16
Giraffe Hunting with the Hamran Sword-Hunters
(dpi. Fritz Duquesne was born of Boer parenls in South Africa, educated in Europe (where lie won considerable distinction
' as a swordsman), anil has hecn a professional hunter of hig game most of his life. At the age. of 17 he was a veteran of the Kaf
fir wars He screed in Hie lloer war ami also in Ihe Congo. In the recent events of South Africa's kaleidoscopic liist.org Ca.pt.
Duquesne tool.- a conspicuous part, lie acted in man// capacities during the hostilities between the Boers and the British, being
in turn xpi/. military detective, engineer, censor, dispahh-varrier and propagandist. He teas wounded twite in the fighting
around Colenso. When tin' British succeeded in culling cable communication between the lloer republic and the rest of the
Jf world, Duquesne carried the news of the lloer victories over the Mozambique border, and from there he wrote his dispatches to Jf _
I) the relit /Ilea, the official European organ of the lloer government. lie 11 as once captured, by the Portuguese and thrown into
jM prison at Lorenzo Marquis. Later he was taken as a prisoner to Europe at the request of the British government. When the
ship that conveyed him and his guard touched at Naples he was suffering from a fever and.in consequence was placed in an fcsttSQ
{ Italian hospital. On his recovery he was allowed lo go free. He went to Brussels and was sent back to the front by Dr. Leyds,
jf) < with plans for the seizure of Cape Town by the lloer commanders then mobilized in Cape Colony. Everything was ready for |(\S
J ( (he taking of the city wlu n. a traitor having revealed the plot. Duquesne and a. number of others were captured in Cape Town J S
inside the British defenses. This was the climax of what, has come to be known as the, "Cape Town Blot." Some of the pris
oners were sentenced to death, who later had their sentence changed, to life imprisonment. Capt. Duquesne was among the
latter. Ten months later he escaped from the Bermuda prisons, got aboard the Americun yacht Margaret of New York while
she was coaling at tin duck anil was conveyed to Baltimore. Back to Europe he wen! again, as ivar correspondent and. military
writer on the I'etit Bleu: thence lo Africa, where lie took a commission on the Congo. In East Africa he hunted big game
for sport and profit. and finally he came lo New York lo do newspaper and magazine work.
MR only hunting that
T appeals to a man
with the real sport
ing instinct is that
when the hunted
animal has a chance
S.E The" «.a"u,
that Is, when it has
a chance. Unfor
tunately, noted men, like Col. Roose
velt. do not get a chance at the game
under good hunting conditions, that
is, when the game is wild and shy
and has its defensive instincts sharp
ened by frequent contact with native
and ICuropean hunters.
In these days the Colonial African
governments have game reserves
where the animals are quite tame on
account of never knowing what it is
to he hunted. These reserves are
thrown open to important and titled
travelers who walk up to un animal
that generally stands and looks in
half-fearful wonder at the strange
white human being, who could hit it «
-with a walking stick if he liked. After
the game is run into a corner the
important personage is handed a dou
ble barreled express or a 35 caliber
auto-loader, which he henceforth
empties into the surprised animal,
which, not being used to such harsh
treatment, generally drops dead. This
kind of animal murder is disguised
under the word "sport."
Hunting is killing and it will never
he anything else, but the way certain
prominent personages who have re
cently visited the Dark Continent
have excused their methods by sur
rounding their deeds with the glamour
of danger that is purely fictitious only
enlarges the f:\ct of the lack of the
real danger in their undertakings.
Their invented adventures were built
lip on the real experience of men
who hunt for a living and are not
allowed to shoot "protected" game.
If the Englishmen wlio are enter
taining Col. Roosevelt succeed in
leading him to adopt the methods of
English and Moors and employ beat
ers to drive animals which are tame
through dissociation with the dan
gers that they would have to daily
face off a reserve, then I am sure the
ex-president is in for a disappoint
ment and he will return to America
without having experienced the thrills
he-expected on the African veld. I
recently saw some very extraordinary
killings on one of these reserves that
were tame, and lacking the slightest
risk, which became terrible adventures
by the time they reached the London
press, which is always partial to any
one with a title, of either British or
other nationality. Most of these gen
tlemen and even ladies are famous in
the social liue in London or one of
the other capitals and therefore must
be famous hunters as soon as they
get a rifle into their hands. A good
ileal of the stuffed game and trophies
they take back to their homes from
the tropical jungles, is bought, like
the fish of the famous and well worn
Joke, from a man who makes his liv
ing by selling them to disappointed
sportsmen who are ashamed to re
turn to their friends empty handed.
Hunt Giraffe with the Sword.
