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
old hollow trees, which we discovered through the honey-bird leading us
to one. When one of these birds wants to attract attention, it soon
makes its presence known, and becomes impatient, if not attended to,
flying round about with its little twitter and call, which is well
known. When it sees you are following it, it flies from branch to
branch in a straight line to the nest; when there, it stops, and you
soon see the nest. The Kaffir will go fearlessly to work, the bees
buzzing about him when taking out the honeycomb, he rarely being stung.
The common black crow, with white about the neck, is also a friendly
bird, of the same size as our English. They generally come and settle
near the outspan, waiting for the camp to break up, then come and look
for what may be left. They talk in their throat as well as caw, and can
be taught like a parrot to speak. I tamed a young one; he would not
sleep in the waggon, but early in the morning he would come and settle
on the front part of the waggon, where he could raise the fore-sail to
look in. On seeing me in bed he would come in, hop up to my face, take
hold of my nose, or have a peck at my beard, look round to examine the
things hanging on the sides, then hop out. On my getting up and leaving
the waggon he would be seen flying from some tree, and come and settle
on my hat or shoulder; if the latter, he would put his head round and
rub his beak against my face.
There are other crows quite black, more like ravens, but not so large.
Another time I was staying at a Boer farm for three weeks to have my
waggon repaired; in the early day I walked over to a Boer farm, about a
mile from my outspan, to examine some quartz reefs, where I found a few
specks of gold on a former journey. At this farm there was a beautiful
crane, belonging to old John Nell, the farmer. I tried to make friends
by making the same kind of sounds that he kept repeating, but he took no
apparent notice. On leaving to walk back to the waggon with my rifle,
this crane followed me all the way, keeping about three yards behind,
where he remained by my camp a short time, then flew home. Every day
after he paid me a visit. One afternoon I took my rifle for a ramble
round in the thick bush veldt to look for a waterbok. When about a mile
from my waggon I heard a great rush. Looking round I found it was my
friend the crane. He settled down in front, then came and walked on my
left side, just beyond my reach, keeping close for some distance, then
on a sudden he took flight and rose in the air, making long circular
sweeps, until he passed behind some small clouds and became again
visible, until he was lost in the distance. Thinking no more of him, I
continued my walk for half an hour, and was returning home, when the
same kind of rush was heard, and looking up I saw him pass close to me,
and settle on the ground about thirty yards in front; he then took his
place by my side as before, and accompanied me home, and then flew back
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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