distance, -perhaps, the heavens are illuminated with a bright light. Far, far -away a conflagration is raging, devastating miles upon miles of the -vale below. The sky reflects the light, which blazes up now purple, -now scarlet! Often it will last for days and nights, nay weeks, whole -table-lands being in flames and acting as giant beacons to light up -the landscape!... My thoughts would turn towards the bonfires which in -Germany of old flashed their message across the land--news, perhaps, of -the burial of some great prince.... So, now, it seemed to me that those -distant flames told of the last moments of some monarch of the wild. - -At last I received good news. A huge bull-elephant had been seen for a -few minutes in the early morning hours in the vicinity of the Kilepo -Hill. This overjoyed me, for I was quite certain that in a few days now -we should meet them above on the hill. - -I left my camp to the care of the greater part of my caravan, but sent -a good many of my men back into the inhabited districts of the northern -Kilimanjaro to get fresh provisions from Useri. I myself went about a -day’s journey up Kilepo Hill, accompanied by a few of my men, resolved -to get a picture _coûte que coûte_. - -It was characteristic of my scouts that they could only give me -details about elephants. As often as I asked them about other game I -could get nothing out of them, for what were giraffes, buffaloes, -and rhinoceroses to them, and what interest could they have in such -worthless creatures! The whole mind of the natives has been for many -years past directed by us Europeans upon ivory. Native hunters in -scantily populated districts dream and think only of “jumbe”--ivory, -and always more ivory, as the Esquimaux yearns for seal blubber and -oil and the European for gold, gold, gold! In these parts giraffes and -rhinoceroses count for nothing in comparison with the elephant--the -native thinks no more of them than one of our own mountaineers would -think of a rabbit or a hare. Only those who have seen this for -themselves can realise how quickly one gets accustomed to the point -of view! In the gameless and populous coast districts the appearance -of a dwarf antelope or of a bustard counts for a good deal, and holds -out promise to the sportsman of other such game--waterbuck, perhaps. -I have read in one of the coast newspapers the interesting news that -Mr. So and So was fortunate enough to kill a bustard and an antelope. -That certainly was quite good luck, for you may search long in populous -districts and find nothing. As you penetrate into the wilder districts -conditions change rapidly, and after weeks and months of marching in -the interior you get accustomed to expecting only the biggest of big -game. The other animals become so numerous that the sight of them no -longer quickens the pulse. - -I have already remarked that elephants are much less cautious by night -than by day. The very early morning hours are the best for sighting -elephants, before they retire into their forest fastnesses to escape -the burning rays of the sun. But as at this time of the year the sun -hardly ever penetrated the thick bank of clouds, there was a chance of -seeing the elephants at a later hour and in the bush. So every morning -either I or one of my scouts was posted on one of the hills--Kilepo -especially--to keep a sharp look-out. It needed three hours in the -dark and two in the daylight to get up the hill. It was not a pleasant -climb. We were always drenched to the skin by the wet grass and bushes, -and it was impossible to light a fire to dry ourselves, for the -animals would certainly have scented it. We had to stay there in our -wet clothes, hour after hour, watching most carefully and making the -utmost of the rare moments when the mist rolled away in the valley and -enabled us to peer into the thickets. It may seem surprising that we -should have found so much difficulty in sighting the elephants, but one -must remember that they emerge from their mud-baths with a coating that -harmonises perfectly with the tree-trunks and the general environment, -and are therefore hard to descry. Besides, the conditions of light in -the tropics are very different from what we are accustomed to in our -own northern clime, and are very deceptive. - -When fortune was kind I could just catch a glimpse during a brief -spell of sunshine of a gigantic elephant’s form in the deep valley -beneath. But only for a few instants. The next moment there was nothing -to be seen save long vistas of damp green plants and trees. The deep -rain-channels stood out clear and small in the landscape from where I -stood. The mightiest trees looked like bushes; the hundred-feet-high -trunks of decayed trees which stood up out of the undergrowth here -and there looked like small stakes. In the ever-changing light one -loses all sense of the vastness of things and distances. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A VELT FIRE. THE BONES OF AN ELEPHANT SOON TO BECOME FOOD FOR THE -FLAMES.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A VELT FIRE.] - -For once the mist rolls off rapidly; a gust of wind drives away -the clouds. The sun breaks through. Look! there is a whole herd -of elephants below us in the valley! But in another second the -impenetrable forest of trees screens them from my camera. At last -they become clearly visible again, and I manage to photograph two -cow-elephants in the distance. The sun vanishes again now, and an hour -later I have at last the whole herd clearly before me in the hollow. -How the little calves cling to their mothers! How quietly the massive -beasts move about, now disappearing into the gullies, now reappearing -and climbing up the hillside with a sureness of foot that makes them -seem more like automatons than animals. Every now and again the ruddy -earth-coloured backs emerge from the mass of foliage. A wonderful and -moving picture! For I know full well that the gigantic mothers are -caring for their children and protecting them from the human fiend who -seeks to destroy them with pitfalls, poisoned arrows, or death-dealing -guns. How cautiously they all move, scenting the wind with uplifted -trunks, and keeping a look-out for pitfalls! Every movement shows -careful foresight; the gigantic old leaders have evidently been through -some dire experiences. - -Suddenly a warning cry rings out. Immediately the whole herd disappears -noiselessly into the higher rain-channels of the hill--the “Subugo -woods” of the Wandorobo hunters. - - * * * * * - -Had the elephants not got these places of refuge to fly to they -would have died out long ago! This is the only means by which they -are still able to exist in Africa. I feel how difficult it is to -depict accurately the constant warfare that is going on between man -and beast, and can only give others a vague idea of what it is like. -Many secrets of the life and fate and the speedy annihilation of the -African elephants will sink into the grave with the last commercial -elephant-hunters. And once again civilisation will have done away with -an entire species in the course of a single century. The question as to -how far this was necessary will provide ample material for pamphlets -and discussions in times to come. - -When one knows the “subugo,” however, one understands how it has been -possible for elephants in South Africa to have held out so long in -the Knysna and Zitzikama forests until European hunters began to go -after them with rifles in expert fashion. Fritsch visited the Knysna -forests in 1863. “It is easy,” he says, “to understand how elephants -have managed to remain in their forests for weeks together before one -of their number has fallen, even when hundreds of men have been after -them. There are spots in these forests--regular islands completely -surrounded by water--where they take refuge, and where no one can get -at them.” - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -AN OLD ACACIA TREE.] - -Of course, Fritsch speaks of a time when the art of shooting was in -its infancy. One must not forget that nowadays ruthless marksmen -will reach the mighty beasts even in these islands of refuge--marksmen -who shoot at a venture with small-calibre rifles, and who find the -dead elephant later somewhere in the neighbourhood, with vultures -congregated round the corpse.[10] - - * * * * * - -Now perhaps I may have to wait in vain for hours, days, and even -weeks! Some mornings there is absolutely nothing to be seen--the -animals have gone down to the lake to drink, or have taken refuge in -one of the little morasses at the foot of the hill. Judging by their -nocturnal wanderings it seems as if they must have other accessible -drinking-places in the vicinity. A search for these places, however, is -not to be thought of. If I were to penetrate to these haunts they would -immediately note my footsteps and take to flight for months, perhaps, -putting miles between themselves and their would-be photographer. - -For to-day, at any rate, all is over. The sun only breaks through the -heavy masses of cloud for a few minutes at a time, and great sombre -palls of mist hang over the forests, constantly changing from one shape -to another. - -To obtain a picture by means of the telephoto-lens did not seem at all -feasible. But a photo of bull-elephants and giraffes together!--so long -as there was the faintest chance of it I would not lose heart. It was -not easy, but I _must_ succeed! So, wet through and perishing with -cold, I wandered every morning through the tall grass to the top of the -hill and waited and waited.... - -The elephants seemed to have completely disappeared; no matter how -far I extended my daily excursions, they were nowhere to be seen. At -length I came across a fairly big herd, but they had taken up their -stand in such an impenetrable thicket that it was quite impossible to -sight them. After much creeping and crawling through the elephant and -rhinoceros paths in the undergrowth I managed to get just for a few -minutes a faint glimpse of the vague outline of single animals, but so -indistinct that it was impossible to determine their age, size, or sex. -In East Africa elephants are generally seen under these unfavourable -conditions. Very seldom does one come upon a good male tusk-bearing -specimen, as well-meaning but inexperienced persons, such as I myself -was at one time, would desire. - -There is something very exciting and stimulating in coming face to -face with these gigantic creatures in the thick undergrowth. All -one’s nerves are strained to see or hear the faintest indication of -the whereabouts of the herd; the sultry air, the dense tangle through -which we have to move, and which hinders every step, combine to excite -us. We can only see a few paces around. The strong scent of elephant -stimulates us. The snapping and creaking of branches and twigs, the -noises made by the beasts themselves, especially the shrill cry of -warning given out from time to time by one of the herd--all add to -the tension. The clanging, pealing sound of this cry has something -particularly weird in it in the stillness of the great forest. -At such a signal the whole herd moves forward, to-day quietly without -noise, and to-morrow in wild blustering flight. It is very seldom -that one can catch them up on the same day, and then only after long -hours of pursuit.... These forest sanctuaries, together with their own -caution, have done more to stave off the extermination of the species -than have all the sporting restrictions that have been introduced. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -THE TWO ELEPHANTS.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - - THE TUSKS OF THE ELEPHANTS SEEMED EVEN LARGER THAN THEY REALLY - WERE, AND OUT OF All PROPORTION TO THE SIZE OF THE ELEPHANTS, - THOUGH THESE WERE EXCEPTIONALLY BIG BEASTS, NEARLY 12 FEET IN - HEIGHT. THE GIRAFFE COMES OUT CURIOUSLY IN THIS PICTURE, RIGHT AT - THE BOTTOM.] - -Every morning I returned to my post of observation on the hill. I could -easily have killed one or other of the herd. But I did not wish to -disturb the elephants, and I had also good reason for believing that -there were no very large tusks among them. Morning after morning I -returned disappointed to my camp, only to find my way back on the next -day to my sentry-box at the edge of the forest on the hill. Days went -by and nothing was seen save the back or head of an elephant emerging -from the “subugo.” This “subugo” knows well how to protect its inmates. - -Every morning the same performance. At my feet the mist-mantled forest, -and near me my three or four blacks, to whom my reluctance to shoot the -elephants and my preoccupation with my camera were alike inexplicable. -Whenever the clouds rolled away over the woods and valley it was -necessary to keep the strictest watch. Then I discovered smaller herds -of giraffes with one or two elephants accompanying them. But this would -be for a few seconds only. The heavy banks of cloud closed to again. A -beautiful large dove (_Columba aquatrix_) flew about noisily, and like -our ringdove, made its love-flights round about the hill, and cooed its -deep notes close by. Down below in the valley echoed the beautiful, -resonant, melancholy cry of the great grey shrike; cock and hen birds -answered one another in such fashion that the call seemed to come from -only one bird. There was no other living thing to see or hear. - -But now! At last! I shall never forget how suddenly in one of -the brilliant bursts of sunshine the mighty white tusks of two -bull-elephants shone out in the hollow so dazzlingly white that one -must have beheld them to understand their extraordinary effect, seen -thus against that impressive background. Close by was a bull-giraffe. -Vividly standing out from the landscape, they would have baffled -any artist trying to put them on the canvas. I understood then why -A. H. Neumann, one of the most skilful English elephant-hunters, so -often remarked on the overwhelming impression he received from these -snow-white, shining elephant-tusks. So white do they come out in the -photographs that the prints look as though they had been touched up. -But these astonishing pictures are as free from any such tampering as -are all the rest of my studies of animal life.[11] - -Before I succeeded in getting my first picture of the elephants and -giraffes consorting together, I was much tempted to kill the two huge -bull-elephants. They came so often close to the foot of my hill that I -had plenty of opportunities of killing them without over-much danger -to myself or my men. As I caught sight of that rare trio I must -honestly confess I had a strong desire to shoot. This desire gave way, -however, before my still keener wish to photograph them. The temptation -to use my rifle came from the thought of the satisfaction with which I -should see them placed in some museum. It might be possible to prepare -their skins here on this very spot. In short, I had a hard struggle -with myself. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Shillings, phot._ - -THE TWO ELEPHANTS.