Twenty-Five Years in a Waggon in South Africa: Sport and Travel in South AfricaAnderson, Andrew A.
History
Twenty-Five Years in a Waggon in South Africa: Sport and Travel in South Africa
Anderson, Andrew A.
Africa, Southern -- Description and travel; Anderson, Andrew A. -- Travel -- Africa, Southern
The Bechuanas have another method of catching game by pitfalls--at least
many years ago it was in use, where instead of securing one, they
trapped hundreds at one time. In those extensive open plains, where
tens of thousands of the antelope species roam, a favourable spot would
be selected, and from eight to twelve large pits dug, ranged in a row
fifteen feet apart, the earth taken out to the depth of five feet, and
thrown up between them, forming a steep bank; at the bottom of this pit,
it would be divided into smaller pits, two feet in depth, leaving a wall
of earth between each; these would be square, and three in a row. The
full size of the opening would be about thirty by twelve feet, placed
longways. These would occupy a considerable space; at the extreme ends
a thick bush hedge would prevent the game leaping over, and several
hundred men placed in addition to prevent the animals going round. When
all was prepared, men would drive the game by thousands towards the
pits, and as they were pressed on by those behind they made for the pits
to escape, where they would fall in, and having no foothold in the small
square pits above-named, had to remain. Hundreds passing over them,
also got fixed, until the pits were full.
Then the grand slaughter commenced; as many as 1200 have been caught at
one time. All the men, women, and children set to work; fires made,
cooking begins, the skins taken off, and the meat cut up into lengths
and hung up to dry in the sun for future use; not a marrow-bone is
wasted, and it takes days to complete the work. This practice has been
given over for years, but the pits still remain, some very perfect,
which I measured. The Dutch name is "fungcut," the Kaffir name "hopo."
The game driven into these pits would be composed of all kinds common to
the country. The Bechuanas have guns and shoot the game, and have
become very good shots.
At Molapololo when the people get short of meat, a hunt is got up to go
out for weeks to shoot game. Thirty or forty men, each with a gun, and
pack-oxen, with several waggons, proceed to the Kalahara, where game is
always to be had, and when they have procured enough meat or biltong to
load up the oxen, they return home. Many women and children go in the
waggons with them; it is a grand picnic. I was with them on one
occasion when we had a lion-hunt, and we killed three out of seven, but
four of the Bechuanas got fearfully wounded.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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