KALAHARI BUSHMEN.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 November 1928, Page 3

KALAHARI BUSHMEN.

_ THE FIRST, AND LAST HUNTER. (|!v W. .1. ,M A KIN. The “Daily Mail’s” Special Correspondent who has recently crossed the Kalahari Desert in South Africa.)

IN THE KAL. MIAMI

Nowadays Africa is being scoured by men whose- express rifles are destroying th-.' rciim.unls of the herds of big game that one-.' wandered this continent. I have often wished that these hunters of heads for ciu.b walls or sensational rugs for their own homes could see Africa's lirst and last hunter. the Rush mail. The Rusliman only hunts for foqd. If tie lias had a meal within the nrevious two days nothing will induce him to enter upon the chase. Rut when lie grows tired of eating Hie eggs and reptiles within easy reach he "ili take up his how and poisoned arrows and begin a search for big game. Under such ei mi instances be is as particular in his choice of a meal as any jaded diner-out wandering in Soho.

'The probable bill of fare is revealed to him by spoor in the sand. A piee of Trent grass, an overturned pebble, or a broken twig is sufficient to 11»! 1 him what game is in the vicinity, the direction in which it has gone and how far off it is. He sets off to follow Liu* snoor. Tie may have decided ona sable antelope, and in a few hours his keen eyes sight the heast in the distance.

The art of the real In inter begins. I!i> first tests the direction and force of the wind by throwing a handful of dust info the air. Satisfied on this point, lie begins slowly to stalk the nnlmal. lie will .smother himsolil in dost and take advantage of every sand dune. His business is to get as eh sc to the animal as: possible. lie cannot alford to miss like tlm man with n, rill,'. IT is exisleueo for flic ii'xi few days depends upon the kill. H tin- ground is o-.en he "ill crawl, holda small bush lie fore him. The sable antelope looks up, sees a bush, and resumes iis grazing.

When he iias come dose as lie dares the Bushman raises himself, fits a poisoned arrow into his bow, and shoots. If he lias hit the beast, and he rarely misses, lie drops back into the sand and waits. lie knows that the poison will do its work quickly. The hunters of the desert know weT tlie art of camouflage. A favourite disguise is that of a wild ostrich. 'I hr Rusliman will cover his. shoulders with

ostrich feathers, and carry a long stick with the head carved to look like an the motions of a wild ostrich feeding, preening its feathers, and running, and by this means got close to a herd at which lie looses one of his deadly arrows. An advantage of the haw and arrow is its silctc. e. W hen a herd see on ' of their kind suddenly go kicking to the ground they do not stampede. They arp merely puzzled. Il is only when they hear tlit* report of a ride and see a man that they immediately dasli'away in the opposite direction.

fvimefc'inies the Rusliman will me his dogs in the chase. Those dogs arc lean and hiingry-lookiiig beasts, air! practically wild. They also have bed taught the necessity For silence. They never bark. In fact, we believed, loi some, time that they could not bark, but one. of them gave tongue, to our great astonishment. The dogs will even tackle a. leopard or hyena, revealing a courage barn of hunger. When lie goes hunting birds ‘he Rusliman leaves his bow and arrow !» - hind. li(> prefers to use short sticks weighted at cue end. the African kncHkerrie. He is particularly skilful at throwing this and can knock over birds either sitting, or running

or {lying. He throws the stick Iroui a distance of about- 30 feet, and prefers to catch a h-rd in- 1 when it is rising from the: ground.

Of course the Rusliman docs not hesitate to use traps and is |rrticular!y ingenious in digging pits and covering them with (hush and grass:. Tie v“I often dig these pits near to a water hole used Ivy animals. V. hen no n-:

cmering the pit liie Bti.-lnuan is careful licit to leave any sa nII from Ins hands on tin: grass or in anebes. as lie believes that an animal would Octet it at once. l!<> rale's Hic gra'-

oi* twigs over with a long stick. ft may he t hat- sum - of tho Lm liman’s methods of the chase "ill not he approved entirely by the sell-con-scious sportsman. Yet .they require much more skill and agility than would the possession ol a model'll i die. The Rusliman is 1.-rave to a degree and will not hesitate to attack the largest and fiercest animals. The Runtime,, a-'e the first great hunters of Africa, and as they are dependent up,,l, hunting for their existence they will he the last. As a race they are disap’iearing with the 1 herds ol African big game. 'They are being swepl •uvav to the last hunting grounds.