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A QUAINT COMPANIONSHIP--ELEPHANT AND GIRAFFE. THE GIRAFFE MAY BE JUST -MADE OUT IN THE FOREGROUND, AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PHOTOGRAPH.] - -But the wish to secure the photographs triumphed. No museum in the -world had ever had such a picture. That thought was conclusive. - -The accompanying illustrations give both the colossal beasts in -different attitudes. The giraffe stands quite quiet, intent on its own -safety, or gazes curiously at its companions. What a contrast there -is between the massive elephants and the slender, towering creature -whose colouring harmonises so entirely with its surroundings! Wherever -you see giraffes they always blend with their background. They obey -the same laws as leopards in this respect, and leopards are the best -samples of the “mimicry” of protective colouring. - -What long periods of hunger must have gone to the formation of the -giraffe’s neck! - -It would seem as though these survivors of two prehistoric species had -come together thus, at a turning-point in the history of their kind, -for the special purpose of introducing themselves by means of their -photographs to millions of people. I owe it to an extraordinary piece -of good fortune that I was able to take another picture of them during -a second burst of sunshine which lit up the forest. - -It is the event of a lifetime to have been the witness of so strange -and unsuspected a condition of things as this friendship between two -such dissimilar animals. The extent of my good luck may be estimated -from the fact that the famous traveller Le Vaillant, more than -seventy years ago, wished so ardently to see a giraffe in its natural -surroundings, _if only once_, that he went to South Africa for that -purpose, and that, having achieved it on a single occasion, as he -relates in his work, he was quite overjoyed. Although I was aware that -herds of giraffes frequented this region without fear of the elephants, -it was a complete revelation to me to find an old bull-giraffe living -in perfect harmony for days together with two elephants for the sake -of mutual protection. I can only account for this strange alliance by -the need for such mutual protection. The giraffe is accustomed to use -its eyes to assure itself of its safety, whilst elephants scent the -breeze with their trunks, raised like the letter S for the purpose. In -these valleys the direction of the wind varies very often. The struggle -for existence is here very vividly brought before us. How often in -the course of centuries must similar meetings have occurred in Africa -and in other parts of the world, before I was able to record this -observation for the first time? These pictures are a good instance of -the value of photography as a means of getting and giving information -in regard to wild life. - -Kilepo Hill will always stand out vividly in my memory. Elephants -may still climb up to the small still lake shut in by the wall-like -hillsides, as they have done for ages, to quench their thirst at -its refreshing waters. For hundreds of years the Masai, for the -sake of their cattle herds, contested with them the rights of this -drinking-place. Then the white man came and the Masai vanished, and -again the elephants found their way to the Kilepo valley. Later, white -settlers came--Boers, ruthless in their attitude towards wild life--and -took up their abode in the Kilimanjaro region. The day cannot now be -far distant when the last of the elephants will have gone from the -heart of Kilepo Hill. But these two, long since killed, no doubt, will -continue to live on in my pictures for many a year to come. - -[Illustration: THE YOUNG LION THAT I MANAGED TO CAPTURE AND BRING ALIVE -INTO CAMP.] - - - - -[Illustration: A STUDY IN PROTECTIVE “MIMICRY.”] - -XIII - -A Vanishing Feature of the Velt - - -“When men and beasts first emerged from the tree called -‘Omumborombongo,’ all was dark. Then a Damara lit a fire, and zebras, -gnus, and giraffes sprang frightened away, whilst oxen, sheep, and -dogs clustered fearlessly together.” So Fritsch told us forty years -ago, from the ancient folk-lore of the Ova-Herero, one of the most -interesting tribes of South-West Africa. - -If the photographing of wild life is only to be achieved when -conditions are favourable, and is beset with peculiar difficulties in -the wilderness of Equatorial Africa, one might at least suppose that -such huge creatures as elephants, rhinoceroses, and giraffes could be -got successfully upon the “plate.” But they “spring frightened away”! -The cunning, the caution, and the shyness of these animals make all -attempts at photographing them very troublesome indeed; for to -secure a good result you need plenty of sunlight, besides the absence -of trees between you and the desired object. And when everything seems -to favour you, there is sure to be something wanting--very probably -the camera itself. Fortune favours the photographer at sudden and -unexpected moments, and then only for a very short while. One instant -too late, and you may have to wait weeks, months, even years for your -next opportunity. I would give nine-tenths of the photos I have taken -of animal life for some half-dozen others which I was unable to take -because I did not have my camera to hand just at the right moment. Thus -it was with the photographing of the three lions I killed on January -25, 1897, and of the four others I saw on the same day, on the then -almost unknown Athi plains in the Wakikuju country. Also with that -great herd of elephants which so nearly did for me, and which I should -have dearly liked to photograph just as they began their onrush. (I -have told the story in _With Flashlight and Rifle_.) I remember, too, -the sight of a giraffe herd of forty-five head which I came across -on November 4, 1897,[12] about two days’ journey north-west of the -Kilimanjaro. The hunter of to-day would travel over the velt for a -very long while before meeting with anything similar. In earlier -days immense numbers of long-necked giraffe-like creatures, now -extinct, lived on the velt; the rare Okapi, that was discovered in the -Central African forests a short time ago, has aroused the interest of -zoologists as being a relative of that extinct species. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A GIRAFFE IN FULL FLIGHT.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A GIRAFFE BULL IN AN ACACIA GROVE.] - -Within the last hundred or even fifty years, the giraffe itself was -to be found in large herds in many parts of Africa. The first giraffe -of which we know appeared in the Roman arena. About two hundred years -ago we are told some specimens were brought over to Europe, and caused -much astonishment. The Nubian menageries some years ago brought a -goodly number of the strange beasts to our zoological gardens.[13] -But how many people have seen giraffes in their native haunts? When, -in 1896, I saw them thus for the first time, I realised how thin -and wretched our captive specimens are by the side of the splendid -creatures of the velt. Le Vaillant, in his accounts of his travels in -Cape Colony and the country known to-day as German South-West Africa, -gives a spirited description of these animals, and tells how after -much labour and trouble he managed to take a carefully dried skin to -the coast and to send it to Germany. That was seventy years ago. Since -then many Europeans have seen giraffes, but they have told us very -little about them. The German explorer Dr. Richard Böhm has given us -wonderfully accurate information about them and their ways. But the -beautiful water-colours so excellently drawn by a hand so soon to be -disabled in Africa, were lost in that dreadful conflagration in which -his hunting-box on the peaceful Wala River and most of his diaries were -destroyed. Dr. Richard Kandt, whilst on his expeditions in search of -the sources of the Nile, found the charred remains of the hut. “Ubi -sunt, qui ante nos in mundo fuere?” - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A SUCCESSFUL PHOTOGRAPH, TAKEN AFTER A LONG PURSUIT AND MANY FAILURES.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -TELEPHOTO STUDIES OF GIRAFFES (_GIRAFFA SCHILLINGSI_, Mtsch.).] - -Zoological experts tell us that there are several species of -giraffe inhabiting separate zoological regions. In the districts -I traversed, I came across an entirely new species.... Their life -and habits interested me beyond measure. I often think of them -still--moving about like phantoms among the thorny bushes, and in and -out the sunlit woods, or standing out silhouetted against the horizon. - -Though by nature peaceful, the giraffe is not defenceless--a kick from -one of its immense legs, or a blow sideways with the great thick-necked -head of a bull, would be quite enough to kill a mere man. But this -gigantic beast, whose coat so much resembles that of the blood-thirsty -tiger, leopard, and jaguar, never attacks, and only brings its forces -into play for purposes of defence. It harms no man, and it has lived -on the velt since time immemorial. It is the more to be deplored, -therefore, that it should disappear now so quickly and so suddenly. - -I have already remarked several times on the way giraffes and other -African mammals harmonise in their colouring with their environment. -Professor V. Schmeil has pointed out how my opinion in this respect -accords with that of earlier observers.[14] The way in which giraffes -mingle with their surroundings as regards not only their colour but -also their form, is especially astonishing. The illustration on page -550 proves this in a striking manner, for it shows how the outlines of -the giraffe correspond exactly with those of the tree close to it. - -One may spend days and weeks on the velt trying to get near giraffes -without result. Far away on the horizon you descry the gigantic -“Twigga”--as the Waswahili call it--but every attempt to approach is -in vain. Then, all of a sudden it may happen--as it did once to me -near the Western Njiri marshes, Nov. 29, 1898--that a herd of giraffes -passes quite near you without fear. On the occasion in question, as is -so often the case, I had not my photographic apparatus at hand. I could -have got some excellent pictures with quite an ordinary camera. The -giraffes came towards me until within sixty paces. They then suddenly -took wildly to flight. The little herd consisted of nine head: an old -very dark-spotted bull, a light-spotted cow, three younger cows with -a calf each, and finally a young dark-spotted bull. Orgeich and I had -been able to observe the animals quietly as they stood, as if rooted -to the spot, with their long necks craned forward, their eyes fixed -upon us.[15] I cannot explain why the animals were so fearless on that -occasion. It was a most unusual occurrence, for ordinarily giraffes -manage to give the sportsman a wide berth. - -Again, it may happen, especially about midday, that the hunter will -sight a single giraffe or a whole herd at no very great distance. At -these times, if one is endowed with good lungs and is in training, one -may get close enough to the creatures before they take to flight. - -[Illustration: - - _Hauptmann Merker, phot._ - -GIRAFFE STUDIES.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -GIRAFFE STUDIES.] - -Or it may happen that you will sight giraffes about noontide sheltering -under the fragrant acacia trees. I remember one occasion especially, in -the neighbourhood of the Gelei volcanic hills. I had hardly penetrated -for more than about a hundred and twenty paces into an acacia wood, -when I suddenly saw the legs of several gigantic giraffes--their heads -were hidden in the crowns of mimosa. The wind was favourable. I might -within a few minutes find myself in the middle of the herd! But, a -moment later, I felt the ground tremble and the huge beasts with their -hard hoofs were thumping over the sun-baked ground. They crashed -through the branches and fled to the next shelter of mimosa trees. -Although I might easily have killed some of them, it was absolutely -impossible to take a photograph. But I was at times more fortunate in -snapshotting single specimens. Carefully and cautiously, I would creep -forward, of course alone, leaving my people behind, until I came within -about twenty paces of the giraffe. By dodging about the trees or shrubs -near which it stood I have sometimes managed to obtain good pictures -of the animal making off in its queer way. The utmost caution was -necessary. I had to consider not only the place where the animal was -but the position of the sun, and that most carefully. The possibility -of photographing giraffes with the telephoto lens is very slight -indeed. One’s opportunities are turned to best account by the skilful -use of an ordinary hand-camera. - -In this way, also, I managed to get pictures of the peculiar motion of -giraffes in full flight. My negatives are a proof of the comparative -ease with which native hunters may hunt giraffes with poisoned arrows. -I have often met natives in possession of freshly killed giraffe flesh. - -In most cases bushes and trees are a great hindrance to the taking of -photographs, especially of large herds. At such times it was as good -as a game of chess between the photographic sportsman and the animals. -For hours I have followed them with a camera ready to snapshot, but -the far-sighted beasts have always frustrated my plans. Thus passed -hours, days and weeks. But good luck would come back again, and I was -sometimes able to develop an excellent negative in a camp swarming with -mosquitoes. - -It is especially in the peculiar light attendant on the rainy -season and amidst tall growths that giraffes mingle so with their -surroundings. It is only when the towering forms are silhouetted -against the sky that they can be clearly seen on the open velt. -At midday, when the velt is shimmering with a thousand waves of -light, when everything seems aglow with the dazzling sun, even the -most practised eye can scarcely distinguish the outlines of single -objects. By such a light the sandy-coloured oryx antelopes and the -stag-like waterbuck look coal-black; the uninitiated take zebras for -donkeys--they appear so grey--and rhinoceroses resting on the velt for -ant-hills. But giraffes especially mingle with the surrounding mimosa -woods at this hour in such a way as only those who have seen it could -believe possible. - -When you see these animals in their wild state, your thoughts naturally -revert to the penned-up tame specimens in zoological gardens or those -preserved in museums. Well do I remember that the first wild -zebra I saw looked to me little like a tame specimen in a zoological -garden. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A HERD OF GIRAFFES: THE LEADER, A POWERFUL OLD BULL, IN THE FOREGROUND.