AMONG BIG GAME.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4424, 8 March 1930, Page 1

AMONG BIG GAME.

A SHOOTING TRIP THROUGH NORTHERN hhodesia.

an interesting address by

MR. €'. 11. BOUDD

Mr. c. 11. Bould, of Levin, who has recently returned from a big game hunting expedition in South Africa was the speaker at Ihursday’s meeting of the I'oxton Lunch Club. Mr. Bould gave a most interesting address entitled “My Shooting Trip Through ‘Northern Rhodesia.”

The expedition, he said, was one which lie had had in mind and had been Working up for over twentytwo years. He had stalked game in New Zealand for a quarter of a < entury but with the idea of fulhlling a promise made to himself of a big game hunt he had carefully read up books on big game expeditions and studies of African wild animals and attributed the success of which attended his big venture lust year chiefly to a book giving diagrams of practically all animals and showing the places to be aimed at in order to kill them. He mentioned that there were only two places in most animals where a shot would kill them outright, and these were the marks for the brain allot and the heart shot. On his way to Africa he visited all the zoos it was possible for him to see, also the museums, with the idea of studying the animals; and in his hunting expedition he was fortunate enough to hit most of the beasts at which he hred in the places which this study had taught him to consider the most suitable. ACROSS BELGIAN CONGO.

Mr. Bould left Wellington in company with a Wellington sportsman, in May hist last and a little over a month later reached Durban. After travelling 3000 miles by rail from Durban they reached Endola, where they stayed a couple of days and got their provisions together for a three mouths’ trip. A journey was made by motor-lorry across Belgian Congo to reach Northern Rhodesia, it being impossible to travel round the end of the Belgian protectorate owing to the absence of roads. Although the crossing is permitted by the authorities, visitors are not allowed to camp on the .territory, and on reaching the further boundary—a river —the party were told to camp on the opposite bank. LUNG CANGE JOURNEY.

A telegram had been sent by Air. Bould to Mr. Simpson, living 323 miles beyond the boundary, as to the making of arrangements for the expedition into, the interior. Two large native canoes, each manned by ten paddlers, were sent down by this settler to meet the party. During the .voyage that ensued, Air. Bould found his shotgun very handy in potting ducks, geese, shags, kingfishers, flamingoes, etc., which were plentiful along the banks. At night, camp was made <m the river-bank. On the third day the first game was shot; Air. Bould went ashore in one direction and his mate in another, and the latter secured two zebra. The same night the zebra were brought in, and they attracted three lions, which roamed in the vicinity of the camp. AH’. Bould climbed a tree, with rille aud torch, but did not get a shot at them. Next morning his coinpuniou was ill and decided to go back. Having travelled thus far, Mr. Bould was determined to coutinue, and did so with very successful results. It took him 15 days to make the .journey up the river, and during that stage he did not get any game with the exception of birds, which afforded plentiful food both Lor himself and the natives. Five different species of ducks and several kinds of geese were among the numerous denizens on the river and its environs. Kingfishers, of live or six species, beautifully coloured were to be seen, there were no songsters like the New Zealand birds.

On his arrival at Mr. Simpson’s place arrangements were made for the big game expedition. Mr. Bould was taken by his host to a native village, where he made arrangements for a party of carriers, numbering with an interpreter and gunbearer 22 in all. From there he set out for his actual shooting tour, lasting about three months, during which he did not see a white person. He had intended visiting the Lawanga Valley—practically the only part of Northern Rhodesia where game of all descriptions can be found —but this he was unable to do because it had been closed on account of sleeping sickness; five white people having died there within a short time from that cause. Taking Mr. Simpson’s advice, he trampgd up one side of the river and down the other side. The second day out, Mir. Bould obtained a zebra and a water-buck. The water-buck was rather a fine animal, standing about four feet (Continued on page 4.)