1 have taken part in a number of
animal butcheries myself, most of
which were associated with giraffe
hunting, perhaps the tamest sport that
can be had on the veld with the ex
ception of shooting lizards.
Notwithstanding that the giraffe Is
the most harmless and Inoffensive of
all the African gau€fc« great amount
of sport can be had hunting it, with
the sword instead of the rifle. This
sport, in spite of the harmless nature
of the giraffe, is not always without
its element of danger.
Shooting the giraffe gives merely
the suspense that one gets by the
possibility of the animal getting the
hunter's wind and making away be
fore the fatal bullet can be driven
"home.
The defenses of the giraffe are its
••onderful sight, due to the way the
«tands out of the head, giving it
field of vision, its long watch
a neck and its fleetness of
pursued.
led and hunted many ani
iea, but confined myself
ry way of stalking the
high power rifle, and
'1 i went up to the
r el Ariad and Babr
'bite and Blue Niles
horn Egypt, that I
•f»ly and somewhat
mt, at least it was
mn mere animal
the Abyssinian
to touch with a
hunters. These
By Captain Fritz Duquesne
men, I believe, possess more phys
ical courage than any other people
111 the world. With them, to hunt
means to risk life and show prowess
with the sword at close quarters. Al
though they carry firearms, they de
spise one who uses them when he
could just as well use the long sword
that each carries in his eirth. These
Arabs have been known for their
bravery since the time of Hannibal,
and they hunt today in exactly the
same manner as they did 2,000 years
ago. And to believe some of them
they still have the same swords, fan
tastic things with highly ornamented
belts and handles which they greatly
prize.
Hamran Afraid of Nothing.
The brave Hamran swordsmen hunt
in a way that the nerve shocking
thrills are not lost as they are when
one uses a telescope or a long range
rifle. Single handed and with nothing
but the trusty sword as a weapon of
.defense aud offense a Hamran will
attack a lion, a rhinoceros and even
an elephant.
When the Hamran Arabs hunt the
giraffe it has a chance, even of killing
them, for a giraffe when pursued can
THE ARAB WENT FLYING THROUGH THE AIR, A STREAM OF BLOOD POURING OUT OF HIS FACE.
kill a man or a vony with a kick should
he be unfortunate enough to get di
rectly in its rear.
There is a legend among some of
the natives that the giraffe when pur
sued hurls stones with its back feet
at the pursuers and sometimes kills
them. The story had a good founda
tion, for, although the giraffe does not
really hurl stones, it runs in such a
way that the back hoofs strike the
ground at a peculiar angle. It hits
the ground to keep up its momentum
and in doing so any loose stones are
sent in a shower rearwards. I have
seen pieces of stone at least two
pounds in weight flying through the
air behind a running giraffe that
would kill a pursuer were he hit with
one.
The first giraffe hunt in which I
took part with the Hamran Arabs
showed me what a giraffe could
do with its hind feet. I had often run
them down on the South African veld,
but had never been kicked by one
or even come near being kicked, I
suppose on account of the height of
the Boer horses, which are much lar
ger than the ponies used by the Ham
ran sword hunters.
It was a lucky chance that asso
ciated me v/ith the famous swords
men. 1 was camped one night with
a live game caravan when in the dis
tance on the desert I could see twink
ling fires like stars that had fallen
from heaven. Thinking I might find a
European, and out of curiosity I made
my way towards the fires. I had
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, *909-
walked half an hour when a sharp
challenge in Arabic brought me to a
halt. I threw up my hands and said
I was a friend. A few minutes' later
the sentinel took me to the camp fires
and told the Arabs sitting around
them that I was alone, which was to
them much more important than be
ing a friend. A headman asked me
to sit amongst them and tell them my
errand. After a great deal of ques
tioning. they seemed satisfied, for
they continued their conversation
that my approach had evidently
broken off. I shall never forget that
night as long as I live
Wondrous Tales of the Desert.
I sat under the black star spangled
banner before the flicking camp fires
and listened to the stories of the
experiences both real and imaginary
of the Arab hunters —for one must
talk on the deserts, and romancing
takes the place of real happenings
when they have exhausted. The only
pastimes of those whose home is on
the mournful kingdom of sands is war.
hunting, and talk. The past to the
Arabs is but a picture of what the
future should be, and every man has
a murdered ancestor to avenge on the
desert.
It was strange, indeed, to sit with
these men, fascinating to listen to
their soft voices, enchanting to hear
the wondrous tales of their deserts,
weird mixtures of the mysticism of
the past and the phantasm of the
present.
The fire lights rose and fell, the
mosquitoes buzzed incessantly and the
Arabs naw and again turned their
eyes towards the darkness as though
expecting some phantom to come out
of the temple of the night. In a
kraal near the well the camels and
horses moved uneasily, a step sound
ed and every man rose and placed his
hand on his sword. The next mo
ment the chief strode into the camp.
