TRADER HORN

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 150, 18 February 1932, Page 2

TRADER HORN

W. S.

van Dyke-

NARROW ESCAPE LADIES OF PARTY SAYED FROM PROWLING LION.

SNAKES AND WITCH CHARMS

(By

— Copyright.)

J-JARRY CAREY is adding to his laurels as a shooter of eveny type of big game in Africa. His latest lion was shot under circumstances that require recording, as an instance of a man shooting his party out of a tight place. Tie long evening is followed by a

sudden darkness in Africa. There is no twilight. Returning to camp from location were Harry Carey, Miss Booth, and Miss Chippo, the script clerk. Carey had his rifle, a .303, his hative gun-bearer. Several other natives were in the party. Chasing butterflies, they disregarded the approach of night. Near any water there are butterflies as a rule, but around Lake Nabagaba there are any number of beautiful varieties. Miss Booth is an ardent collector, and the party could not resist going further and further afield after a certain kind — Italian blue with black trimmings, that seem suddenly to disappear in bright snnlight. Night fell, and they were coming along by the light of Carey's electric torcb over a fairly well-marked trail. "I sensed something was wrong," said Carey. Talcing his rifle from the gunbearer, he asked the ladies to get into a tree. Without explaining his fears, for it, was more of a huneh than a certainty, he insisted that they climb

right away. He gave the flashlight to Miss Chippo, and asked her to lceep it pointed to a certain place among the trees. Among the innumerable fireflies flitting with their uncertain light in all directions, he made out the baleful red gleam of a pair of eyes. Just then the flashlight turned as those above were adjusting themselves to a more eomfortable position. It might have been the eyes of a harmless curious buck, sueh as a kongoni, 01* reed buck. His boy whispered "simba," which means lion. Carey did not want to call to Miss Chippo then, as he did not wish to do anything startling, for a miss would be fatal, and a move away, if it were a lion, would only induce the lion to charge. Took Cool Airn. Almost without a sound, the lion came at Carey out of the bush, and this time his eyes were visible. Carey took three slow steps backwards, until he leaned against the tree, then he took a remarkably cool aim. The lion came on towards him, but not charging, and just started to jump as Carey fired once, and then again. The lion went down with a thump, and the boys brought in the whole carcase, which is a fine big one, head and shoulder shot. 1 Miss Chippo and Miss Booth were not certain until after the kill why | Carey had ordered them to climb, and were unshakcn by the experience j Carey, on the other hand, when he I had his first premonition, had the feeling that there were two lions there. He was very much on the I alert the rest of the way into camp. j He would not take £250 to go through the anxiety again. I heard the shots in camp, and was just organising natives with firebrands j and hunters to go and look for them, | when they came in. Both Ffightened. | We went out in the morning with j 20 natives and thrce riflos to look j over the plain in a slight rain. No evidence, except the blood of the dead lion, did we find. We began scouting some tall grass at one side, a likely place for a lion. Generally through the day they lie on a rocky cliff where their colour almost hides them, and watch for game, which they will go after in the evening. It is said that one lion will roar — startling timid animals like zebras i on the run, and that its mate will lie | in wait and jump on one of them as it comes by. Something stirred in the tall grass, and I fired at it for luclc. As nothing happened we surrounded this spot, and after waiting awhile, began cautiously to close in. There was a stir in the grass just ahead of Ren'aldo, and I shouted "Look out!" just as something jumped up. Renaldo startI ed to run back to. give me a clear , shot, and stumbled and fell. The "something" was a kongoni, which darted diametrically away from Renaldo, and it was a toss up which was the more frightened of the two. A lcongoni is a sweet little antelope about the size of a spring lamb and of a considerably milder disposition. Deadly Momba. Impolite it may have l)een, but 1 enjoyed then and there the heartiest laugh I have had in Africa. My sides are still sore. Even the natives "hawhawed," and recounted the incident to their fellows with glee last night. One native can tell a tale and act both parts with remarkable dramatic vividness, falling down for Renaldo and Tuniiing away from himself as the buck in almost one and the same instant. This morning Renaldo came to my tent with a long face, and sat down for a chat. I believe he is more than a little disturbed by the tallc of hard Inck in connection with the little ivory idol in.his possession. He came to tell me to have the eom-

pany' watch for snakes on this location. As he was walking to breakfast this morning, in his dressing-gown, he encountered a long momba. This is a reptile with a peculiarly unsavoury reputation. The momba was stretched out across his path, but it was dead. "I would not have minded a live snalce so much," Duncan told me seriously. But the idea of a dead one was portentous, and he is sure that someone is going to come to terrible harm. I cannot blame Renaldo, for strange ideas do take hold of a fellow in this country. My advice to Renaldo was partly for psychological reasons to give the idol to Duate, his "boy" who brought it to him, and have Duate get rid of the thing. This Renaldo had already thought of, but there remains the threat of the old witch doctor that whosoever destroys the idol would get into a lot of trouble. The compromise was agreed upon, to get Duate to lceep the idol in his possession for a few days, and see if the annoying incidents which Renaldo has been subjected to by the Fates recently will stop. We haye been having remarkably good luck on the whole, and we are getting along with the filming of "Trader Horn" in good shape. (To be continued.) 1