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - - TWO GIRAFFES OUT OF A HERD I CAME UPON IN THE VICINITY OF THE - MASAI COLONY CALLED KIRARAGUA, NOW ALMOST BEREFT OF WILD LIFE - OWING TO THE IMMIGRATION OF THE BOERS. THE ANIMALS MAY HERE - BE SEEN IN VERY CHARACTERISTIC SURROUNDINGS, ACACIA WOODS - ALTERNATING WITH WIDE EXPANSES COVERED WITH BOWSTRING HEMP.] - -[Illustration: - - HEAD OF A GIRAFFE (_GIRAFFA RETICULATA_ De Winton), KILLED IN - SOUTH SOMALILAND BY THE EXPLORER CARLO VON ERLANGER. (BY KIND - PERMISSION OF THE BARONESS VON ERLANGER.)] - -The death-knell of the giraffe has tolled. This wonderful and harmless -animal[16] is being completely annihilated! Fate has decreed that a -somewhat near relative should be discovered in later days--namely -the Okapi, which inhabits the Central African forests. It may be -safely asserted that these unique animals will exist long after the -complete extermination of the real giraffe. The species of giraffe, -however, which has been dying out in the north and south of the African -continent will be represented in the future by pictures within every -man’s reach. Every observation as to their habits, every correct -representation obtained, every specimen preserved for exhibition is of -real value. And this I would impress on every intelligent man who has -the opportunity of doing any of these things out in the wild. - -Professor Fritsch saw giraffes in South Africa as late as 1863. Shortly -before these lines were printed he gave a glowing account of the -impression they then made on him, an impression which was renewed when -he saw my pictures. - -Large herds of giraffes still flourish in remote districts. My friend -Carlo von Erlanger, whose early death is much to be regretted, found -the animals particularly timid in South Somaliland when he traversed -it for the first time. A fine stuffed specimen of these beautifully -coloured giraffes is to be found in the Senckenberg Museum in -Frankfort-on-Maine. An illustration gives the head of a giraffe killed -by my late friend, and proves to the reader how much the two species -differ--namely the South Somaliland giraffe as here depicted,[17] -and that which I was the first to discover in Masailand. We have in -Erlanger’s diary and in this illustration the only existing information -about the presence of the giraffe in South Somaliland, a region which -none but my daring friend and his companions have so far traversed. - -Hilgert, Carlo von Erlanger’s companion, mentions the frequent presence -of the South Somali giraffe, but says that they showed themselves -so shy that the members of the expedition generally had to content -themselves with the numerous tracks of the animals or with the sight of -them in the far distance. - -Meanwhile an effort is being made to save and protect what remains -of the giraffe species in Africa. But there is little hope of -ultimate success. I do trust, however, that a wealth of observations, -illustrations, and specimens may be secured for our museums before -it is too late. In this way, at least, a source of pleasure and -information will be provided for future generations, and the giraffe -will not share the fate of so many other rare creatures which no gold -will ever give back to us. - -With sad, melancholy, wondering eyes the giraffe seems to peer into the -world of the present, where there is room for it no longer. Whoever -has seen the expression in those eyes, an expression which has -been immortalised by poets in song and ballad for thousands of years, -will not easily forget it, any more than he will forget the strong -impression made on him when he looked at the “Serafa” of the Arabs in -the wilderness. - -[Illustration: - - _Hauptmann, Merker phot._ - -GIRAFFE STUDY.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A TELEPHOTOGRAPH TAKEN AT A DISTANCE OF 200 PACES.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -_GIRAFFA SCHILLINGSI_, Mtsch. ] - -The day cannot be far distant when the beautiful eyes of the last -“Twigga” will close for ever in the desert. No human skill will be -able to prevent this, in spite of the progress of human knowledge and -human technique. The giraffe can never enter the little circle of -domesticated animals. Therefore it must go. Perhaps its eyes will close -in the midst of the Elelescho jungle, thus lessening still further the -fascination of that survival from the youth of the world. - -[Illustration: CRESTED CRANES ON THE WING.] - - - - -[Illustration: HUNGRY VULTURES IN THE VICINITY OF MY CAMP.] - -XIV - -Camping out on the Velt - - -Among the happiest days of my life I reckon those which I spent camping -out in the heart of the Nyíka. - -Nearly every hour there had something fresh to arouse my interest, not -only in the life of the wild animals that roamed at large all about, -but also in that of the specimens which I had caught or my men had -brought to me, and whose habits and ways I could observe within the -enclosure of the camp. Of course our unique menagerie could not boast -members of all the most attractive species of the African fauna, but it -included some very rare and interesting animals which Europe has never -seen. To know these one must go and live in wildest Africa and see them -at home. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -PITCHING CAMP WITH A VIEW TO A LONG STAY.] - -My camp at times was like a little kingdom. Many of my people went out -for weeks together to barter for fruits and vegetables with agrarian -tribes. With the rest, I spent my days out in the open, hunting, -collecting, and observing. My zoological collection increased daily, -time flew by with all the many jobs there were to be done--drying, -preserving, preparing, sorting, labelling, and sending off specimens. -The primitive camp life was full of interest in spite of its seeming -monotony. It was like ruling and ordering a little State. I thoroughly -enjoyed this simple existence, in which I seemed to forget the -artificial worries of civilisation and to be able to give myself up to -my love for nature. - -[Illustration: MY TAXIDERMIST, ORGEICH, AT WORK.] - -Then I learned to appreciate the natives. Of course they are not to be -judged from a European standpoint as regards habits and customs, but I -shall always remember with pleasure certain strong and good characters -among my followers. - -Nomadic hunters--shy and suspicious as the animals they -hunted--sometimes paid us passing visits, whilst the whole world of -beasts and birds thronged around our “outpost of civilisation,” so -suddenly planted in their midst. - -My goods and chattels were stowed away in a hut which I had put up -myself, and which was protected from wind, rain, and sun by masses of -reeds and velt grasses. This hut was of the simplest construction, -but I was very proud of it. It was useful not only for protecting -zoological collections from the all-pervading rays of the sun, and from -rain and cold, but also from the numerous little fiends of insects -against which continual warfare has to be waged. The destructive -activity of ants is a constant source of annoyance to travellers and -collectors; I remember how my one-time fellow-traveller Prince Johannes -Löwenstein had the flag on his tent destroyed by them in a single -night. In one night also these ants bit through the ticket-threads -by which my specimens were classified; in one night, again, the -tiny fiends destroyed the bottoms of several trunks which had been -carelessly put away! - -One has to wage constant warfare against destroyers of every kind. - -My cow, which was very valuable to me, not only as giving milk to my -people, but also for nourishing young wild animals, was penned at -night-time within a thick thorn hedge. My people made themselves more -or less skilfully constructed shelters under the bushes and trees. -Thus a miniature village grew up, of which I was the despotic ruler. -The native hunters who visited us would sometimes accompany me on long -expeditions. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -TERMITEN ANT-HILLS.] - -For me there are no “savages.” When an intelligent man comes across a -tribe hitherto unknown to him he will carefully study their seemingly -strange habits, and thus will soon recognise that they have their own -customs and laws which they regard as sacred and immutable, and which -order their whole existence. He will no longer desire the natives to -adopt the manners and customs of the white man, for which they are -absolutely unsuited. - -But by the time I got friendly with these nomads they were off again. -It is against their habits to stay long in one place, and they do not -willingly enter into close relations with a European--or indeed with -any one. Suddenly one fine morning we find their sleeping quarters -empty; they have disappeared, never to return. No obligation, no -command, would ever bind these wanderers to one place. Children of the -moment, children of the wilderness, their lives are spent in constant -roaming. - -I hardly ever had a leisure hour, for there was much to arrange and -see to in my camp. I had many functions to perform. I was my own -commissioner of public safety; I looked after the commissariat; I -was doctor and judge. I supervised all the other offices and pursued -a number of handicrafts. Like Hans Sach I followed with pride the -avocations of shoemaker, tailor, joiner, and smith, my very scanty -acquaintance with all these various trades being put to astonishingly -good use. I was like the one-eyed man among the blind. - -What judgments of Solomon have I not given! Once two of my best people -quarrelled, an Askari and his wife. The serious character of the -quarrel could be estimated from the noise of weeping and the sound of -blows that had proceeded from their tent. The man wished to separate -from his wife. - -“Why did you beat your wife last night?” - -The Askari (who has served under both German and English masters) -stands to attention. - -“Because she was badly behaved--I will not keep her any more--I am -sending her away.” - -“But why--rafiki yangu?--my friend? Such things will happen at times, -but it is not always so bad--see? Who will look after you? who will -prepare your meals? Look at her once more; she is very pretty--don’t -you think so? And she cooks very well” (both parties, as well as the -bystanders, are smiling by now). “Go along, then, and make friends.” - -And they go and make friends. - -A deputation of the Waparis come to the camp. They crouch down near -my tent and beg for a “rain charm” to bring down showers upon their -fields. It is somewhat difficult to help them. I take the gifts which -they bring to pay for the charm and make them a more valuable return, -and by means of the barometer I am able to foretell rain. They gaze at -the wizard and his charm wonderingly, and come again later to see them -both. - -[Illustration: - - AN UNUSUALLY LARGE ANT-HILL. INSIDE THIS STRONGHOLD THE “QUEEN” - ANT IS TO BE FOUND WALLED UP IN A SMALL CELL. SHE IS CONSIDERABLY - LARGER THAN THE OTHER ANTS AND DEVOTES HERSELF EXCLUSIVELY TO HER - TASK OF LAYING EGGS. THE KING ON THE OTHER HAND, NOT MUCH LARGER - THAN THE REST, IS IN COMMAND OF THE “WORKERS” AND THE SOLDIERS.] - -Countless similar events succeed one another, and ever the everyday -monotony of the simple camp life has its delights. - -[Illustration: MY FELLOW TRAVELLER PRINCE LÖWENSTEIN, WHOSE TENT WAS -ONCE ENTIRELY DESTROYED BY ANTS IN A SINGLE NIGHT.] - -[Illustration: - - THE ANT-HILLS ARE SO STRONGLY BUILT AND SO HARD THAT THEY OFFER - AN EXTRAORDINARILY STRONG RESISTANCE TO ALL EFFORTS TO DESTROY - THEM BY PICK AND SHOVEL.] - -Day by day my menagerie increases. To-day it is a young lion I add to -it, to-morrow a hyena, a jackal, a monkey, a marabou, geese, and other -velt-dwellers, all of which I instal as members of my little community -and try to become friends with. My efforts have sometimes been amply -rewarded. Once during the early morning hours we discovered a large -troop of baboons. It was cool: the cold, damp morning mist grew into a -drizzling rain; the animals huddled up closely together for the sake of -warmth. Later they came down to seek their food. Cautiously we posted -ourselves as if we had not noticed the monkeys. But remembering their -long sight, I organised a battue, which succeeded admirably and secured -me several young ones. At first the comical creatures obstinately -withstood all efforts to tame them. Soon, however, they got to -recognise their attendant, and became attached to him. Unlike other -species of monkeys, baboons are full of character. Like some dogs, -they are devoted to their masters but antagonistic to other people. -They show their dislike for strangers very clearly. I was always much -touched, when I came back from a long tramp on the velt, to be met with -outbursts of joy by my chained-up baboons. They recognised their master -in the far distance, reared themselves on their hind legs, and gave -demonstrations of joy in every possible way as they saw him approaching. - -[Illustration: “POSCHO! POSCHO!” MY CARAVAN-LEADER HANDING OUT -PROVISIONS.] - -[Illustration: BEARER’S WIFE GETTING READY THE EVENING MEAL.] - -[Illustration: MY YOUNG BABOONS IN FRONT OF MY TENT.] - -[Illustration: YOUNG OSTRICHES.] - -[Illustration: MARABOU NESTS.] - -Sometimes, too, other inmates of my camp evinced their pleasure at -my appearance. This was especially the case with a marabou which I -had caught when fully grown. As he had been slightly hurt in the -process of capture, I tended him myself most carefully, and experienced -great satisfaction on his restoration to health. From the time of his -recovery the bird was faithful to me, and did not leave the camp any -more, although he was only caged at night-time! He attached himself to -my headman, and tried to bite both men and beasts whom he considered -as not to be trusted, and generally sat very solemnly in the vicinity -of my camp and greeted me on my home-comings by wagging his head -and flapping his wings. Such a clatter he made as he gravely rushed -backwards and forwards! Not until I caressed him would he be quiet. -After a time he began to build himself a nest under the shade of a bush -quite close to my tent. The dimensions of this nest gradually increased -in an extraordinary manner. This eyrie he defended to the utmost, -and would not allow my blacks to go near it, or any of his animal -companions. Great battles took place, but he always made his opponents -take to their heels, and even the poor old donkey, if it happened to -come his way. On the other hand, he was very friendly with my young -rhinoceros. It was an extraordinary sight to see the rhinoceros with -its friends, the goats and the solemn bird. Two fine Colobus monkeys, -three young lions, young ostriches, geese, and various other creatures -made up my little zoological garden. They all were good friends among -themselves and with my tame hens, which used to prefer to lay their -eggs in my tent and in those of the bearers. Sometimes I used to -entrust some francolin eggs to these hens. (Hardly any of the -many beautiful East African species of francolins have so far been -brought alive to Europe.) Once I had for weeks the pleasure of seeing -some beautiful yellow-throated francolins (_Pternistes leucosepus -infuscatus_, Cab.) running about perfectly tame among the other animals -in camp. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -ONE OF MY MARABOUS, NOW IN THE BERLIN ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, BUILT A GREAT -NEST IN MY CAMP.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -TWO DENIZENS OF THE VELT WHO BECAME MEMBERS OF MY CAMP AND ARE NOW IN -THE BERLIN ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A RATHER MIXED-UP PHOTOGRAPH! MY YOUNG RHINOCEROS, WITH HER TWO -COMPANIONS THE GOAT AND THE KID.] - -I was often able to contemplate idyllic scenes among my quaint -collection of animals. The behaviour of my baby rhinoceros interested -me greatly. It was the pet of my caravan, and I was very proud of -having reared it, for I had longed for two years for such a little -creature, and had made many vain attempts to obtain one. Its friendship -with two goats I have already mentioned in my previous book. They -formed a strange trio. Very often the kid used the rhinoceros as a -cushion, and all three were inseparable. The beast and the two goats -often made little excursions out into the immediate neighbourhood -of my camp. At these times they were carefully guarded by two of my -most trustworthy people. The “rhino” was provided with its accustomed -vegetable foods. When the little beast was in a good humour it would -play with me like a dog, and would scamper about in the camp snorting -in its own peculiar way. Such merry games alternated with hours of -anxiety, during which I was obliged to give my foster-child food and -medicine with my own hands, and to fight the chigoes (_Sarcopsylla -penetrans_, L.), commonly called “jiggers,” those horrible tormentors -which Africa has received from America. - -In the evening my flocks and herds of sheep, goats and cattle came -home, and among them some gnus which I had been able to obtain from -an Arab through the friendly help of Captain Merker. It reminded one -of pictures of old patriarchal days to see the animals greet their -expectant calves and kids. It was always interesting, too, to watch -the skilful handling of the cattle by the Masai herdsmen. The cows in -Africa all come from Asia, and belong to the zebu family. They will -only give milk when their calves have first been allowed to suck. Only -then can the cow be milked, and that with difficulty, whilst a second -herdsman holds the calf for a while a little distance off. Thus it was -I obtained, very sparingly at first, the necessary milk for my young -rhinoceros. Some days there was a grand show of varied animal life. -Cows, bullocks, sheep, goats, my rhinoceros, young lion-cubs, hyenas, -jackals, servals and monkeys, hens, francolins and marabou, geese, and -other frequenters of the velt were in the camp, some at liberty and -some chained, which caused many little jealousies and much that was -interesting to notice. - -My kitchen garden was invaded by tame geese and storks, which lived on -the best of terms with the cook. It was irresistibly funny to see the -sage old marabou acting as cook’s assistant, gravely crouching near -him and watching all his movements. Very often the tame animals in my -camp had visitors in the shape of wild storks and geese, which came and -mixed among the others, so that often one could not distinguish which -were wild and which tame. We could see all kinds of animals coming -close to the camp. I have even followed the movements of rhinoceroses -with my field-glasses for some time. