Land of Elephants - Big-Game Hunting in Kenya, Tanganyika and Uganda (Hardcover)

LAND OF ELEPHANTS Big-Game Hunting in Kenya, Tanganyika and Uganda COUNT ZSIGMOND SZECHENYI CONTENTS CMAPTFR PACE I. THE COAST OF CIVILISATION r II. ELEPHANT HUNTING IS NOT ALL ROSES . 6 III. WITCH DOCTOR 16 IV. BONGO 22 V. SICK 32 VI. BONGO AGAIN 48 VII. PREOCCUPATIONS OF AN AFRICAN STATION MASTER-56 VIII. THE GREATER KUDU 59 IX. PROPITIATORY BREAKFAST .... 80 X. A CHRISTMAS ELEPHANT HUNT ... 84 XL TERMITES c . 95 XII. BUFFALO 114 XIII. NO BUFFALO 123 XIV. LIONS AND A CAMERA 135 XV. SITUTUNGA 166 XVI. LIONS .183 XVIL IVORY .195 XVIII. AN END .... . .207 Vll ILLUSTRATIONS PACK MAP . 209 THE AUTHOR ... . Frontispiece FACING PAGE WATER-BUCK 4 THE LION STILL ROARS . - 5 ELEPHANTS IN THE JUNGLE . .8 MY PORTERS IN THE KITUI FOREST . 9 MY CAMP . ........ 12 ELEPHANT COUNTRY ..... 13 THE WITCH DOCTOR ... . .20 AFRICAN EQUILIBRIST .... 21 MY CAMP IN THE BAMBOO FOREST . . . 24 WHERE THE BONGO LIVES ...... 25 HE EVEN ALLOWED ME TO PHOTOGRAPH HIM . . 3O A YOUNG ELEPHANT, . . . . . 3 1 HE HEARD THE CLICK .... 3 2 THE GUASO-NYIRO ..... 33 NATIVE AT MERU ..... 36 ONE OF THE SMART SET AT MERU 37 THE PRIVATE WARD, MERU HOSPITAL . . 40 MOUNT KENYA FROM NANYUKI . 4 1 NAIROBI HOSPITAL 46 NAIROBI DANDY ........ 47 WHERE WE FOUND THE BONGOS SPOOR 54 THE BULL BONGO 55 GET READY 60 HEAVE 6l IN KENYA SHEPHERD CIRCLES THE UMBRELLA IS VERY MUCH THE FASHION ........ 62 ... AS THOUGH CARVED OUT OF ALABASTER MOUNT KENYA 63 THE ROAD THROUGH THE DESERT ..... 64 FORDING THE RIVER ....... 65 BORAN CAMEL-HERD 66 ix Land of Elephants FACING PAGE THE INSULTED CAMEL ....... 67 EVERY HALF-HOUR THEY GOT TIRED OF CLIMBING . . JO BORAN CAMELS ........ 71 LAKE RUDOLPH FROM THE TOP OF MOUNT KHULAL . . 74 BABOONS ON THE CLIFFS OFMOUNT KHULAL . . - 75 A SOLITARY BUFFALO LEAPT UP BEFORE US . . 78 THE KUDU TROPHY ....... 79 MUKULA ......... 82 THE LATE LAMENTED PILIPILI HELPED US TO SHOOT HIM 83 ELEPHANT COUNTRY 88 MORE ELEPHANT COUNTRY ...... 89 OUT SPREAD THE ENORMOUS EARS, AND THERES A CRACKLING AND CRASHING ....... 92 JUNGLE 93 THE QUEEN TERMITE . . . IO8 TERMITE HILL . ... . IO9 GREVY ZEBRA . . . . . . . .114 HERD OF ZEBRA. NOTE HOW THOSE IN THE DISTANCE ON THE RIGHT ARE CAMOUFLAGED, . . . 115 TWENTY-ODD MASSIVE, MIGHTY HORNED HEADS WERK STARING TOWARDS ME . . . . II 8 THEY SAW ME THEY WERE COMING . . . .119 SUSPICION ......... 120 THE HORNED TREE . . . . . . .121 TANGANYIKA FRONTIER . . . . . . .126 H. M. CUSTOMS OFFICE, TANGANYIKA .... 126 THE ROAD TO TANGANYIKA . . . . . .127 A MODEL MOTHER 130 A YOUNG BULL ........ 13 HOME. LEFT SZECHENYI. RIGHT G. R. RUNTON . . 134 A STORM ON THE WAY ....... 135 SERENGETI PLAINS 136 AFTER THE KILL ........ 137 A LION FORTRESS 140 FATHER AND THE FAMILY . . . . . .14 CAUTIOUSLY APPROACHING 144 IT FIRST DRAGS THE KILL TO A LESS EXPOSED PLACE . 145 OVER THE KILL 145 Illustrations FACING PAGE A KILL IN SIGHT ........ 148 VULTURES AT THE KILL . . . . . - 149 DREAMING OF HIS BACHELOR DAYS . . . .152 LIONESSES ......... 153 LIONESS . . . . . . . . .156 A BAIT ......... 157 I WHISTLE, UP COME THEIR HEADS . . . l6o THE KING OF BEASTS ....... l6l A NATIVE POTTER, UGANDA . . . . . 1 66 THE FOREST SIGN-POST 167 ON THE WAY TO FUMWE . . . . . 1 68 CORMORANTS ON LAKE VICTORIA ..... 169 THE HARBOUR, FUMWE . . . . . . .172 A BASKING CROCODILE, FUMWE . . . . - 173 MY CAMP ON FUMWE ....... 176 ON FUMWE ISLAND . . . . . . - 177 MY SITUTUNGA. BELOW THE HOOFS THAT HELP HIM TO MOVE IN THESWAMPS . . . . . .178 THE BIRD-HUNTER AND HIS FRIENDS .... 179, I KNOW SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPIER WITH ME . 1 82 I ALWAYS INVITED HER TO A CUP OF TEA . . . 183 BULL GIRAFFE ........ 184 FRIGHTENED GIRAFFES ....... 185 THE YAWN 190 THE RHINOCEROS 191 MY TWO BIG LIONS .........