BIG GAME HUNTING.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17666, 19 January 1923, Page 9

BIG GAME HUNTING.

A NEW ZEALANDER'S EXPERIENCE.

After speeding about six months hunting big game in Soutii Africa. Mr J. Faulkes, oi Pembroke, Nor'-West Otngo, returned to New Zealand on Tuesday. Mr Faulkes, who is a keen sportsman, retired from his business of sheepfarming about two years ago, and has spent most of the intervening time in travel. Interviewed by a i( Press "representative yesterday, Mr Faulkes gave an interesting a'ecount of his travels and experiences in South Africa.

I Mr Faulkes and a friend left New j Zealand earlv in May of last year, I and proceeded to Durban. Their obi ject was to hunt big game without endeavouring to pursue any special_ kind !of ..game or to work one particular locality. The first part of the journey to Ndolia, on tiie border of Belgian Congo, was uninteresting enough. When, however, they reached the Lua_ pula 'River, they had abundance of good shooting. For three weeks they journeyed by canoe through a huge swamp". The party consisted at this stage of three white men, one of whom was employed to supervise tho natives, twelve paddlers and two personal boys to each of the leaders. They met with good sport in this district. Every day they were landed and had excellent " sport —roan antelope, buffalo, and zebra abounded there. The animals were used for food for the boys. Mr Faulkes narrated an incident with a leopard which might easily have ended in disaster for one of the partv. They -ivere about one week on their trip up the Luapula Kiver, and one day Mr Faulkes, from the canoes, observed the tail of some animal moving near the bank of the river. At first they imagined it to be a lion, but on getting out quietly Mr Faulkes recognised a leopard. He took aim, and his first shot bowled the animal over into the long grass. Hero it was quite hidden. It was obvious that it was not dead, so in order to drive the animal into the open, the party decided to set fire to the grass in tho vicinity. They walked to and fro in the grass, and at any moment were liable to be attacked. Mr Faulkes climbed a neighbouring tree and saw the leopard in some damp grass as yet untouched by the fire. His men formed round thi3 spot in order to cut off the animal 3 escape. One man in the excitement left his position, and through this gap the animal escaped. "It was not more than the distance of this wall awav," concluded the huuter. "How he did not get us I don't know. The voyage was continued up the rivor until they arrived at Lake Tanganyika, and thenco to Lake Mwera. The latter lake 13 seventy-live miles by thirty miles in area, and on the border between Belgian Congo and North Eastern Rhodesia. Mr Faulkes had some interesting things to say on -the habits of the natives there. The rate of pay for the native porters is 3d per day and Id pel day ror food. This was the government rate. Asked of what use English money was to tho Mr Faulkes said that the only reason that a native desired money was to pay the government taxes. The' government imposes a tax on the wives of ihe natives. The first wife is allowed to go untaxed, but for each additional wife a tax of 5s must be paid. The reporter smiled at this statement. "Yes, that is all the native wants money for, to pay the taxes for his wives," said Mr Faulkes. Otherwise it is of no use to him. He would much rather prefer articles of clothing. Salt also is olten used to pay lor tin porters.

"The only food the native requires is meal and meat," continued Mr Faulkes. "They place the whole in a big pot and sit round when it is cool and eat from their hands. They eat everything of an animal—they leave absolutely nothing. The native, too, is extremely servile to the white man—that is in the less civilised districts. On meeting a white man the native falls on his knees and claps his hands. He always carries an assegai, and ho drops this at once. It is the samo in the village. As you arc walking along they go down before you. In some places they fall on their backs to show you that they carry nothing with which to do you harm." Mr Faulkes gave further interesting facts about the habits of the native. The black man has a queer sense of fairness. He does not mind being beaten if it is deserved, but if it is unfair he will resent it. In fighting he is absolutely merciless Asked if his boys were a hard-working lot, Mr Faulkes said that he had experienced little trouble with ?nle OW The en o n K The^T e * uiefc «• ■ rue. ihe only subject over which they were apt to quarrel was the M£ 11 » I!icty was at &ako Mwera Mr Faulkes' companion was stricken with fever. Apparently while he was hunting an elephant he got a £atch rJ h ° £ nee in which *h« fever got a Md. He was left behind with g the boma" or native commissioner who wa S anxious to amputate the °eg. 'while sTootiL f 6 , t ? ey + had some ous «ih* l? TH erC iair] y ""serous, ihe elephant is a very difficult animal to track," said Mr Faulke? He has a very powerful scent. In reply to a question as to the method of hunting these animals Mr Faulkes said that usually two trackers traced the beast. Ihe hunter followed behind with two gun bearers. The trackers could not follow any scent. "If TOU stepped across this room," he said, "they could track you." One morning whilst on Lake Mwera the party had a narrow escape from being run down by a herd of elephants, lhey were looking for hippopotamus, but failing to discover any, made their way up a small river in the usual native dug-out canoe. They discovered a herd of elephants in a large swamp. They landed about half a mile further uy> the river, but come noon the elephants somewhat unexpectedly. Thev followed the h»rd and managed to get a shot. The elephants waded into the lagoon, hut suddenly turned and charged the party. "The ho%- s immediaitefr t<sDk to tfieir lveels and noappeared at 9 o'clock next morning," continued the hunter. "They took my cartridges and even my cigarettes." The remaining white men'just managed to avoid the rush of ihe great beasts. They were then obliged to camn on the swamp without food for thirty-six hours. Three thunderstorms did not make the experience any more pleasant. "However, it's a warm climate, so we could ry ourselves between showers." The party then soent some two 'or three weeks south of Lake Mwera, arid then returned to their companion', who was well on the way towards recovery. They walked to'Kasengi, and then crossed into Belgian Congo.'They had been four months out from Ndolia. At the border of Belgian Congo, the übiquitous Ford car was available, and the party motored to Elizabethville, the chief town. Eight days' travelling by train brought them to Capt TownT Mr Faulkes has a most interesting collection of photographs taken by himself and his companion during their travels in South Africa. They show game of every kind—usually the day's kill. These photographs, together with the diary which Mr Faulkes has kept, are eloquent of an eventful four months.