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -MY RHINOCEROS AS SHE IS TO-DAY IN THE BERLIN “ZOO,” AND--] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - ---AS SHE WAS IN MY VELT CAMP.] - -Some of my captives were not to be tamed at any price. We had a young -hyena, for instance, which struggled obstinately with its chain. -On the other hand, some hyenas, especially spotted ones, became so -domesticated that they followed me about like dogs. - -A young lion which I had had in my camp for some time, and which had -grown into quite a fine specimen, often made itself so noticeable at -night that, as my watchman told me, it was answered by other lions -from outside. This made it necessary to take active precautions for -the night, and my menagerie was brought into the centre of my camp for -greater safety. - -Many of the friendships which I formed with my _protégés_ have been -kept up. My marabou still remembers me, and greets me with great joy -in his cage in the Berlin Zoological Garden, much to the irritation -of his neighbour in the cage next door. I have no need to avoid the -grip of his powerful beak, which the keeper has learnt to fear. He has -never used this weapon against me. In whatever dress I may approach him -he always recognises me, and greets me with lively demonstrations of -pleasure. Even the rhinoceros seems to recognise his one-time master, -although one cannot be quite sure of this in so uncouth a creature. - -It is very difficult to know how to manage a rhinoceros. It was quite -a long time before I succeeded in discovering its best diet. Young -rhinoceroses almost always succumb in captivity, though seemingly -so robust. We have not yet succeeded in bringing an elephant from -German or British East Africa to Europe, or indeed any of the other -animals, such as giraffes and buffaloes and antelopes, which live in -the same districts. It appears that it is just these interesting wild -animals which are the most difficult to accustom to captivity and to -keep alive. The attempt to bring home alive a couple of the wonderful -Kilimanjaro Colobus apes (_Colobus caudatus_, Thos.) resulted in one of -the monkeys dying a few days after my arrival; the other lived for two -years only, and was the sole specimen of its kind ever seen in Europe. -Every zoologist and lover of animals who goes into the colonies has a -wide field of activity open before him in this respect. If only more -people could be made to take an interest in these things we might buoy -ourselves up with the hope of obtaining and keeping some of the best -and rarest specimens of African animal life, perhaps even a full-grown -gorilla from the West Coast--perhaps even an Okapi! - -I was only able to keep my little menagerie together for a few weeks at -a time, as I had to be constantly setting out on fresh expeditions. On -these occasions I was accustomed to leave the animals in some village -under the care of trustworthy blacks, so that I could take them again -on my return journey to the coast. The weeks and months I spent in camp -with my animals were a great source of pleasure to me. At night-time -there were occasions when “rhinos” and “hippos” paid us visits, as -could be plainly seen by the tracks found the next morning.[18] -Hyenas and jackals came very often, and even lions sometimes came to -within a short distance of the camp. Thus my zoological garden, in -spite of its size, could well boast of being, so to speak, the most -_primitive_ in the world. - -[Illustration: HOW MY CAPTIVE YOUNG “RHINO” WAS CARRIED TO CAMP.] - -[Illustration: CARRYING A DEAD LEOPARD, TO AN ACCOMPANIMENT OF -IMPROVISED SONGS.] - -[Illustration: “FATIMA” (AS I CHRISTENED MY “RHINO”) AND HER TWO -COMPANIONS ON THEIR WAY TO THE COAST.] - -[Illustration: A YOUNG HYENA, WHICH I HAD EXTRACTED FROM ITS LAIR, -RESISTED AT FIRST ALL EFFORTS AT TAMING IT.] - -But we had our anxious moments. Death levied its toll among my people, -and the continual rumours of uprisings and attacks from outside gave -plenty to talk about during the whole day, and often far on into the -night over the camp-fire. When one of these charming African moonlit -nights had set in over my homestead, when the noise of the bearers -with their chatter and clatter had ceased, and my work, too, was done, -then I used to sit awhile in front of the flickering flames and think. -Or I would wander from fire to fire to exchange a few words with my -watchmen, to learn their news and their wishes and to ask much that I -wanted to know. This is the hour when men are most communicative, and -unless there be urgent need of sleep the conversation may continue far -into the night. - -There is something strangely beautiful about those nights in the -wilderness. My thoughts go back to an encampment I once made at the -foot of the volcanic mountain of Gelei, close to a picturesque rocky -gorge, in the depths of which was a small stream--a mere trickle during -the hot weather. Its source lay in the midst of an extensive acacia -wood, which tailed off on one side into the bare, open “boga,” while -on the other it became merged in a dense thicket of euphorbia trees, -creepers, and elelescho bushes, impenetrable to men but affording a -refuge to animals, even to elephants. On the day before I had noted the -fact that Masai warriors had recently encamped in the neighbourhood, -with cattle which they had got hold of on a marauding expedition (and -some of which they had here slaughtered), and that with their booty -they had betaken themselves over the English frontier. It was quite -on the cards that roaming young Masai warriors would suddenly turn -up while I was there. It was several days’ journey to the nearest -inhabited region. For weeks together one would see no human soul save -for a nomadic hunter every now and again. - -The great barren wilderness, which then in the dry season could boast -of no verdure save the evergreen Hunger-plant, so well suited to the -arid velt; the romantic site of my camp; the beautiful moonlight -night, darkened over from time to time by great masses of clouds, -heralding the approach of rain; the dangers lurking all around: -everything conspired to produce a wonderful effect upon the mind. The -night had come upon us silently, mysteriously, jet-black. Before the -moon rose, one’s fancy foreshadowed some sudden incursion into the -death-like darkness, the bodeful silence. There was something weird and -unnatural about the stillness--it suggested the calm before the storm. -Faint rustlings and cracklings and voices inaudible by day now made -themselves heard. The world of the little living things came by its -own, and crackled and rustled among plants and branches and reeds and -grass. Hark! Is that the sound of a cockchafer or a mouse, or is it the -footstep of a foe?... Even within my tent there are evidences -of life. Rats bestir themselves upon their daring enterprises, to -meet their end, here and there, in my traps. Emin Pasha has told us -how he experienced the same kind of thing. How dormice and beautiful -Sterkulien made their home in his camp, gleefully climbing up and -down the canvas of his tent during the night--doubtless gazing at the -strange white man with their great, dark, wide-open eyes, as they did -at me.... Save for these sounds there is complete stillness, broken -only by the voice of the night-jar, mournful and monotonous, as it -wings its eerie, noiseless flight in and out of the firelight and round -and round the camp. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -VULTURES ON THE WING.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -VULTURES HOVERING OVER THE CARCASE OF A GNU WHICH HAD BEEN KILLED BY A -LION.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -VULTURES MOVING AWAY FROM A CARCASE, STARTLED AT MY APPROACH. (WHEN -FIGHTING OVER A CARCASE, THEY GIVE OUT A HISSING KIND Of SOUND.)] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -MY PELICANS (_TANTALUS IBIS_, L.), WHICH AFTERWARDS TOOK UP THEIR ABODE -IN THE BERLIN ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.] - -[Illustration: A SIESTA IN CAMP. THE MIDDAY HOUR.] - -Beyond the glow of the camp-fire our eyes cannot travel--we cannot see -what is happening outside the camp, even quite close at hand. This -intensifies one’s feeling of insecurity, for I know well how suddenly -and with what lightning speed the great felines manage their attacks. -It is in just such circumstances that so many men fall victims to -lion and leopard. One evening a leopard will snatch a small dog from -your feet, the next it will carry off one of the native women before -the eyes of the whole population of your camp. You must have had such -things happen to you, or hear of them from eye-witnesses, to realise -the danger. - -Near my tent stand two hoary old trees all hung with creepers. In the -uncertain firelight they seem to be a-quiver with life, and they throw -phantom-like shadows. I hear the soft footsteps of the watch--they -recall me to actualities. Now the moon emerges, and suddenly sheds its -brilliant radiance over the entire velt. It is like the withdrawing of -a pall. My thoughts wander away upon the moonbeams, and travel on and -on, over land and sea, like homing birds.... The reader who would steep -himself in the beauty and strangeness of this African camp-life should -turn to the pages of that splendid work _Caput Nili_, by my friend -Richard Kandt. There he will find it all described by a master-hand -in a series of exquisite nature-pictures. In language full of poetic -beauty he gives us the very soul of the wilderness. These studies and -sketches, from the pen of the man who discovered the sources of the -Nile, are a veritable work of art. It is easier for the nature-lover to -give himself up to the charms of this African solitude than to -set them forth adequately in words. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A STRANGE FRIENDSHIP SPRANG UP BETWEEN A SMALL APE AND A GOSHAWK THAT -I HAD AT HOME AT AN EARLIER DATE. THE APE USED OFTEN TO PULL THE BIRD -ABOUT PLAYFULLY, WHILE TWO STORKS LOOKED ON WITH INTEREST.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -“FATIMA” PROWLING ROUND. SHE WAS ON PARTICULARLY GOOD TERMS WITH THE -MARABOU.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -CARRYING A FINE LEOPARD, WEIGHING 145 POUNDS, INTO CAMP. IT HAD BEEN -TRAPPED.] - -[Illustration: - - THE BEARERS ALWAYS LIKE TO “KILL” THE GAME IN ACCORDANCE WITH - MOHAMMEDAN RITES, EVEN WHEN DEATH HAS ALREADY BEEN ENSURED BY - THE HUNTERS AND HAS BEGUN TO SET IN. WHEN THESE RITES CANNOT BE - FULFILLED, THEY WILL SOMETIMES REFUSE TO EAT THE FLESH.] - -[Illustration: WHILE THE GAME IS BEING CUT UP, THE NATIVES OFTEN HAVE -RECOURSE TO INNOCENT HORSEPLAY BY WAY OF VENTING THEIR HIGH SPIRITS.] - -Wonderful, indeed, is the beauty of those African moonlight nights. -Their radiant splendour is a thing never to be forgotten. How taint and -faded in comparison seem our moonlight nights at home! - -[Illustration: A TRAPPED LEOPARD.] - -Through the camp, past the smouldering and flickering fires, the Askari -sentry wanders noiselessly. He is a man well on in years--a tried man -who has often been with me before. Years ago he vowed he would never -again return to the wilderness with a “Safari,” yet every time I -revisit Africa the spell of the wild has come over him anew, and he has -been unable to resist. - -He comes to me now and says, as he has had so often to say before: -“Master, do you hear the lions yonder in the distance?” And he makes -his way towards the great fire in the centre of the camp and throws -some fresh logs upon it. Flames spring up, blazing and flickering in -the moonlight. - -[Illustration: THE BABOON AND THE LITTLE BLACK LADY.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -MOONLIGHT ON THE VELT.] - - - - -[Illustration: A FOWL OF THE VELT (_PTEROCLES GUTTURALIS SATURATIOR_, -Hart).] - -XV - -Night Photography under Difficulties - - -There is a notion prevalent, due to superficial observers, that there -are certain drinking-places to which the wild animals are bound to come -to quench their thirst, in all circumstances, during the hot season. -Were this so the animals would have ceased ere now to exist. The -poisoned arrow of the native, or the rifle of the white man, would long -since have exterminated them. It is the case, however, that you can -count upon finding game at specific drinking-places in the hot weather -under certain circumstances, though much depends upon the direction of -the wind and other things. The appearance of the larger beasts of prey -by the waterside is enough, for instance, to make the others keep their -distance for a considerable time. - -When I have encamped in such localities it has generally been with a -view to securing specimens of rare birds, and apart from this I have -confined myself to making observations of the life of the animals. Very -large bull-elephants were the only kind of big game that I had any mind -to shoot, for I was never at a loss for other kinds. Elephants roam -about in the hot season from one watering-place to another, sometimes -covering great distances. They know the danger they run in frequenting -any one particular watering-place too regularly. This is true of herds -of other animals as well. - -These watering-places are, of course, very productive to the natives, -who make no account of time and who spread themselves out over a number -of them during the hot weather, thus multiplying their chances. But the -havoc worked among the wild animals by their poisoned arrows or the -other methods of hunting which they practise, when they have not taken -to powder and shot, is not serious. They have been hunting in this way -since prehistoric ages, and yet have been able to hand over the animal -kingdom to us Europeans in all the fulness and abundance that have -aroused our wonder and admiration wherever we have set foot for the -first time. - -In the course of my last journey I encamped for the second time at the -foot of the Donje-Erok mountain (the circuit of which is a two-days’ -march), to the north-west of Kilimanjaro. The region had been well -known to me since 1899. Previously to then it had been traversed only -by Count Teleki’s expedition. His comrade, the well-known geographer -Ritter von Höhnel, had marked its outlines on the map. No one, however, -had penetrated into the interior, and here a wonderful field offered -itself to the sportsman and explorer. A number of small streams take -their rise on the Donje-Erok. In the dry weather these are speedily -absorbed by the sun-dried soil of the velt, but in the wet season -they have quite a long course, and combine to form a series of small -swamps. When these have gradually begun to dry and have come to be -mere