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
Down the Tonga the natives build their huts in these island homes for
safety; they are circular mud-huts with high thatched roofs; they are
similar to those on the Upper Cubango, and they hunt the hippopotami.
On the lower part of the Quito I shot one in the head, as he was poking
his nose out of the water. The skin we use for several purposes, mostly
for sjamboks. Large snakes seem to swarm in every part, particularly
the python. In a small stream where I thought to be free from
crocodiles, I took a daily bath during my stay at my station. On one
occasion I was enjoying a swim at the foot of a small fall of beautiful
clear water; hearing a great splashing behind me, I turned and saw an
enormous snake passing me at great speed, lashing the water into my
face, and a few seconds after he was lost in the tall reeds below.
Expecting one or two more might follow, I was soon standing on the bank;
but before I could dress, down came four others, large, and three small
ones, and passed into the reeds below. The largest appeared to be
twenty feet in length, and very large round the body; their skin was
dark brown with dirty yellow marks. I knew them at once to be the
python. A few days after I shot one that measured eighteen feet three
inches in length, and three feet round the body, and three feet from the
tail a large hook was fixed. I had a similar adventure some time before
in Bechuanaland with one which measured sixteen feet two inches, and
inside was a steinbok. At night they make a great noise.
Every kind of game is found here. Elephants may be seen in hundreds;
four kinds of rhinoceros: the black boreli, with two horns of equal
size; another black with one large and one small horn; a white with two;
and another white with one long horn, which is the most rare; their
native name is Chikooroo. I made a knobkerry out of the horn, which
measured two feet eleven inches, from one I shot the previous year.
Buffaloes, giraffe, blaawbok, elands, gnu, hartebeest, sassaybe,
gemsbok, koodoos, pallah, and others; also wild boar which grow to a
great size, wild dogs and a host of smaller animals. The ostrich may be
seen on the plains in troops of hundreds; but as guns are now becoming
more common with the natives, they will soon be thinned out. There are
also many beautiful blue cranes, secretary-birds, mayhens, and legions
of ducks, geese, and beautiful small birds; monkeys and baboons
everywhere, mostly in the fine trees along the river-banks, and they are
much hunted by the leopards and panthers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account