IN CENTRAL AFRICA.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 5802, 20 January 1906, Page 12

IN CENTRAL AFRICA.

Writing from Mporekoso, Central Africa to the "Cape Times” Mr J oomph .1. Keynard gives the following interesting account of his oxpcrioncca iu that remote region: The whole region lying between the eouth-western shores of Lake Tanganyika—after tho gigantic mass forming the Xyaea-Tauganyika escorpment is cendod—to tho torrid shores of Lake Mweru (supposed to bo the Mcroo of Ptolemy) is of an undulating nature. Game of all descriptions roam comparatively unmolested by the aborigines, in the smiling plains and fertile vallcyo. and tho evergreen primeval forests that afford them shelter from a fierce tropical sun. Prior to the establishment of a settled form of government, the country was traversed by the notorious Tipu Tib’s slavc-buutera. These unscrupulous parasites gained immense influence over tho savage despots that cxcroined supreme sway over the Wuwcmba, Walumla, Chisinga. Watowa, and Ulungu nations, primarily hocatuM tho Arabs and Swahilis were always prepared to exchange gunft. powder, oaps. gaudy cloths, Asiatic calicoes, and other articles of merchandise, in return for men, women, and children captured during the terrible wars that decimated huge tracts of beautiful country; theso inoffensive people were compelled to march to the great raarkete nt Zanzibar, and from there they were shipped to Asia, whore they became tho slaves of Eastern potentates. The first pioneers despatched to this isolated and comparatively unknown land, by that great empirebuilder Cecil John Rhodes found tho slave trade still flourishing to tho same extent ns it was when Livingstone discovered it. but they rapidly made tVpowerful influence felt, with tro result that tho slave dealers’ nefarious traffic watt crushed, never again to rise in thin pert ot Africa. Some of tho Arabs have settled down an chiefs, ami have become peaceful and law-abiding citizens, and the discontented ones have penetrated further north. Tho pioneers fonud that the natives posmst-red arms and ammunition. with which they destroyed game irrespective of age or sex. A law was promulgated prohibiting the carrying of fire-arms by natives without a license. It is now very rare to see a native carrying a gun. flame has multiplied, and tho sportsman finds little ditheiilty Jn locating the haunts nf the massive eland, tho noble roan-antclopc, the beautiful zebra (very abundant), the gro-tffiquo-lookiug haaricheestc, tho timid -ced-buck. puku. Icchwe, N'Ynln, sit.atunga. blue-buck, and duiker. The pachyderms aro well represented. Elephants roam from the Congolese frontier to tho NyaKa-Tnngauyika plateau, lihinoccri arc hot plentiful. Hippopotami arc to ho found in nil tho rivers that empty their waters into Lakes Tanganyika and Mweru. Buffalo are nometimcs met with. IVarthog and pig are plentiful. Lions and leopards arc numerous iu parts. 1 was cam lied one tunny day in the hot month of August, in a tiny AVawemlm aetiloment in tho heart of the Tangan-yika-Mwcru region, when my guide informed me that ho could take mo to a river where he was convinced I should get hippojiolnmi. During my long residence and many journeys in the country lying north of the Zambesi. 1 bad nover bagged a hippi.; consequently, having a keen desire to do so. 1 arranged to leave with my caravan tho following day. Early next morning we left Kaealolo's Kraal. The footpath passes through forest, alternating with low shrub, which proves somewhat uncomfortable owing to my “Machiila" canv.'is hammock, attached by ropes to a stout

palm, and carried on the shoulders ot stalwart natives, frequently colliding with low-hanging branches and stumps Unit obstructed our passage. Wo reached I’asamingo’s settlement at noon; tin Chief was away, lint his best wife presented a small quantity of meal for my jiortere. The natives of this country aro exceedingly hospitable, tbo. headman generally presents the traveller with lowle, pigeons, eggs, millet-meal, or other kinds of native produce. In return. the visitor usually gives a few yards of white calico—the present national dross of the people—salt, which is considered a rare luxury, native childrea prefer it to the most exquisite productions of Fry’s or Cadbury’s; beads to adorn the members of the gentler sex. soap, matches, or other trifles. We resumed our journey after lunch. All along the route wo travelled we saw dark globular excrescences on many of the trees these proved on closer inspection to bo the elevated colonic,, of the ferocious black ants, called by tbo natives Chisopa. Ants arc a plague in Central Africa. The diminutive black ant invades the butter, jam, and sugar. The destructive white once—termites—attack the traveller’s boots, garments, kit-bags ami other impedimenta, whether of canvas or leather. Huge warrior ante sometimes take possession of a camp: these bile so viciously that they cause all the porters to stampede; when crushed they emit a meet foul odout. At a. 30 pan. my guide informed me that we were approaching a locality where we should likely sec game. I descended from my machilla and crept cautiously to the edge of a vlci. I saw three puku grazing on the rich meadow gratis two hundred yards away. I raised my rille and bred, and just afterwards found to my extreme regret that I had only wounded ono poor animal; wo endeavoured to trace the blood-spoor, but 10-a i> in an adjacent dense thicket. Hyonao. jackals, vultures, ants and other soavcugers, are always in search of prey, so most probablv the puku was quickly despatched. Another hour’s travelling brought us to a charming glade adjacent lo the banks of tho Luangwa Uirer —a principal tributary of tho Kalungwssi, which pours its slow-flowiug waters into Lake Mweru. Soon after entering, the guide reported that he heard the deep grunts or bellow of hippopotami. I loaded my magazine with ’Volins” and fallowed Muvatiga. I crept through the dense undergrowth for thirty yards, wltcn I suddenly espied the hippi’s gambolling in the scintillating waters within twenty-five yards of where I stood. Iteising my rifle. I aimed at the most vital spat—between tho tiny car and the eye—and fired, the particular animal at which I fired and all the other heads instantly disappeared. I went after the school, and fired at two more. I stationed men at various VWts of the river to watch until the hippo’s rise. Hippopotami when killi-d in water sink and do not rise for from two to three hours, according to the temperature of the water. I then returned to camp feeling exceedingly tired after my long journey and exes!ing day. My tent was erected in one of the most pictnrevquc spots T have seen in Central Africa. On every side we were surrounded by au nlmoet impenetrable primeval forest of donscly-folic.gcd trees, the earth was carpeted with a gorgeous covering of deep rich grass, intermingled with swcet-sccnied tropical iiowcra and delicate ferns; the «nn. s.owly sinking to rest in the west, illuminated tho universe with its dying beauty, and made every leaf of the graceful trees appear as if they were composed of exquisite mosaic; the melody raised by uonffsfora ira>» thriUmc. tb«* trenllc cooing turtle iieve perched on tjo topmost branch of a stately tree, cooinj:

lustily to its companion some distance away, the (light of numberless birds filling the air with the rush of their wings, the "singing of strange barbaric songs by a happy group of tvawcmba. the dense smoko ascending to the heavens, made up a picture that would lill the soul of any worshipper of the Creator with profound ana unutterable joy. At sundown n messenger arrive?* in camp in an excited war, and utmouncee the welcome news that ft "kawb(ivi M—hippipotamw*—m floating down the river. The men assemble at once, and in a, few minutes we start off amidst the shouting of ISO Wawemba, Ulungu, Mamhwi, Ahenga and Aagoni—the latter from distant Nyaoaland. At about a mile from camp we »aw a. huge marl: mass, hnrdlv discernible in the declining twilight. The rnou constructed an enormnuK flro of decayed wood, amt by its aid we were able to realise the enormous bulk of the hippo. None of the men were keen on entering the water, in which there are loathsome crocodiles. Eventually one of my r-ervants, who has been in mv fwrvice for five yeans, volunteered to swim out and attach a rope to tho animal's foreleg. 1 then bred u few shots into the dark waters to ijeare away any crocodiles that may have been attracted to the hippo—crocodiles and hippo appear to live in harmony— Bagnhra then plunged in, and a few minutes later tho hippo was hauled to tho bank. Wo then attached rones to various parts of tho imimalV* body, but tbe milled efforts of the men proved futile to lift it up tho precipitous bank. The headman suggested that I should permit tho men to cost tho hippo off, BO that it would float down the river to onr camp: I acquiesced to tho suggestion and returned to camp, c«ortea bv fifty natives hearing torches of long grass. So my first day of hippopotamus hunting ended, and I quickly fell into the arms of Morpheus. At dawn next morning I sent out marchers to locate the position of the carcase. They returned shortly afterwards with the news that they had found it about half-a-milo up the river. I then despatched a messenger to the Chief’s kraal for a canoe. We returned to camp, which T ordered to be struck. When all tbe men were ready we started for Leandnru’s settlement, passing the canoe cn route. Two hours later I found the canoe with the hippo unable to pass a shallow part of tho river. I examined the spot. I concluded that it would be impossible to get tho nnitnn! further down, eo a man started off for all the porters and on their arrival we commenced operations. One man armed with a long knife, plunger! tho instrument into the hilt at a point, just below the breast bone, cutting along the addomen till he readied a spot near the hindquarters. At once, n <ic7.cn men attacked various parts with their sharp little knives; within a few minutes they had removed tho intestines and other portions of the body. During the above process one man entered the carcase and performed heroic work in removing the principal organs. After the underhide had been cut away the men started on the thick hide that protects the upper part t.f tho animat; from this sjamboks arc made, it can also bo made into verv handsome table-tops. 'When the entire hide was stripped off, the Men used their axes to chop through the massive vertebra. It took ten stalwart men to carrv the enormous head. On examining the interior of the mouth I found it contained the burrows of innumerable leeches about one inch. long. It would he interesting to know whether these parasites have the effect of producing any inconvenience to tho hippo. It. took fifty to seventy men to remove all tho flesh, bones, and hide

When tho carcase had been completely demolished, I embarked on u tiny "canoe—made out of a single lieu trunk—with one paddlcr. .The ti ■;> down the river was particularly pb.. saut. Tho banks were fringed by bugt and beautifully (obliged trees. and aquatic plants—the borne of the linn 1 waterlicn: deeply-ploughed hippi paii.a are passed every few hundred yi Soon alterwards we reach camp, where I find the natives have erected a sea,'Vo 1 I on which to dry the slrijis of hiuo that arc to be made into sjamboks. On reaching camp I divided tne meat to the beat of mv ability, but found it verv trying to satisfy nil the men of tho party, some of them would hardly ham been content with a hippopotamus each. I bud cold hippo tongue for liineli, which proved rather lough but palatable with a little Lea and Teniui - . In thn afternoon 1 went out after puku, end bagged two. so that all the meu had au abundance of flesh. To-night the scene is enthralling. The veld in the north and south is affording us a wonderful pyrotechnical display; near my tent the porters have innuTierable cam;) tires—burning gaily in tho gentle wind that cools the oppressive atmosphere—over which they have elected platforms on which they are drying meat, so that it will keep longer. In another part of the camp a party is singing praises of the white man who him supplied them with n rare luxury; a hyena rends the night with ils dism.il wail. I retire amid all these iounrlu, feeling happy at having shot my but hippopotamus in the heart of Africa. It may interest sportsmen to kiin-i that I used a Loc-ifetford Service riile with EleyVi "solids” for hippopotami— I secured two hulls a week after ttm "splits” for puku, roau-antclope and waterhnek.