stretches of blackish mud, they reveal the tracks of the herds -of animals that have waded through them, elephants and rhinoceroses -especially--mighty autographs imprinted like Runic letters upon wax. - -[Illustration: A RIVER-HORSE RESORT.] - -In the dry season great numbers of animals made always for a -source--very speedily dried up--to the south of the mountain. It was in -this vicinity that I proposed to secure my pictures of wild life. - -My caravan was very much on the _qui vive_ when at last, after a long -march, we were able to strike camp. We had been attacked by a band of -Masai warriors during the night and had driven them off. It was only -natural, therefore, that we should exercise some caution. But our -fatigue overcame all anxiety as to another attack. We had made a long -forced march, and were worn out with our exertions and our sufferings -from thirst and the heat. Some of the bearers, succumbing under the -weight of their burdens, had remained behind. We had started on the -previous morning, each of us provided as well as was practicable with -water, and had marched until dark, passing the night waterless and -pressing on at daybreak. It was absolutely essential now to get to -a watering-place, so we put out all our efforts, just succeeding in -reaching our goal after nightfall. This march was the more exhausting -in that we had had only two hours’ sleep before the fray with the -Masai. The bearers we had been obliged to leave behind were afterwards -brought into camp safely by a relief party. - -On exploring our vicinity next morning we found that our camp, -which was to some degree safeguarded by a thorn-fence--a so-called -“boma”--adjoined several earlier camps of native elephant-hunters, -protected by strong palisades: a thing that had often happened to us -before. These camps are to be recognised by the empty powder-casks left -about or by the erection somewhere near of a fetich or charm to ward -off evil, or something of the kind. It is only the natives who use -firearms that have resort to such practices. So far as I know neither -the Wakamba nor the Wandorobo are addicted to them. In this particular -case the charm took the shape of an arrangement of large snail-shells -in the midst of a small enclosure four feet square. That it proved -efficacious was suggested by the spectacle of the skulls and remains -of some twenty recently killed rhinoceroses within a few paces of the -camp.... I had met with just the same state of things in 1900. These -“sanctioned” elephant-hunters--or, to use the recognised term, these -“trustworthy Fundi”--are an absolute pest. The arch exterminator of the -elephants in the Kilimanjaro region was Schundi, the former slave of -a Kavirondo chief. Schundi, in his capacity as a political agent and -licensed elephant-hunter, scoured the entire country with his men from -1893 to 1900.[19] - -[Illustration: ONE OF THE PEAKS OF DONJE-EROK, IN THE VICINITY OF -KILIMANJARO.] - -In the heart of the thicket we came suddenly upon a quite recent camp -of native hunters of some kind--not Wandorobo, we judged, from utensils -which they left behind, of a sort the Wandorobo never use. I was aware -that other tribes had taken to hunting the animals in this region, -the Masai themselves setting about it quite in the Wandorobo fashion. -Our chief “find” in the camp, however, was a collection of some forty -zebra-hides, quite freshly secured, and about the same number of hides -of gnus as well as others of smaller game. Most of these skins were -stretched out on the ground to dry, fixed with pegs. Probably the -fugitives had taken a number of others away with them. I came to the -conclusion that the natives were of the class that hunt on behalf of -Indian, Greek, and other traders--a class far too numerous nowadays. -The traders pay them very little for their labours, and themselves make -huge profits out of it all. - -I took possession of the skins, prepared the best of them very -thoroughly and carefully, and then sent them to Moschi, for despatch -to the Berlin Museum. This task occupied me for two days, but I -undertook it with gusto, for I knew that by reason of the variety of -species of zebras and gnus frequenting this region, this big collection -of skins was of great scientific value. And I rejoiced the more -over my treasure-trove in that it exempted me from shooting any more -zebras or gnus myself. But my calculations were all to be upset. On my -notification to the station that I had not bagged the animals myself, -but had found them lying about in a bush-camp where they had been -abandoned by nomadic native hunters, it was decided that they could not -be recognised as my property without further proceedings. Eventually -the matter was decided in my favour by a governmental decree, but -in the meantime the skins were considerably damaged by insects and -otherwise. Could I have foreseen this, I should not have been at the -trouble and serious expense of saving them, but should have left them -as a welcome feast to the hyenas and jackals. What I was still able to -save out of the lot I sent later to the Berlin Museum. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -WHEN STARTING ON A LONG “TELEKESA-MARCH”--A MARCH OF MORE THAN -TWENTY-FOUR HOURS BEFORE REACHING THE NEXT WATERING-PLACE--MY MEN -PROVIDED THEMSELVES WITH AS MUCH WATER AS THEY COULD CARRY.] - -[Illustration: VULTURES.] - -Near some of the drinking-places along the river I found the cleverly -contrived reed-shelters behind which the natives take refuge. The -immense numbers of vultures and jackals and hyenas showed that these -gluttonous creatures had found an abundance of provender, especially -near the deserted camp. The vultures, which were of various species, -came down from their perches on the trees and settled on the ground -quite near us. It was brooding-time for some of the larger species, and -presently I found a great number of their nests with young birds in -them. It was very interesting to watch the old birds and their young -together. - -It took me about a week to decide on the spots best suited for my -flashlight photographs. After a good deal of really hard work, and -after any number of unsuccessful efforts, I was at last satisfied that -my three cameras were so placed as to promise good results if I had any -luck. But the fates seemed against me. There were hundreds of different -drinking-places along the course of the stream, and with so great a -choice at their disposal the animals appeared to give my camera a wide -berth. - -Some days later we had an unpleasant surprise. One of my Askaris had -gone at daybreak, as was his custom, to examine one of my jackal traps. -Suddenly we heard the sound of shots in the direction of the trap, -about twenty minutes’ walk from the camp. As in view of my strict -orders against shooting at game there could be no question of this, we -at once assumed that we had to reckon with an attack by natives. In a -trice I had all my arrangements made. Dividing my armed followers -into two sections, I set out instantly with one of them in the -direction of the Askari, leaving the other with Orgeich to defend the -camp. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -FLASHLIGHT PHOTOGRAPHS.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -FLASHLIGHT PHOTOGRAPHS OF HYENAS (_HYÆNA SCHILLINGSI_, Mtsch.) AND -JACKALS.] - -What had happened? It was the old story, so familiar to all experienced -travellers, and showing how easily one may be drawn into a fight, yet -how easily trouble may be avoided if one takes the right line. My -Askari, normally a very steady and reliable man who had been in the -service of the Government, had been startled by the sudden apparition -right in front of him of a great band of Masai warriors armed with -spears. They had raised their spears, no doubt instinctively, at the -sight of the rifle-bearing soldier. He, for his part, and his two -unarmed comrades, jumped simultaneously to the conclusion that these -were the same Masai who had previously attacked us. He decided at once -to fire. In an instant the Masai vanished in every direction. - -It was not a laughing matter. There had been recent fights in the -neighbourhood of my camp between Masai warriors and the inhabitants of -the Uferi district--the remains of men who had been killed in these -frays bore witness to the truth of what my guides had told me about -them. And it was not long since certain European cattle-dealers, at a -spot some two days’ journey farther on, had been murdered by the Masai. -These facts, taken in connection with the night-attack, made us realise -the need of caution. - -On reaching the scene of the incident, I ascertained that a great band -of Masai, accompanied by their wives, had been seen on the previous -evening in the neighbourhood of the stream, and that they had encamped -for the night in a mouldering old kraal in the thorn-thicket, and it -was while slumbering peacefully in this that they were disturbed by my -Askari. Scattered all over the place were goods and chattels of various -descriptions which they had left behind them in their hasty flight, -and which I now had carefully collected together. From their nature I -concluded that the Masai were making for some place at a considerable -distance, and that there was, therefore, no danger of unpleasant -consequences. I returned to my camp to reassure my people, and at once -got some of my Masai friends, who had been with me for a long time, to -go after the fugitives and bring them back. That was the only way to -effect an understanding--any other messengers would have failed in the -mission. - -Towards midday my Masai returned to camp with some thirty of the -spear-armed warriors and a number of their women-folk. I gave them -back their belongings, together with a present by way of _amende_ for -their fright. This they accepted with equanimity after the manner of -all natives. Then they took their departure, the incident being thus -happily terminated without bloodshed. - -Curiously enough, Orgeich had had a somewhat similar encounter with -Masai a short time before. He had been for a turn in the neighbourhood -of the camp, and was coming back in the dark along a rhinoceros-track. -When he had got to within a quarter of an hour’s walk of the camp, -there was a sudden clatter right in front of him, and in the uncertain -moonlight he descried a band of armed Masai. Remembering the recent -night-encounter he instantly raised his rifle to fire. But the veteran -soldier had self-control enough to resist the impulse, and in this case -also there were no ill consequences. But, as he still continues to -declare, it was a near thing. - -[Illustration: MY NIGHT-APPARATUS IN POSITION, READY TO WORK.] - -Such incidents, it will be recognised, can very easily lead to serious -results. - -Later I was to have an unpleasant experience in regard to natives. A -band of nomadic hunters, perhaps those who had encamped where I found -the zebra-skins, had “gone for” two of my cameras. They had taken away -all those parts of them that could be of any use to them, and left -them of course quite useless to me. It is noteworthy that they did not -smash them to pieces, as Europeans might have done. They had merely -detached the metal portions and others which they could turn to some -account. This loss was, however, very annoying to me, and I found it -necessary to establish two relays of men on guard to look after the -sole remaining apparatus throughout the day. - -[Illustration: A PET OF THE CARAVAN.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - - A BAOBAB (_ADANSONIA DIGITATA_). THESE TREES ARE OFTEN BELIEVED - BY THE NATIVES TO BE INHABITED BY GHOSTS. THEY USED TO COME INTO - THE STORIES TOLD BY MY FOLLOWERS.] - - - - -[Illustration: THE FIRST FLASHLIGHT PHOTOGRAPH WITH WHICH I HAD ANY -MEASURE OF SUCCESS! A MONGOOSE MAY BE JUST GUESSED AT UNDER THE -THORN-BRANCH.] - -XVI - -Photography by Day and by Night - - -There is an old German recipe for the catching of a lion: you put the -Sahara through a sieve--and behold the King of Beasts! - -The photographing of lions is not to be managed so easily. I am always -being asked how I took my photographs. I shall try to give an answer in -the following pages. - -Before _With Flashlight and Rifle_ was published, the only successful -photographs taken by night that were known to me were some few -excellent pictures of certain species of American deer, secured by -an enthusiastic sportsman (a legal official in the service of the -Government of the United States) after years of untiring effort. -After any number of fruitless attempts, this gentleman contrived to -photograph these animals grazing by night near the banks of a river -down which he drifted in a boat. He set up a row of cameras in the -bow of his craft, and when it passed close to the deer standing in the -water, he let his flashlight flame out, and in this way produced in the -course of ten years or so--a number of very interesting photographic -studies, which made his name well known in his own country and which -won him a gold medal at a Paris Exhibition, where his work aroused -much attention. I was familiar also with the “telephoto” pictures -which Lord Delamere brought home from East Africa.[20] Those of Mr. -Edward North Buxton were published first in 1902, so far as I know. I -myself, I should explain, do not profess to be a complete master of -the photographer’s art. Indeed, I rather rejoice in my ignorance of -many of the inner secrets of the craft known only to experts, because -I believe it has helped me to get a certain character into my pictures -which would perhaps have eluded one whose mind was taken up with all -the difficulties involved in the task. - -At first sight the photographing of animals may seem a simple enough -matter, but if we look at the photographs taken in zoological gardens -or in menageries or game reservations, or photographs taken during the -winter at spots to which the animals have had to come for food, or at -the various touched-up photographs one sees, we shall find that there -are very few of any real worth from the standpoint of the naturalist. -Whoever would take photographs of value should take care that they be -in no way altered or touched up. Touched-up photographs are never -to be trusted. - -[Illustration: THE APPARATUS WHICH I FIRST USED FOR MY -NIGHT-PHOTOGRAPHS, WITH THE SHUTTER KEPT OPEN (_see_ p. 687).] - -[Illustration: THE GOERZ-SCHILLINGS NIGHT-APPARATUS.] - -The story of my progress in the art of animal photography is soon told. - -In 1896 and 1897 I was not adequately equipped, and I took only a few -photographs, all by daylight. - -After going through a careful course of instruction in Kiesling’s -Photographic Institution, I did not succeed in entirely satisfying -myself with the daylight photographs I took on my second expedition -of 1899-1900. It was impossible at that time to photograph objects -at great distances, the telephoto lens not yet carrying far enough. -My efforts to photograph the animals by night proved entirely -fruitless, for one reason because the flashlight apparatus would -not work. It was exasperating to find that my heavy and expensive -“accumulators”--procured after consultation with technical -experts--refused to act, and I remember vividly how I flung them out -into the middle of a river! I achieved but one single success at this -period with a self-acting apparatus, namely the photograph of two -vultures contending over carrion, here reproduced; one of them has been -feeding, and the other is just about to assert its right to part of -the meal. The attitudes of the two birds are very interesting, and one -feels that it would have been very difficult for a painter to have put -them on record. But all my other attempts failed, as I have said, from -technical causes, and I had to content myself for the most