HORROR OF AFRICA

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 March 1933, Page 12

HORROR OF AFRICA

MYSTERIOFS PIT OF KALAHARI

Hundreds of miles from civilisation, hidden somewhere amidst the evershifting dunes of the Kalahari Desert in Africa. there is a mighty hole more than half a square mile in area (writes Basil Fuller in the Melbourne Argus). With perpendicular walls more than 100 ft. deep, this pit is a death trap for animals, and occasionally for men. Only one man is known to have trodden the floor of this terrible hole and escaped. I heard the tale from an old hunter' and explorer who had met the man immediately after his dramatic experience.

Two men were trekking across the Kalahari in an ox-wagon. Erlanger was a, German, and Oosthuizen was Dutch. One glorious evening they camped in the desert as usual. Not a. breath of wind stirred the sand as they unharnessed the oxen. It was an ideal camping spot. Ahead a line cf low bushes loomed out of the dark: behind was the wall of a dune. Apparently there was nothing to disturb the peace of the men preparing for the night. Erlanger climbed into the wagon, leaving Oosthuizen to splash in the tin wash basin outside. As the Dutchman rubbed himself down lie fancied he heard a sound, a faint squeak. He bent down to examine the hub of one of the wheels. It. was slowly, almost imperceptibly, turning. Even as he looked the wheel began to move. Then he noticed that the ground sloped gradually, ’nut still he was not. alarmed. Gripping one of the spokes he tried to stop the wagon’s progress, at the same.time shouting to Erlanger. But he had to let go and watch the lurching vehicle as it disappeared through the line of bushes. The Dutchman could hear his friend’s alarmed cries. Suddenly the shouting ceased. Oosthuizen listened and suddenly he heard a dull crash which seemed to come from far away. He ran forward cautiously and gazed through Hie bushes. At his feel, yawned a great pil. He could sec nothing . and a lantern brought trout beside his wash-basin showed nothing. No sound cairn.' Item th 1 * darkness. Behind him he heard only the movements of the startled oxen. \\ lien morning broke Oosthuizen went again to the edge of the pit and imni'.diai.ely gave up hope of his friend’s

snfeiy. Mist obscured the bottom of the pit. that gaped al his feet, but it St-eim d certain that nothing could live after having fallen into such an abyss. The Dutchman turned away, stunned by the suddenness of the tragedy. Gathering together what was left of the outfit he began the long trek back to civilisation. After a few miles he fell in with some natives, and four days lai,er In- told his story to a group of iiiei'i-diilons i raders.

ELEPHANT AS FOOD. Meanwhile Erlanger still lived al. the. bottom of the pit. Hacked with the pain of serious sprains and a mass of bruises, he lay amid the wreckage of the wagon. He could not take in his surroundings when he first openeil his eyes, ami it was several hours before lie realised the danger of his posh ion. IL was as if he were lying at the bottom of a great well. Perpendicular walls rose all around him. and the sky seemed incredibly far away. Scattered round about were the remains of the wagon and the provisions. Erlanger relapsed into unconsciousness. When he awoke again

Ihe was hungry and thirsty. He collected some food and then cast around for a drinking place. Providence was kind to him, for a small stream flowed across the floor of the pit, disappearing into a chasm in the south wall.

A drink, a wash, and Erlanger proceeded to survey his position. A few minutes sufficed to show him that without food escape was hopeless. To cut notches in these walls would take months. Resigning himself to the inevitable, Erlanger lay down to wait for the end. The fact that in places the pit was strewn with skeletons of animals did not tend to comfort him. He fell asleep to awake suddenly with a thunderous echo ringing in his ears, lie sprang to his feel. The noise was obviously not in his head. Something else was in the pit besides himself. He staggered slowly round the walls until something caught his attention. Lying on the rocks beyond the wreckage of the wagon was a huge bulk. He went slowly towards it. Then he laughed hysterically. At his feet, lay the body of a giant elephant. An elephant sent from heaven, it seemed to Erlanger. Searching among the scattered debris of the wagon he found a. knife and he fell to cutting strips of flesh from the broken carcase.

For weeks the prisoner subsisted on the biltong—dried meat —he made from the elephant. Then one night heaven came to his aid once again. This time his larder was replenished by six hartebeest (antelopes). He felt, almost sorry as he saw their broken bodies lying on the rocks —they looked so pretty and gentle—-yet they were food to him. All this time Erlanger had not given up hope of escape. Making pegs from the wood of the wagon, he had driven them into the walls one above the other until it seemed now that, success was within reach. That night his stock of food was increased again, but al the expense of his ladder. This lime a luckless rhinoceros mistook its way, and. like the other beasts, fell to its death. In its fall it swept away most of the pegs which Erlanger had driven in and the work had to be begun all over aga in.

Months passed, and al length the ladder was complete save for I Im final pegs. Tim wretched man fought his way up the walls which had been hi< prison for so long, and at last rmched the top. Exhausted. Erlanger climbed over the edge and lay panting on the sand. Mustering what iff Ho strength he had left, he staggered away into the desert with a supply of biltong. His intention was io try to reach the place he ha I set out for with Oosthuizen. A week later some natives found a white man. He was wandering, delirious. The blacks took him back to civilisation. where, two months Intel . lie died.