ELEPHANT POACHER OF THE SUDAN.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1560, 2 October 1912, Page 3

ELEPHANT POACHER OF THE SUDAN.

BRITISH OFFICER'S ORAMATIC HUNT. DEATH-BED OF A SOLDIER OF FORTUNE. An exciting narrative of the adventures of a Sudan Government expedition sent into the remote regions of the Lado-Cougo country to arrssl a gang of elephant poachers is supplied by Kcutcr's Agency. The poachers, :i hundred strong, were wider command of an American named Rogers. The pursuit ncc-upieii two months. Captain Fox. who is.tho Inspector of the Alonga.Ua Province of the Sudan, had with him one non-commissioned oiiiccr, ,tix .Sudanese soldiers, eight carriers, and sewn unites. Fo;\r times they came across camps that, had been , deserted by ,th« poachers. The natives ran awav ;'.ud stood on tht- hills, "barking like baboons," and enjoying tho discomfiture of the pursuing force. As it was necessary to get hold of a nativo and obtain'some information,-Cap-tain Fox adopted the device of getting into the river and floating down stream. Half a mile down he came upon a native, and floating quietly up to him, he secured him, and gained tho much-needed information. That night, after twelve hours in long, wet grass, the party camped, with apb-ljlro men jeering at fhem from a safe distance. Afterwards the parly crossed a forest range, the ravines filled with icy torrents. All the while there was constant apprehension of nt(acks from tho hostile natives who lined the hills. All tho European stores were exhausted. Everyone had fever, and the quinine had given out. In an adjacent village (which was afterwards ascertained to be in Belgian territory) it was learned that a largo quantity of 'ivory had lately arrived, and that the leaders'of the gang with picks and shovels had slipt outside wliilo their tollowers remained in the village. A party of three went on in advance, Captain lox and the rest of his force following later. It was late at night when Captain 1-ox and his companions entered .a great village square, around which were posted a hundred carriers.belonging to the poachers, armed with rifles. Captain Fox advanced into the centre of the armed circle and asked tor his three men, who had gono on in advwice. The guide silently pointed to a large house towards which the officer, parrying his rifle cocked and loudly calling upon Rogers, approached. A boy ran out of tho house and said: "The commandant-is nick and cannot come out." ■ Cantuin Fox laid aside his rifle and entered the house alone.. He found himself in a large dark room lighted by a flickering candle. He made out a white man lving on a bed. Beside him was another white man, and surrounding the bed were about ten natives. v

There was dead silence, and Captain Fox felt sure that he and his police had been trapped. Ho asked which was Mr. Rogers, and the other white man replied: "Mr. Rogers has been shot." "Yes," said Rogers, "and by the hoys you sent here to arrest me." Captain Fox replied: "There were three of my police on ahead of me. but 1 am quite certain they would, not interfere with .you." "Come and stand }-ight, here so that 1 can. have a look at you," Kogers said. Under the red blanket which was covering Rogers Captain Fox could then _ see tho shape of a revolver, pointing straight at him. Itqgers's eyes were blazing. Rogers said: - "Tell me what you have pome to'arrest me for." Captain Tax answered: "you are wounded now. Let; all that rest until you are better." "No," ho said,, "I am a dying man. I guess. I did not think they could kill, old Rogers, but they havo got him this time, and I want to fix this thing up, right now, what is your name?" Thp ! dying man turned over in his bed and Captain Fox left the house. In the middle of the night he was sent for again by. Rogers, who then told him: "T surrender myself voluntarily to the Sudan Government. I believe I am a dying man, so that lam not going'to lie about it; but this was my show and- all my work. I guess they have got old Rogers this time. I am very old, and perhaps it. is just as well, but they could not have hanged me. Well, T have had my rcood times aa well as my bad .time. You remember what I told you, doctor: I can't stand the religious .peppje, If you' tiro religious you have got' to play up to your religion; I never had none, so 1 rauld do what I liked.":. -. . . - . From his advance party Captain ,Fox loarnpd that Rogers had been struck near the hip by a native bullet during tho fighting which took place when the three men entered the village. Rogers had ordered them to give up their guns, and then; himself opened fire with a revolver and a Mauser. Others also attacked them with Winchesters and arrows. Had it not been almost dark all the police would havo been killed, and as it was they all had narrow escapes, , four being hit. Rogers, after being wounded, walked to his house and sat in a chair.