part with -photographing the animals I hunted, though I did succeed in getting -pictures of a waterbuck and a giraffe at which I had not shot. My -photographs won so much approval from experts on my return home that I -was encouraged to go further in this direction. - -But what difficulties I had to overcome! So far back as the year 1863 a -German explorer, Professor Fritsch, now a member of the Privy Council, -had set about the task of photographing wild animals in South Africa. -Those were the days of wet collodion plates, and it is really wonderful -how Professor Fritsch managed to cope with all the difficulties he had -to face so far from all possibility of assistance. He succeeded in the -course of his expedition in photographing an African wild animal upon -a dry plate for the first time on record. By his kindness I am enabled -to reproduce this historical picture here--it is a thing of real value. -It is the photograph of an eland, at that time an animal often met with -in Cape Colony, where game of all kinds has now been almost completely -exterminated. Professor Fritsch’s account of his experiences should -be heard for one to form any notion of the wealth of animal life that -then adorned the South African velt. His photographs are especially -interesting as the first of their kind. It was not until nearly forty -years later that the English sportsmen already mentioned and I myself -embarked systematically upon similar enterprises. - -On my third expedition in 1902 I tried to photograph with two telephoto -cameras which had been placed at my disposal by the Goerz Optical -Institute. Without attempting to explain the complicated mechanism -of these apparatus--the idea of which came first to English -travellers--I may say that they are beset with difficulties. They -require a long exposure, and are best suited, therefore, for stationary -objects. If you wish to photograph animals in motion, you must learn -to expose your negative long enough to secure a clear impression, yet -not so long as to make the moving animals come out quite blurred. I -am strongly of opinion that it is not of much advantage to make out a -table of calculations as to the time of exposure. Experience alone -can enable you to judge what exposure to allow. When you have got your -shutter to the correct speed and chosen the correct diaphragm for your -lens, you must get into the way of using the camera as quickly and -deftly as your rifle. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -AUTOMATICALLY TAKEN PHOTOGRAPH OF TWO VULTURES ENGAGING IN A CONTEST -OVER CARRION.] - -[Illustration: - - THE FIRST DRY-PLATE PHOTOGRAPH, PROBABLY, EVER TAKEN IN THE - AFRICAN DESERT. THE WORK OF ONE OF THE OLDEST OF AFRICAN - EXPLORERS, PROFESSOR FRITSCH, IT REPRESENTS AN ELAND WHICH HE HAD - KILLED--A SPECIES THEN FREQUENTLY MET WITH IN CAPE COLONY.] - -In this way, just as in shooting, you will learn to allow for the -movements of the object you are aiming at--you will let your camera -move accordingly. This needs a lot of practice. At the period when I -was using the Goerz apparatus, a large number of similar cameras of all -sizes were returned to the manufactory by practical photographers as -unuseable. This shows how difficult it is to form any opinion as to the -possibilities of the telephoto lens without going in for thorough and -repeated experiments. - -It is only on rare occasions that you are able to use a stand-camera -for photographing objects at a distance. In most cases you must -shoulder your photographic gun, and it may be easily imagined what -dexterity is required for its proper management. In following up -the moving object with your lens you inevitably make the background -something of a blur. You are apt at the same time to under-expose. The -change of diaphragm and the modification of the speed of the shutter -involve many failures. The telephoto lens has this advantage, however, -that you can generally get good results with it at a hundred paces. In -the case of birds on the wing, either rising or flying past you, you -have to get into the way of reckoning the distance--a difficult matter. -Of course you must always have the sun more or less behind you. The -conditions of the atmosphere in the tropics--the shimmering waves of -light that rise up out of the scorched soil, for instance--make it -peculiarly hard to calculate the time of exposure, and many photographs -turn out failures which you have felt quite sure of having taken -properly. This is specially disappointing in the case of animals that -you may never have another opportunity of photographing. In such cases -I make a practice of giving as many exposures as possible, in the hope -of one or other of them turning out right. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -THIS PHOTOGRAPH BEARS WITNESS TO THE DESIRABILITY OF HAVING PERFECTED -FILMS TO WORK WITH; FOR GLASSES PLATES ARE APT TO BREAK AND GOOD -PICTURES TO BE QUITE SPOILT IN CONSEQUENCE.] - -You often miss splendid chances, of course, simply through not having -your camera at hand. A few moments’ delay may lose you an opportunity -that will never come to you again. Then, again, you are just as apt -in Africa as elsewhere to make the mistakes so well known to all -photographers--wrong focussing, using the same plate twice, not getting -your objects properly on the plate, etc. Nor can you always avoid -having a tree or bush or branch between you and the animal you want to -photograph. These things are often enough to quite spoil your picture. -The weight of the camera, too, is in itself a hindrance. It is not -every one who can handle a 13 × 18-cm. telephoto camera. Even a 9 × -12-cm. is heavy enough. It must be remembered that on one’s journeyings -through the wilderness it is almost as much as one can do to carry with -one a sufficient supply of water--that most essential thing of all. And -one has to be most careful of the apparatus, for mischances may occur -at any moment. - -Though my experiences and those of others will have had the effect of -smoothing the way for all who go photographing in future in Equatorial -Africa, still, hunting with the camera will remain a much more -difficult thing than hunting with the rifle. The practised shot needs -only a fraction of a second to bring down his game--often he scarcely -even sees it, and fires at it through dense shrubs or bushes, whereas -the photographer can achieve nothing until he has contrived to secure -a combination of favourable conditions, and he wants in many cases to -“bring down” not just one animal, but a whole herd. His most tempting -chances come to him very often when he is unprepared. That is why I -insist upon the desirability of his shouldering a camera like a gun. -At short range you can secure wonderful pictures even with an ordinary -small hand-camera, but for this kind of work you must of course have -good nerves.... It was in this way I took the photographs of the -rhinoceroses in the pool reproduced in _With Flashlight and Rifle_, -some of the best I ever secured. One of these, taken at a distance -of fifteen or twenty paces, shows the “rhino,” not yet hit, rushing -down upon Orgeich and me. In another instant I had thrown my little -hand-camera to the ground, and just managed to get a bullet into him in -the nick of time. He swerved to one side and made off into the thicket, -where I eventually secured him. He is now to be seen in the Munich -Museum. - -A fruitful source of disillusionment lies in the fact that the plates -are sensitive to the light to a degree so different from our eyes. As -the blue and violet rays chiefly act upon them, they cannot render the -real effects of colouring. It is greatly to be desired that we should -manage to perfect orthochromatic plates, sensitive to green, yellow and -red rays of light. I myself have been unable to secure good results -with orthochromatic plates with the telephoto lens, as I have found -them always too little sensitive to white light for instantaneous work. -Latterly there has been produced a new kind of panchromatic plate which -only needs an exposure of one-fiftieth part of a second, and I would -strongly recommend its use for the photographing of animals for this -reason. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - - A PLATE WHICH I EXPOSED TWICE BY MISTAKE--SUCH MISTAKES WILL - HAPPEN SOMETIMES, HOWEVER CAREFUL ONE MAY BE. IN ADDITION TO THE - GNUS AND ZEBRAS WHICH STAND OUT CLEARLY IN THE PICTURE, FAINT - OUTLINES OF HARTEBEESTS (ON A SMALLER SCALE) MAY BE DESCRIED.] - -In the animal pictures of the Munich painter Zügel, we see admirably -rendered all the many shades of colouring we note, under different -conditions, close at hand or far away, when we have the actual wild -life before our eyes. There we note that the upper part of the animal’s -body often reflects so strongly the cold blue of the sky that its own -colouring is, as it were, cancelled, or at least very greatly modified. -We note, too, that an animal in reality reddish-brown in colour becomes -violet owing to the blue in the atmosphere. Refinements of form and -hue are lost in the glare of the sun, and only the stronger outlines -and more pronounced colours assert themselves. Sometimes the sun’s -rays, reflected from the animals’ skins, produce the effect of glowing -patches of light, sometimes they are absorbed; sometimes the animals -look quite black, sometimes absolutely white. Photographs of animals -taken under such conditions do not, of course, give a good idea of the -normal colouring of the animals. The success of a photograph depends, -therefore, very largely upon the nature of the light. - -For an effective picture you need to have a group of animals either -standing still or in motion, and this you can very seldom get at close -quarters, though now and again you may happen upon them standing under -trees; and when this occurs you may hope for good results, because the -way in which the blue rays of light are reflected from the trees has a -favourable effect upon the bromide-silver plates. - -While it is true that there can be nothing more disappointing than -the discovery, when developing one’s photographs of animals in a -country like Africa, that negatives of which one had great hopes are -no good, this very possibility adds to the fascination of the work, -and is, as it were, a link between the sport and that of our fathers -and grandfathers. The kind of rifle-shooting we go in for nowadays -has nothing in common with that of the hunter who was dependent upon -a single bullet the effect of which he could only get to make sure of -after long experience. To the true sportsman the camera is the best -substitute for the old-fashioned gun, inasmuch as it involves very much -the same degree of difficulty and danger. - -How keenly I regret that I had not the advantage from the first of -the perfected photographic apparatus that has come into existence as -the result of long experience! I look back with regret upon the many -failures I experienced in my earlier efforts, the excitement of the -moment often causing me to neglect some necessary precaution. Lions, -rhinoceroses, hippopotami, giraffes, and antelopes innumerable--nearly -all my attempts to photograph them were fruitless. When I came to -develop the negatives at night-time I would find a blurred suggestion -of the objects I had seen so distinctly before me in the daylight, -or else, owing to some mishap, an absolute blank. All the greater was -my joy when on rare occasions I did succeed in getting such pictures as -those of the rhinoceroses already referred to. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -A TELEPHOTOGRAPH OF OSTRICHES, SCARCELY DISCERNIBLE TO THE LEFT OF THE -PICTURE.] - -I made it a practice to develop at night in my tent, as soon as I -possibly could, all negatives that I thought at all likely to be -successful. The only negatives I sent to Europe were duplicates of -those which I had already developed myself. At home, of course, the -developing can be done much more carefully. No one who has not had the -experience can realise what it means to have to develop plates in the -heat and damp of Equatorial Africa and with the kind of water at one’s -disposal there. When I found that my negatives were successful, not -content with developing them, I always made a number of bromide-silver -copies of them. These were put away in separate cases and the original -was despatched home as soon as possible. If this original negative got -lost _en route_, I was almost sure of having one of the copies, even if -some of the packing-cases got lost also. - -The photographer can always console himself with the reflection, in -the midst of all his hardships and mishaps, that the pictures he does -succeed in taking count for more than so many head of game. - -It is very interesting to note that my photographs of birds on the -wing have put so many people, especially painters, in mind of the work -of Japanese artists. Doflein, in his book _Ostasienfahrt_, speaks as -follows of the peculiar faculty the Japanese have in this field of art. -“The Japanese animal painters,” he says, “show a more highly developed -power of observing nature than that of their Western fellow-workers. -They render the swift, sudden motion of animals with astonishing -dexterity.... They had learned to see and reproduce them correctly -before the coming of instantaneous photography.... The Japanese seem to -have a very highly developed nervous organism. Their art is evidence -of this, no less than their methods of warfare--their effective use of -their guns at sea, for instance.” - -I would add to this my own opinion that an inferior shot would have no -success whatever with a telephoto lens. You must have learnt to stalk -your quarry warily--this is as important as a steady hand. A practised -shot who knows how to get within range of the animals is peculiarly -well fitted for the work. The least twitch at the moment of taking the -photograph ruins everything, for even in the case of moving objects the -exposure is not what can be accurately called instantaneous, owing to -the peculiarity of the lens. - -I have already expressed my view that this non-instantaneous exposure -(when not too prolonged) imparts a certain softness and vagueness -to the photograph which give it an artistic effect. It gives scope -also for the personal taste and preferences of the operator. When -taken against the horizon photographs require less exposure than with -the velt for background. The dark green of the trees and shrubs no -less than the red laterite soil offering unfavourable backgrounds -for photographs of animals in Africa, as elsewhere, one has to pay -particular attention, of course, to the effects of shadows, shadows -which to the eye seem quite natural producing extraordinary effects -upon the negatives. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - - PHOTOGRAPHS OF BIRDS TAKEN WITH THE TELEPHOTO-LENS AT DISTANCES - VARYING FROM 20 TO 200 PACES. 1. SPURRED GOOSE (_PLECTROPTERUS - GAMBENSIS_, L.). 2. DARTER OR “SNAKE-NECK” (_ANHINGA RUFA LACEP_, - Daud.). 3. GREATER CORMORANT (_PHALACROCORAN LUCIDUS LUGUBRIS_, - Rüpp.). 4. YELLOW-FLUTED FRANCOLIN (_PTERNISTES LEUCOSEPUS - INFUSCATUS_, Cab.). 5. A BIRD OF PREY (_MELIERAN POLIOPTERUS_, - Cab.)(?) 6. BEE-EATER (_MELITTOPHAGUS MERIDIONALIS_, Sharpe). - 7. SHRIKE (_LANIUS CAUDATUS_, Cab.). 