"To-morrow," he said, "we will hunt
the giraffe. I have been told by the
local men that there are some to the
south of here and you must sharpen
your swords."
"Do I hunt with you?" I asked,
making my interrogation almost a de
mand. "Please yourself, but not with
a rifle." "Well," I answered, "give me
a sword and I shall hunt like a Ham
ran." Although it is a hard thing to
get a Hamran's sword, I was lent one,
which the owner tried on his arm be
fore me, to show that it was sharp
by shaving off the hair.
The next morning we stet out.. After
an hour's ride we came to some
broken country on which therJ was a
great amount of red mitnodjt bush.
which is the favorite food of the
giraffe.
It was not long before the sharp eye
of an Arab caught sight of a giraffe's
head moving above the foliage. After
a short ride to a position from which
we could get down the wind the plan
of attack was laid out.
Following Herd of Giraffe.
After receiving many warnings
from the chief as to the correct way
to use the sword, the best time to
swing it and the proper way to ride,
I set out with an Arab hunter. The
country was very rough and I mar
veled at the way the Arab's horse car
ried me over it.
We got as near the giraffes as pos
sible without startling them. There
were at least a dozen in the herd, all
nibbling contentedly at the mimosa
trees. At last we were espied and of
one accord the animals made off
across the country at a terrific rate,
the Arabs and myself after them at
full gallop. It is necessary to press
giraffes to the extremity at the be
ginning of the chase or they will out
strip one, even on a very fleet horse,
for the giraffe selects ground favor
able to itself, which is generally very
rough and not suitable for a horse
to travel on at a great rate of speed.
On account of my inexperience as a
sword hunter everything possible
seemed to happen to me. We dashed
after the lumbering giraffes, through
bushes, under trees, over stones and
rifts. Sometimes gaining, sometimes
losing, each man swinging his sword
to strike the blow which is delivered
on the rear leg of the animal so as
to sever a sinew and hamstring it.
On, on we galloped, the gravel kicked
up by the fleeing giraffes raining
around us like bullets, and the earth
thundering under our horses' hoofs.
We were approaching a wood and
I was gaining on the animal I had
picked as my prey. Ahead of me, I
saw an Arab's tword glance through
the air and the giraffe he was follow
ing fell in a heap under the blow.
The fallen animal tried to rise, and
as it did so it received another stroke,
this time on the other leg, and went
down for good, completely disabled.
Whilst watching the Arab do his
work I lost ground and my quarry
got to the wood. I forgot all in
structions and followed it, greatly to
my sorrow, for I had not been among
the tretfs long before a limb that was
dragged ahead by the fleeing giraffe
came flying back and struck me in the
chest such a blow that I was com
pletely unhorsed and almost rendered
unconscious'.
My pony, trained to its work, ran
on for a few yards and missing me,
returned. Although I was groggy and
almost stunned from the blow, I
picked up rny sword and again mount
ed my charger, which seemed to be
more eager for the chase than its
rider.
Maimed by Bull Giraffe.
I was no sooner in tne saddle than
a noise behind attracted my atten
tion and a moment later a huge bull
giraffe, approaching at a terrific rate,
burst into view. I went after him like
a shot. As I did so I saw he was fol
lowed by an Arab who was taking a
short cut to head him off. Some
dense bushes ahead of the giraffe
made him stop and turn. He faced
me and the Arab rushed behind him
to strike the blow. Like a flash one
of the rear hoofs shot out and the
Arab went flying through the air, a
stream of blood pouring out of his
face. I rode at the giraffe, which
turned, and in a second, without real
izing what had happened, both my
horse and myself were rolling on the
earth. When I got up I could see by
the mark on my pony that the giraffe
had planted a kick on the rear
shoulder. That ended iny giraffe
hunt for the day, for the animal got
away before I could mount again. I
turned my attention to the Arab, who
was holding himself up against a tree
in a dazed way, while his face bled in
a sickening manner. The sharp
cloven hoof of the giraffe had split
his face to the bone, as well as broken
his jaw.
Roosevelt Hunting in a Zoo.
Fresh from the field in which for
mer President Roosevelt is hunting,
Major Louis L. Seaman, a surgeon, ar
rived in New York recently. He went
to Africa to study the dread sleeping
sickness. In addition, Major Seaman
has brought about 150 specimens of
game, shot where Mr. Roosevelt and
his party are now shooting.
The trip was Major Seaman's sec
ond. While it was a professional one,
Major Seaman said he, with Dr. Gui
teras, who accompanied him, could
not resist taking something like six
weeks off after reaching Nairobi, be
cause the game was so plentiful.
