PRINCE OF WALES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19124, 16 September 1925, Page 14

PRINCE OF WALES.

SPORT IN SOUTH AFRICA.

GALLOPS OVER THE VELD OSTRICHES AND BIG GAME. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] CAPETOWN, Aug. 8. The colonial is a very keen critic of the town-bred young man from London. Now that the Princo of Wales has concluded his three months" tour of South Africa, one can say that no young Englishman who came to this country was more keonly-eyed or more closely judged. Yet. it is to the Prince's credit that he camo through this keen scrutiny with complete success. The success of the South African tour was not duo to the speeches or tho panoply of the ceremonial; it was due to tho fact that in a sportsman's country .the Prince proved himself a sportsman of no mean ability. A member of tho Prince's staff confessed to the writer in tho course of tho tour that the actual ceremonial was heavier and more arduous than that experienced by the Prince in any other Dominion. Yet tho Princo passed through it easily without a day's illness, and the doctor at the end of the tour admitted that tho Princo was in better health than he had been at any other time in his life. Much has been written about the champagne atmosphere of tho veld in South Africa. There is no doubt that the Prince relished it to the full. Although constantly travelling throughout the country in train and motor-car, many an afternoon would see him in running shorts scampering across the lonely veld, while the Royal train waited on the track. Much of this running was done at, an altitude of 4000 ft., in the keen, dry air of the karroo. On one occasion in the Transvaal ho set out in running shorts with Sir Godfrey Thomas as his only companion, and ran for seven and a-half miles. His time was 58 minutes. Sir Godfrey Thomas gave up after six and a-half miles. After this the Prince changed and spent the rest of the evening dancing. It was an example of that wonderful vitality ho possesses, which astounded even these energetic people of the sunshine, as the South Africans are sometimes called. There was one occasion when the Princs decided to go for a run along the railway track in the Sabie Game Reserve. This is a large tract of country, infested with wildebeeste, eland, zebra and even lion. " Hope wo don't meet any lions, anyhow," said the Prince as ho jogged along with a South African Cabinet Minister panting in the rear. They did see plenty of big game but no lions.' Not until he had run several miles and found himself entirely alone did the Prince sit down on a milestone and wait for the train to come along and pick him up again. Prince's Love of Horses. ' Perhaps ifc was because of his love of horses that the Princo endeared himself to tho real Boer of the veld. South Africa is a country which produces some of the finest horsemen in the world, as the British found to their cost in tho long guerilla struggle known as the Boer War. The Prince rode with various commandos into the little townships of the veld, and aroused tremendous enthusiasm. On other occasions the people saw him playing polo, riding in races and generally enjoying himself on horseback m the fashion of a healthy young Englishman. The Prince can rightly be termed a dash-, ing rider. Ho is not over-cautious, and for that reason takes risks <and adopts a style that the perfect horseman, .might disdain. One recalls ah occasion when hj? was spending- a week-end on a ; farm belonging to the South African millionaire,. Sir Abe Bailey. He -expressed a desire, for an afternoon's gallop, and after lunch he mounted a fine thoroughbred which had been specially provided lor him. Several other members of his staff also mounted horses, and as they clattered out of the farmyard one of tho horses bolted with a member of the staff clinging desperately to the reins. It was some time before the spirited horse could be brought under control, and while the unfortunate rider was still struggling with the. horse the Princo galloped up. Bound-up of Ostriches. " Better let me ride him," suggested tho Prince. "I liko the look of that horse." And nothing would satisfy him until the other had exchanged horses with him. The Prince found the animal suited to his dashing style. In a few moments he was racing across the veld, laughing and yelling derisively at the efforts of his companions to keep up with him. He thoroughly enjoyed that afternoon gallop, as did the horse, and returning alone in the evening he was able to gain another exciting experience. In the distance he saw Some of the farm hands rounding up a herd of ostriches. This is a sport which beats cow-punching, for the ositrich is a tremendously fast animal and one kick from its feet will bowl horse and rider over easily, An ostrich, wheai roused, is extremely dangerous and can kick a man to pulp in a few minutes. The Prince, • seeing this round-up of ostriches proceeding in tho distance, dug his knees into his horse and galloped furiously across the veld. In a few minutes he was yelling and tearing aroqnd after the ostriches, and having tlje time of his life. The horse understood the game as well as a polo pony will follow the ball, and it turned and swerved in exciting fashion as the ostriches were chased and brought into the yard. The Prince returned from this experience thoroughly roused and loudly complaining that life did not offer him a round-up of ostriches every day. Shooting o! Big Oame.

The fact that South Africa offers the sportsman some of the finest shooting in the world was thought sufficient reason for offering the Prince a big game shoot in the Sabie Reserve. The Prince, however, was among the first to realise that modern big game shooting is more murder than sport. Express rifles and native beaters have made the shooting of big game in Africa an easy affair, in which any tourist could indulge in perfect safety. While on the farm belonging to Sir Abe Bailey a springbok shoot was arranged for the Prince. The springbok is a beautiful, deer-like animal, rapidly becoming scarce in South Africa. The Prince and his party set out on horseback, and after half-an-hour's ride over the veld sighted a herd of. springbok in the distance. They galloped after the herd, and, in a few moments, well-directed shots brought several kicking to the ground. To the Prince, however, the sport was too easy ta be fair, and he announced his intention of going bird-shooting and leaving the springbok alone. He proceeded away with only one companion to shoot birds for the rest of the day, while the others continued the chase after springbok. He detested the idea of slaughter on a large scale, and it was for that reason he asked that the idea of a hunt in the Sabie Game Reserve might be abandoned.

Some interesting topics of world importance will be discussed by the Rev. W. G. Monckton in the course of the lecture, "The World of To-day." which he will give to-night at the Grey Lynn Library. To-day is bargain day at Ashley's A.B.C. Stores, Karangahape Road. Special bargains in all departments and all remnants half price. The germs of colds—catarrh and influenza are having a great time—fight them with Nazol—and they will disappear. It is better to fortify and protect yourself against the "flu" by freely using Nazol than to go down with it—and then try and get better. As a safeguard against disappointment and to prevent mistakes, E. R. L. Batten, Dentist, draws attention to his address: H.B. Buildings, 222, Queen Street.