8. PELICAN (_PELICANUS - RUFESCENS_, Gm.).] - -[Illustration: - - TELEPHOTOGRAPHS OF BIRDS ON THE WING. FIRST ROW: THE - STORK-VULTURE (_SERPENTARIUS SERPENTARIUS_ [MILLER]). SECOND - ROW: HAMMERHEAD (_SCOPUS UMBRETTA_, Gm.), SMALL BUSTARD (_OTIS - GINDIANA_ [OUST]) SADDLE STORK (_EPHIPPIORHYNCHUS SENEGALENSIS_ - [SHAW]). THIRD ROW: BATELEUR EAGLE (_HELOTARSUS ECAUDATUS_ - [DAUD.]), VULTURE (_PSEUDOGYPS AFRICANUS SCHILLINGSI_, Erl.), - MARABOU (_LEPTOPTILOS CRUMENIFER_, [CUV.], Less.).] - -[Illustration: - - TELEPHOTOGRAPH OF A DWARF GAZELLE (_GAZELLA THOMSONI_, Gther.) - IN FULL FLIGHT, TAKEN AT A DISTANCE OF 60 PACES. WHEN ANIMALS - IN RAPID MOTION ARE THUS PHOTOGRAPHED, THE BACKGROUND ALMOST - INEVITABLY COMES OUT BLURRED.] - -Some of the photographer’s difficulties are avoided when he uses a -heavy lens with a long focus. These can be easily used in a strong -light. On the other hand they have many drawbacks--they are too apt, -especially, to give a blurred effect to the background in the case of -objects photographed near at hand. This entails the loss of one of -the essential elements of such pictures, namely the representation of -the animal in its natural surroundings. However, I would like to call -the attention of all travellers to the fact that such apparatus are -available. Their weight and size entail the putting forth of great -strength and energy, both in the carrying of them and the handling of -them, but to my mind no trouble and no exertion could be excessive -in the work of securing records of what is left us of animal life, in -the spirit in which Professor Fritsch achieved his task in South Africa. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -JACKAL TAKING TO FLIGHT, STARTLED BY THE FLASHLIGHT.] - -The impossibility of securing sharp, clearly defined impressions of -the animals with the telephoto lens at a hundred paces or more, and -the few chances I had of photographing them close at hand by daylight, -were responsible partly for my determination to go in for flashlight -pictures by night. At first my idea was discouraged and opposed by -expert advisers, but the Goerz-Schillings apparatus was evolved out -of my experiments and makes it possible now to secure excellent -representations of wild life. - -As I have said already, I did not succeed with my flashlight -photographs on my second expedition. And my third expedition, on -which I managed to take a few, was brought to a sudden end by severe -illness. At that time I had not found a way to combine the working of -the flashlight with that of the shutter, essential to the photographing -of objects in rapid motion. My cameras stood ready for use in the dark -with the lens uncovered and the plates exposed, the shutter being -closed automatically when the flashlight contrivance worked. To my -surprise and disappointment this arrangement proved too slow; the -exposure was too long in the case of animals moving quickly. Jackals -emerged from my negatives with six heads, hyenas with long snake-like -bodies. Unfortunately I destroyed all these monstrosities, and cannot -therefore reproduce any of them here. Now and again, however, I was -fortunate enough to get a picture worth having--for instance, that of a -hyena making off with the head of a zebra, and that of three jackals, -included in the illustrations to _With Flashlight and Rifle_. The first -photograph I succeeded with in 1902 was that of a mongoose coming -up to the bait placed for him. On page 657 the reader may see this -marten-like animal taking to flight among the thorn-bushes. I secured a -number of other pictures, notably of hyenas, both spotted and striped, -and of jackals, in all kinds of strange positions, moving hither and -thither in search of prey. - -What a state of excitement and suspense I used to be in at first when -the flashlight flamed out--until I got to realise that owing to the -rapid movements of the animals most of the photographs were sure to be -failures. - -My illness and return from this expedition proved really an advantage -in the long run, inasmuch as they enabled me to get the apparatus -brought to such perfection as to render possible the photographing of -even the most rapid movements. This was brought about in the Goerz -Institute, Herr M. Kiesling contriving to secure the simultaneous -operation of the flashlight and the shutter. - -Equipped with this new apparatus, I set out on my fourth expedition, -betaking myself for two reasons to districts with which I was already -familiar. In the first place, success was much more likely in a country -the speech of whose inhabitants and all their habits and customs -were known to me; but my chief reason was that I wished to achieve a -pictorial record of the wild life of the German region of Africa. As a -matter of fact, with this kind of object in view, a man might -spend a lifetime in any such region, and find that, however narrow -its boundaries, it could always offer him fresh subjects for study and -observation. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -LIONESS FRIGHTENED AWAY FROM CARCASE BY THE FLASH-LIGHT.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -AIMING AT A PIGEON AND HITTING A CROW! I FOUND THIS SPOTTED HYENA ON -THE PLATE INSTEAD OF THE LION FOR WHICH IT WAS INTENDED.] - -[Illustration: PHOTOGRAPH OF A JACKAL, TAKEN WITH A SMALL HAND-CAMERA.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -PHOTOGRAPH OF A JACKAL TAKEN WITH MY FIRST, PRIMITIVE NIGHT-APPARATUS, -NOT TOO SUCCESSFULLY!] - -[Illustration: - - IN ORDER TO ENSURE SUCCESS WITH MY FLASHLIGHT-PHOTOS, I USED TO - MAKE CONTINUAL EXPERIMENTS BEFOREHAND. I USED TO MAKE SOME OF MY - MEN ACT AS MOVING MODELS, AND GET THEM TO WAVE CLOTHS IN THEIR - HANDS.] - -On arrival the photographic outfit proved so cumbersome, both as -regards transport and management, that both Prince Löwenstein, who -accompanied me, and who was not easily to be daunted by obstacles, and -also Orgeich gave expression to pessimistic views as to the possibility -of fulfilling my purpose. - -No one, indeed, had been able to boast of success until then with -this new apparatus! I had yet to satisfy myself that it was really -efficacious--that, for instance, it would enable me to photograph -a lion falling upon its prey. Many were the fruitless experiments -witnessed by the Pangani forest. We experimented night after night, now -at one spot, now at another--my men learning to enact the rôle of lions -and other animals for the purpose. The Oriental and the negro are alike -in their bearing on such occasions, but these flashlight operations did -really succeed in arousing the wonder of my followers. The laughter -of my chief man still rings in my ears. “But the lions are far away, -master!” he would declare, utterly unable to understand my proceedings. -It took me long, and I had had a large number of failures, before I -succeeded in overcoming his attitude of incredulity. - -As I have already intimated, the efficacy of the telephoto lens in -the tropics depends to an extraordinary degree on the conditions of -the atmosphere. The efficacy of the flashlight apparatus depends -upon the precise absolutely simultaneous working of the flashlight -and the shutter. It took me weeks and months (and I very nearly -gave the thing up as hopeless) before I managed to get good results -in the wilderness, though theoretically, and to a certain extent in -practice at home, the apparatus had been perfected. The heavy dew of -the tropical night, or a sudden shower of rain, may easily “do for” the -flashlight unless the apparatus has been thoroughly safeguarded. And -there are any number of other mishaps to be provided against. On one -occasion hyenas carried off the linen sandbags that form part of the -apparatus; mongooses made away with the aluminium lid of the lens-cap -and hid it in their stronghold, an ant-hill; ants gnawed the apparatus -itself. And when the photograph has at last been taken, a lot of other -harmful contingencies have to be kept in mind. The fact that several -shillings’ worth of powder is consumed in each explosion of the -flashlight is in itself a serious consideration. Of course, there is -always the additional danger of the cameras being stolen or destroyed -by natives--a misfortune I experienced more than once. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, photo._ - - FLASHLIGHT FAILURES II. BLACK-HOOFED ANTELOPES COMING DOWN TO THE - WATER-SIDE TO DRINK. THE BLEMISHES WERE CAUSED BY BITS OF THE - MATERIAL WITH WHICH THE FLASHLIGHT POWDER WAS COVERED TO PROTECT - IT FROM DAMP BEING BLOWN INTO THE AIR AND BURNING AS THEY FLEW IN - FRONT OF THE LENS.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -HOW MY FLASHLIGHT PICTURES WERE APT TO BE SPOILT. I. THE ZEBRA IS -BEHIND THE STICK TO WHICH THE COMMUNICATING STRING IS ATTACHED.] - -[Illustration: FLASHLIGHT FAILURES III. TWO TURTLE-DOVES (ONE ON THE -WING) SET MY NIGHT-APPARATUS WORKING. MISHAPS OF THIS KIND OFTEN OCCUR.] - - -[Illustration: FLASHLIGHT FAILURES IV. A BLACK-HOOFED ANTELOPE DOE -SWERVES SUDDENLY ROUND DURING THE FLASH.] - -I would give the intending photographer a special warning against -careless handling of the explosive mixture. The various ingredients -are separately packed, of course, and are thus quite safe until the -time has come to mix them together (I know nothing of the ready-made -mixtures which are declared to be portable without danger). This -business of mixing them with a mortar is dangerous undoubtedly, for the -introduction of a grain of sand is enough to cause an explosion. I -myself, as well as others, have had some very narrow escapes whilst -thus occupied, and, as every photographer knows, the work has had fatal -results in several instances of recent years. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - - PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIES OF ANTELOPES SHOT BY THE AUTHOR AND NOW TO - BE SEEN PRESERVED IN GERMAN MUSEUMS. 1, 2. WATERBUCK (_COBUS. - AFR. ELLIPSIPRYMNUS_, Ogilb.), MALE AND FEMALE. 3. ELAND (_OREAS - LIVINGSTONI_, Sclat.), FEMALE. 4. MASAI HARTEBEEST (_BUBALIS - COKEI_, Gthr.), YOUNG BUCK.] - -My apparatus revealed several shortcomings even in the improved form. -It was not absolutely light-proof, and it had to be set up always, -for its automatic operation, in the brief tropical dusk. If no animal -presented itself for portraiture the plates exposed were always wasted, -unless at dawn they were withdrawn again. (This is not the case with -the apparatus as since perfected.) - -Many wrong impressions are current in regard to this kind of -photography. It can be managed in two ways. Either the photographer -himself remains on the spot to attend in person both to the flashlight -and the exposure, or else the mechanism is worked by a string against -which the animal moves. Before I took my photographs I had been a -spectator of all the various incidents represented in them, watching -them all from hiding-places in dense thorn-bushes, thus coming, as it -were, into personal touch with lions and other animals. Though not so -dangerous really as camping out on the velt, where one’s fatigue and -the darkness leave one defenceless against the possible attacks of -elephants or rhinoceroses, you need good nerves to spend the night in -your thorn-thicket hiding-place with a view to flashlight snapshots of -lions at close quarters. In that interesting work _Zu den Aulihans_, by -Count Hoyos, and in Count Wickenburg’s _Wanderungen in Ostafrika_, the -reader will find interesting and authentic accounts of night-shoots -which correspond with my own experiences. Count Coudenhove in his -first book describes very vividly the effect upon the nerves of -the apparition of numbers of lions within a few paces of him, when -concealed in a thorn-bush at night. - -There is a wonderful fascination at all times in lying in wait -by night for animals, and watching their goings and comings and -all their habits. Even here at home, in our game preserves, the -experience of passing hour after hour on the look-out has a charm -about it difficult to describe in words. Out in the wilderness it is -increased immeasurably. It is an intense pleasure to me to read other -people’s impressions of such experiences, when I feel the accounts are -trustworthy. They are so different in some respects, so much alike in -others. In my first book I cited Count Coudenhove, mentioned above, -in this connection, as a man of proved courage, who writes at once -sympathetically and convincingly. Here let me give a passage from the -book of another sportsman. Count Hans Palffy. In his _Wild und Hund_ -he speaks as follows: “I had been waiting for two hours or so in the -darkness without being able to descry the carcase of the rhinoceros” -[which he himself had shot and which he was using as a bait for the -lion], “when suddenly I heard a sound like that of a heavy body -falling on the ground, and then almost immediately the lion began -growling beside the dead animal. I could hear the King of Beasts quite -distinctly, as he began to pull and bite at the flesh.... He would move -away from it every ten or twenty minutes, always in the same direction, -to give out a series of roars. The effect of this was magnificent -beyond description. Beginning always with a soft murmur, he gradually -raised his mighty voice into a peal of thunder--I never in my life -heard anything so beautiful.” - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - -JACKALS. ONLY ONE IS VISIBLE, BUT THE GLEAMING EYES OF TWO OTHERS (NOS. -2 AND 3) GIVE A PECULIAR INTEREST TO THIS PHOTOGRAPH.] - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - - PHOTOGRAPHS OF EAST AFRICAN ANTELOPES SHOT BY THE AUTHOR AND - NOW PRESERVED IN VARIOUS MUSEUMS. 1. SMALL KUDU (_STREPSICEROS - IMBERBIS_, Blyth), BUCK. 2. DWARF GAZELLE (_GAZELLA THOMSONI_, - Gthr.), BUCK. 3. WHITE-BEARDED GNU (_CONNOCHÆTES ALBOJUBATUS_, - Thos.), BULL. 4. BUSH-BUCK (_TRAGELAPHUS MASAICUS_, Neum), BUCK. - (THE FEMALE OF THE FIRST-NAMED AND LAST-NAMED SPECIES HAVE NO - HORNS.)] - -Both on account of the hardships and fatigue involved--which are -calculated in the long run to ruin his constitution--and also because -he really cannot manipulate his cameras successfully except on starry -or moonlight nights, it is most desirable for the photographer to -provide himself with an apparatus working automatically. You cannot -count upon its working as you would wish. The string which sets it in -action may be caught and pulled by a bat or even a cockchafer instead -of a lion you want to photograph. The photograph reproduced on p. 697, -for instance, was the work of the turtledoves therein visible. The -motion of their wings, it may be noted, was too quick for a clearly -defined record. - -This picture, taken in the early morning, is a good instance of the -way in which I have always enforced my rule as to never touching up my -photographs. The plate was broken on its way home, but the cracks which -resulted were left as they were.[21] I remember one case in which I -had put up my apparatus with a view to securing photographs of certain -lions, and in which I had to be content with a picture of a spotted -hyena splashing its way in full flight through the swamp. The hideous -cowering gait of the animal came out very strikingly on the negative. - -There is wide scope for a man’s dexterity and resourcefulness in the -setting up of a flashlight apparatus. All the qualities that go to the -making of a big-game hunter are essential to success in this field -also. You have to keep a sharp look-out for the tracks of the different -animals and to watch for their appearance, taking up your position in -some thorn-bush hiding-place or up a tree if you propose to operate the -camera yourself by means of a string. In the case of most animals you -have, of course, to pay special attention to the direction of the wind. -This is not necessary, however, in the case of lions. Lions take no -notice whatever of the man in hiding. Elephants, on the contrary, are -very easily excited, and when this is so they are apt to force their -way into his thorn retreat and trample on him or to drag him down from -his point of vantage. - - * * * * * - -Future workers in this field will find that my labours have served to -some extent to clear the ground for them, and we may look forward to -many interesting achievements. There can be no doubt that the explorer -who provides himself with the necessary photographic equipment will -find ample scope for his activities. - -My own process was simple enough. I stretched lines of string round the -heifer or goat which was to serve as a bait, and the lions, hyenas, -etc., falling on their prey pulled these strings, which worked the -flashlight--the animals thus taking their own photographs. Some of -these pictures record new facts in natural history. In my first -book, for instance, there is a picture of a lioness making off with her -tail raised high in the air in a way no artist would have thought of -depicting, and no naturalist have believed to be characteristic. - -[Illustration: - - _C. G. Schillings, phot._ - - MORE ANTELOPES. 