"It is the greatest shooting in the
world," said the major. "It's just a
zoological garden without a fence
around it. It is the place where old
Noah landed the ark and shooed the
animals off and their descendants are
(still there.
"Killing lions is tame sport. The
king of beasts is a whelp. Wound a
lion and gy after him and he will give
you some trouble. But he is a coward
Although I did not Bur reed in ham
stringing a giraffe, i certainly suc
ceeded in getting into danger that
was quite different from that one ex
periences when hunting the giraffe
with a rifle.
The Arabs that day killed seven
giraffes.
When the hunt was over the Bkins
were removed from the animals and
then the meat taken to be dried in
the same manner that the Doers make
their famous "biltong," which is hung
in the shade, preferably in the wind,
where it will dry before it has time
io putrify.
The skin of the giraffe is greatly
prized by certain Arab tribes, amongst,
which it is used for shields, and ex
cellent shields they are, for I have
known them to deflect a Martini-
Henry bullet, and it is a strong man
indeed who can pierce one with a
3word. Another quality in favor of
giraffe shields is their ektreme light
ness.
The night following the hunt, when
all the Arabs were assembled, it was
found that there was a man missing.
The headman sent out searchers, who
went off, uttering long, shrill cries
which grew fainter and fainter as
they penetrated further into the black
ness of the night.
At the first signs of day the camp
was alive and half the men mounted
and galloped off to the hunting ground
of the day before. Being curious to
know the fate of the missing man,l
accompanied them.
Fought Leopard with Knife.
Not long after we reached the hunt
ing ground a cry from one of the
party took us to a deep donga*
where a strange sight met our eyes.
The missing man was lying there
across the dead body of his pony, and
a few yards away was the carcass of
a female leopard. Although the Arab
was not dead, he was in a very bad
way, for by the appearance of his
leg I cculd tell it was broken, and,
added to this, one of his arms was
badly chewed.
The wounded man was slung across
a pony and taken to the camp. When
he was revived he told of his mishap.
He was riding after the giraffes
with the rest of us when all of a sud
den his horse went head-first into the
donga and broke its front legs. The
rider was rendered unconscious from
the impact with the hard earth. A
little later, when he recovered, he
found his own leg was broken and
seeing the condition of his steed he
cut its throat to put it out of misery.
He saw the hunters returning to the
camp, but could not attract them, for
the thunder of the horses' hoofs
drownei his cries. As night came
on he grew weak and fell asleep.
How long he slei>t he could not
say, when something soft touched his
face and then a heavy weight bore
down on him. He opened his eyes and
was horrified to see a huge leopard
with one paw on his chest, whilst it
was smelling around his mouth, evi
dently undecided what to do. With
great presence of mind he kept still
and the leopard went to the pony and
started eating its rump.
After indulging its appetite it roared
for its mate and was answered. The
Arab, feeling that his only chance
of escape was to kill the leopard while
it was alone, gently drew his hunting
knife and watched his opportunity to
take the leopard off its guard to give
it a heart thrust. For some time the
animal kept eating the horse and
roaring alternately, and then it turned
its attention to the man. It stood
over him and glared Into his eyes,
blazing with a green yellow glare of
phosphorus.
A roar came from the distance and
the leopard threw its head up and
answered. Like a flash he thrust
his blade into the throat of the
leopard, which cut off its roar with a
howl of pain and seized his arm, which
was already driving a second blow at
the animal's heart. For a second the
leopard held on and clawed the man's
bare breasts. Then feeling its weak
ness, it staggered and, crawling away
a few yards, roared for its mate till
it died. The Arab, overcome by his
weakness, fell into unconsciousness
and knew nothing more till he was re
vived in the camp.
It is such adventures as these that
attract the man who has some of the
primitive Instincts, who loves danger
and will gamble his life against a
lion's, just for the joy of feeling the
thrills of physical supremacy.
•South African name for a rift,
which are very common in alluvial
country.
(Copyright, 1909. by Ben), li. Hampton.)
and the natives treat him with con
tempt. When a lioness and a lion are
together the thing to do is to shoot
the lioness. She is the gamer of the
two. If you kill her the lion will take
to the jungle. Kill him and you have
got to kill her."
THE DEBATING CLUB.
The fair co-ed fox- speaking had
Decided bent.
And she could always heat the lad
At argument.
She argued at a wondrous rate.
We must admit.
He couldn't match her In debate
A little bit.
She can outargue him to-day.
The neighbors vow;
And often does, it seems, for th#y
Are married now.
Ella Isn't Normal.
"I see where Ella Wheeler Wiloo*
ia discussing 'The Normal Woman
"What does she know About the r
mal woman?"