1. BLACK-HOOFED ANTELOPE (_ÆPYCEROS SUARA_, - Mtsch.), BUCK. 2. MOUNTAIN REEDBUCK (_CERVICAPRA CHANLERI_, - Rothsch.). 3. GRANT’S GAZELLE (_GAZELLA GRANTI_, Brooke), DOE. 4. - ORYX ANTELOPE (_ORYX CALLOTIS_, Thos.), BUCK.] - -In the course of my labours I had to overcome every description of -obstacle, and had constantly to be making new experiments. By the -time I had got things right I had so small a stock of materials left -at my disposal that I ought to congratulate myself upon my subsequent -success. The number of good pictures I secured was far less than I had -originally hoped for, but on the other hand it far surpassed what, in -those moods of pessimism which followed upon my many failures, I had -begun to think I should have to be contented with. - -Among my successful efforts I count those which record the fashion in -which the lion falls upon his prey, first prowling round it; and those -which represent rhinoceroses and hippopotami, leopards and hyenas and -jackals, antelopes and zebras making their way down to the waterside -to drink; those also which show the way in which hyenas and jackals -carry off their spoils, and the relations that exist between them. But -a point of peculiar interest that my photographs bring out is the way -in which the eyes of beasts of prey shine out in the darkness of night. -I have never been able to get any precise scientific explanation of -this phenomenon. I have often seen it for myself in the wilderness. -Professor Yngve Sjöstedt, a Swedish naturalist, who has travelled in -the Kilimanjaro region, tells us that he once saw, quite near his -camp, the eyes of at least ten lions shining out from the darkness -exactly like lights. I find the following passage, too, in an old book, -printed at Nuremberg in 1719: “Travellers tell us (and I myself have -seen it) that you can follow the movements of lions in the dark owing -to the way in which their glowing eyes shine out like twin lights.” - -Even with a small hand-camera it is possible to secure pictures worth -having, such as the studies of heads reproduced on the accompanying -pages. These must always have a certain value, as they depict for the -most part species of animals which have never yet been secured for -zoological gardens. - -I repeat that there is an immense harvest awaiting the man who is -prepared to work thoroughly in this field. Why, for instance, should -he not succeed in getting a picture by night of an entire troop of -lions? My photographs show how a mating lion and lioness fall on -their victim--from different sides; and how three lionesses may be -seen quenching their thirst at midnight, all together. With good luck -some one may manage to photograph a troop of a dozen or twenty lions -hunting their prey--that would be a fine achievement. Or he might -secure a wonderful group of bull-elephants on their way down to a -drinking-place. The possibilities are immense. - -Who has ever seen a herd of giraffes bending down in their grotesque -impossible attitudes to quench their thirst? A photographic record of -such a sight would be invaluable now that the species is doomed to -extinction. But, apart from such big achievements as these, trustworthy -photographs of wild life in all its forms--even of the smallest -beasts and birds--are of the utmost value, especially in the case of -rare species that are dying out. - -[Illustration: PHOTOGRAPHS OF (1) A SPOTTED HYENA (_CROCOTTA -GERMINANS_, Mtsch.); (2) AND (4) STRIPED HYENAS (_HYÆNA SCHILLINGSI_, -Mtsch.), AND (3) A JACKAL.] - -This is true not merely of Africa, but of other parts of the world as -well. Who is attempting to secure photographic records of the great elk -and mighty bears of Alaska? or of the wild life of the Arctic zone--the -polar bear, the walrus, and the seal? - -[Illustration: SNAPSHOT OF A JACKAL IN FULL FLIGHT.] - -The Arctic regions should be made to tell their last secrets to the -camera for the benefit of posterity, nor should the wild sheep and ibex -of the unexplored mountains of Central Asia be overlooked. - -These things are not to be easily achieved, and they involve a -considerable outlay of money. It would be, however, money well spent. -Money is being lavished upon many other enterprises which could very -well wait, and which might be carried out just as successfully some -time in the future. These are possibilities, on the other hand, that -are diminishing every year, and that presently will cease to exist. I -trust sincerely that it may be my lot to continue working in this field. - -“If only the matter could be brought home to the minds of the right -people,” wrote one of our best naturalists, after examining my work, -“tens of thousands of pounds would be devoted to this end.” - - - - -[Illustration: GUINEA-FOWL.] - -Envoi - - -I may be permitted a few words in conclusion to reaffirm certain views -to which I cling. I would not have my readers attach any special -importance to what I myself have achieved, but I would like them to -take to heart the moral of my book. - -It may be summed up in a very few words. I maintain that wild life -everywhere, and in all its forms, should be religiously protected--that -the forces of nature should not be warred against more than our -struggle for existence renders absolutely inevitable; and that it is -the sportsman’s duty, above all, to have a care for the well-being of -the whole of the animal world. - -Whoever glances over the terrible list of so-called “harmful” birds and -beasts done to death every year in Germany must bemoan this ruthless -destruction of a charming feature of our countryside, carried out by -sportsmen in the avowed interest of certain species designated as -“useful.” The realm of nature should not be regarded exclusively from -the point of view of sport; the sportsman should stand rather in the -position of a guardian or trustee, responsible to all nature-lovers for -the condition of the fauna and flora left to his charge. - -I would have the German hunter establish the same kind of reservations, -the same kind of “sanctuaries” for wild life that exist in America. -In our German colonies, especially in Africa, we should model those -reservations on English examples. Such institutions, in which both -flora and fauna should be really well looked after, would be a source -at once of instruction and enjoyment of the highest kind to all lovers -of natural history. - -[Illustration: FAREWELL TO AFRICA!] - - -_Printed by Hazell, Watson & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury._ - - - - -CHEAP EDITION - -“The most remarkable travel book that has ever been -published.”--_Graphic._ - -With Flashlight and Rifle - -A Record of Hunting Adventures and Studies in Wild Life - - By C. G. SCHILLINGS - Translated by FREDERIC WHYTE - - With an Introduction by Sir Harry Johnston, G.C.M.G., K.C.B., - Illustrated with 302 of the Author’s “untouched” photographs - taken by day and night. - - _Printed throughout on English art paper, in one handsome - vol., =824= pages super-royal 8vo, =12s. 6d.= net_ - -PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT wrote of Mr. Schillings’s book: - - -“His extraordinary photographic work among the teeming wild creatures -of East Africa.... He is a great field naturalist, a trained scientific -observer, as well as a mighty hunter; and no mere hunter can ever do -work even remotely approaching in value that which he has done. His -book should be translated into English at once.” - - -Some Exceptional Reviews - -“An entrancing work. His photographs are positively wonderful; his -letterpress is vivid.”--_Standard._ - -“A book of singular value.”--_Yorkshire Post._ - -“This remarkable book.”--_Sporting and Dramatic News._ - -“A unique and most remarkable book.”--_Scotsman._ - -“Space forbids any mention of the author’s hunting adventures or of his -many thrilling escapes from death, but all through the two volumes the -human interest is as strong as the scientific.”--_Graphic._ - -“A remarkable book. Nobody else has ever obtained so wonderful a series -of photographs.”--_Truth._ - -“An entirely remarkable book, containing the greatest triumph in -photography of wild animals ever achieved.”--_Outlook._ - - -LONDON: HUTCHINSON & CO., PATERNOSTER ROW - - - - -Nearest the Pole - -By Commander R. E. PEARY - -(U. S. Navy; President of the National Geographic Society) - -_Author of “Northward over the Great Ice,” etc._ - -With an introduction by President Roosevelt and numerous illustrations -selected from a collection of 1,200 of the Author’s photographs - -_In Crown 4to, cloth gilt and gilt top_, =21s.= _net_. - - -In this book Commander Peary relates the thrilling story of his -endeavours to reach the North Pole. Although he did not succeed in -his attempt, he managed to get nearer to the Pole than any of his -predecessors. Sailing in the _Roosevelt_ from Etah, North Greenland, -on August 16th, 1905, the expedition soon encountered ice which made -their progress both dangerous and difficult. After being icebound for -some weeks, the vessel was extricated, but not floated again until the -following summer. The sun disappearing from sight in October, was not -seen again until March. The expedition re-started in February on a -sledge trip in the direction of the Pole, and after dividing the party, -Peary and his followers journeyed towards their goal encountering on -their way, among other mishaps, a gale which lasted six days, during -which time they found themselves some seventy miles out of their -course. They then endeavoured to get intelligence of the other portion -of their party, but had to abandon their attempt as their scouts could -not locate their whereabouts. At length, by forced marches, Commander -Peary, on April 21st, reached 87° 6´ N. - -On this expedition Commander Peary did for the American segment of -the Polar Basin what Nansen did for the Asiatic. The narrative is -exceedingly dramatic. The explorer tells how he built the _Roosevelt_ -on an entirely different plan from any other Arctic ship, and not only -adopted Eskimo clothing and made camps like Eskimos in ice and snow, -but took Eskimos with him as guides. It is the seventh time that Peary -has been North--oftener than any other explorer: and the Hubbard Gold -Medal that President Roosevelt presented him on behalf of the National -Geographic Society is the fifth he has received for his distinguished -achievements in exploration. There will be an introduction to the book -by President Roosevelt, and the beautiful pictures with which the book -will be illustrated are selected from a collection of 1,200 of the -author’s photographs. - - -LONDON: HUTCHINSON & CO., PATERNOSTER ROW FOOTNOTES: - - - - -FOOTNOTES: - - -[1] Male Emperor-moths (_Saturnia pyri_) hasten from great distances, -even against the wind, to a female of the species emerging from the -chrysalis state in captivity. Elephants, the author believes, can scent -a fall of rain at a distance of many miles. - -[2] The author would like to bring this fact home to all destroyers of -herons, kingfishers, and diving-birds. - -[3] The Masai distinguish the kinds of grass which their cattle eat and -reject. Many kinds of grass with pungent grains, such as _Andropogon -contortus_, L., are rejected entirely. Yet the tough bow-string hemp is -to the taste of many wild animals--the small kudu, for instance. - -[4] Latterly many sportsmen in the tropics have taken again to the -use of very large-calibre rifles. Charges of as much as 21 gr. of -black powder and a 26¾ mm. bullet are employed with them. It is to the -kick of such a ride that the author owes the scar which is visible -in the portrait serving as frontispiece to this book--an “untouched” -photograph, like all the others. - -[5] See _With Flashlight and Rifle_. - -[6] In winter, Siberia affords a refuge to beautiful long-haired -tigers, such as can be seen in the Berlin Zoological Gardens. - -[7] For this information I am indebted to the kindness of the -experienced Russian hunter Ceslav von Wancowitz. - -[8] Herr Niedieck also underwent a similar experience. See his book -_Mit der Büchse in fünf Weltteilen_, and my own _With Flashlight and -Rifle_. - -[9] Little elephants only a yard high used to inhabit Malta, and there -still lives, according to Hagenbeck, the experienced zoologist of -Hamburg, a dwarf species of elephant in yet unexplored districts of -West Africa. - -[10] Experienced German hunters make a special plea for the use of -rifles of heavier calibre. Many English hunters are of the same opinion. - -[11] The _raison d’être_ of these powerful weapons of the African -elephant is a difficult question. Why did the extinct mammoth carry -such very different tusks, curving upwards? Why has the Indian elephant -such small tusks, and the Ceylon elephant hardly any at all, whilst the -African’s are so huge and heavy? - -[12] On that occasion I had not at hand a telephoto-lens of sufficient -range. - -[13] The well-known naturalist, Hagenbeck, remembers the immense -numbers of giraffes which were bagged in the Sudan some thirty years -ago. - -[14] Later observers questioned this fact. When I have used the word -“mimicry,” I have done so not in the original sense of Bates and -Wallace, but as denoting the conformity of the appearance of animals -with their environment. - -[15] Some years earlier one of our best zoologists, after a long stay -in the Masai uplands, had described the giraffes as “rare and almost -extinct”: a striking proof of the great difficulty there is in coming -upon these animals. - -[16] The author has often heard it asserted that the giraffe does much -harm to the African vegetation and therefore should be exterminated. -Such assertions should be speedily and publicly denied. They are on a -level with the demand for the complete extermination of African game -with a view to getting rid of the tsetse-fly. - -[17] _Giraffa reticulata_ de Winton and _Giraffa schillingsi_, Mtsch. - -[18] Cf. _With Flashlight and Rifle_. - -[19] Recent reports from West Africa confirm what I say about the -disastrous results of allowing the natives to hunt with firearms. The -same regrettable state of things prevails in every part of the world in -which this is permitted. - -[20] I do not know of any “telephoto” picture of animals in rapid -motion having been published anywhere previously to my own. Those I -refer to here are of animals at rest or moving quite slowly. - -[21] Flashlight photographs may be taken by daylight, as is proved by -this photograph and some of those of rhinoceroses in _With Flashlight -and Rifle_. - - -[Transcriber’s Note: - -Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation are as in the original.] - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of In Wildest Africa Vol 2 (of 2), by -Carl Georg Schillings - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN WILDEST AFRICA VOL 2 (OF 2) *** - -***** This file should be named 54923-0.txt or 54923-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/9/2/54923/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Kim, Wayne Hammond and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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