Hunting and Trapping Stories; a Book for Boys

Front matter

This Book is written in "small boy fashion," that is, the stories have not been told in any particular order, for children like to go from one thing to another, from Tiger to Whale, from Moose to Squirrel.

Every boy aspires to own a gun, and a good many dream of big game hunting, but unfortunately few realize their ambitions. To those who are not lucky enough to be able to follow the trail, this book may prove to be of some comfort, for the pages endeavour to bring the forest-folk to the fireside.

The greater part of these stories were originally told to two small boys, affectionately known as "GEG" and "CUB," who before they were twelve years of age were both good shots and had seen considerable real hunting.

The Man who Stole a Tiger Cub

HOMAGE TO THE KING

A certain gentleman who was travelling in India was very anxious to take home with him a live tiger cub. Now baby tigers are not to be bought on every street corner as he discovered, but at last he found a native hunter who was willing to get him a live specimen.

For some time, a big tiger had infested the jungle not far from the village and the native, in the course of his wanderings found a small cave which proved to be the tiger's den. He kept watch for several days and discovered that the tigress had little cubs. All tigers are suspicious and watchful especially when they have young ones and seldom leave them alone for any length of time.

The hunter stationed himself in a tree and from there observed the tigress's movements. He found that towards sundown each evening she went off in search of prey and left the cubs at the cave's mouth to sun themselves. They were still quite small, being hardly larger than good sized cats.

The hunter made all his preparations and one day arming himself only with a stick, and taking a native boy as a helper he set out in earnest upon his perilous task.

The gentleman and some friends whiled away the time at the club until the hunter should return. Suddenly there was a cry outside and a babel of voices, and the native boy rushed among them screaming and raving. When they had calmed him down and assured him that he was safe he told his tale and it was simple enough. They had watched the tigress go away and then the hunter had crept to the bank near the cave's mouth and leaning in over seized a cub by the neck. He was about to bundle it into the sack when the tigress, who must have suspected something was wrong, appeared behind him! Before the boy could utter a cry of alarm the tigress made one silent spring and buried her claw in the thief's back. Then she stepped aside an instant and stood with uplifted paw ready for another move, but the man was done for. The boy turned and fled and did not even stop to breathe until he was safe among human beings again.

The only safe way to get a tiger cub in a case like that would be to to shoot the mother, otherwise unless the party is large and well armed, they are likely to meet the fate of this native.

Sometimes when a tiger has been robbed of a cub it will follow the scent to the village and descend upon it at night carrying death and destruction in its path. Tiger cubs are pretty and playful when they are small but they soon get teeth and claws and use them roughly. In zoological gardens it is a common thing for keepers to let the cubs out of the cage.

Stories of Tiger Hunting

There is something about the name of "Tiger" which holds one spell-bound. Every traveler who has visited any country where these great creatures live comes back well stocked with stories illustrating the beauty, strength, cunning and ferocity of the tiger. Whole books have been written giving descriptions of the royal brute. We will relate a few anecdotes which will give some idea of its life and habits.

A gentleman living in Burmah, who held the position of British district judge, was from time to time much troubled by the depredations made in his section by tigers. This man's duties were numerous; he looked after the irrigation works, settled disputes, kept order among the natives, saw that the mails were properly attended to, and any other odd job that came his way. When a tiger would haunt any of his villages he had to devise means for destroying the pest. Of course, tigers were not a daily occurance, for whole months would go by without news of one.

One morning a woman who had gone down to the river to draw water disappeared. The bucket she carried was found nearly, and in the sand tell-tale foot-prints of an enormous tiger. The news of the killing spread like wildfire, and the village was soon thrown into a panic, for no one knew who would be the next victim. The judge was appealed to and forthwith organized a hunting party. They followed the tracks of the tiger into the jungle, and found the clawed body of the poor native woman, but the slayer was not to be seen anywhere. They hunted all the morning without any luck and returned dishearted to the village at sundown.

The next day a boy and his sister were carried off, and so on for a week or more each day adding another victim to the merciless thief. The village folk dared move from place to place only in strongly armed parties. It is well known that a tiger will seldom attack a band of people unless it is very hungry and there are no men in the party. The situation was becoming desperate. The Judge sent for the Colonel of a neighboring regiment who was an experienced tiger hunter, to advise him. The two consulted as to the best method of destroying the man-eater, for the week's events showed that it was a more than ordinarily clever brute.

After dinner the two men sat out on the veranda smoking and drinking coffee, and while talking the Colonel thought he saw a shadow moving among the bushes. On looking closer for several seconds he became convinced that it was but a trick of the moonlight. A few minutes later, however, he saw the shadow again more distinctly. The servant behind him ceased fanning and both men turned their heads to see the reason. In an instant they realized their danger, for the expression on the servant's face was fearful. His eyeballs were nearly starting out of their sockets, while his body was stiff with terror. They looked in the direction the man was staring and beheld a pair of devilish green eyes watching them. Neither of the men had arms ready and their situation was critical. The tiger knowing that it was discovered without waiting a second sprang at them with a roar. Both Englishmen escaped injury, but the wretched servant was seized by the tiger and dragged off the veranda to the flower-beds below. The man's screams had roused all the servants and they fled in terror, jabbering like apes. One of them in his haste slammed the compound gate after him. The tiger was not expecting this move, for it made him partially a prisoner. The walls were not very high, but the brute could not leap over them with a man in its mouth.

Now the native's wife who was close at hand heard his screams, and seized a heavy kitchen knife she rushed at the tiger and plunged it in to the animals throat. The beast roared in fury and struck out with its left paw. It caught the woman in the back killing her instantly. The Colonel and the Judge who had recovered from the shock now rushed to the scene and simultaneously emptied their heavy army revolvers into the brute. The hail of lead bullets was too much even for a tiger, and with a last roar it toppled over dead.

Lanterns were procured and the tiger examined. The servant was found to be absolutely unhurt, for he had been seized by his clothing, but his poor wife had her back broken in several places while the tiger's claws had made fearful wounds on her head and side. Henceforward the village had peace, for the career of the man-eater was at an end and the incident was soon all but forgotten.

When a tiger pest appears near a village all energies are turned towards encompassing its destruction, for neither man nor beast is safe where it lives.

On one occasion a splendid tiger was seen lurking near a cattle compound, and the authorities forthwith pronounced its doom. The village huntsman was detailed to the work and in a few days he rid the place of the brute and in a most ingenuous manner. He found a path in the jungle which he knew the tiger used on its way to drink, and he laid a trap for it.

Near sundown, some yards from the trap, an Axis deer and its mate and young one appeared leisurely eating grass. Soon the male deer became uneasy sniffing the air suspiciously. The birds ceased singing, the monkeys climbed to the tops of the trees, and the hunter felt sure that the tiger must be close at hand. He was right for a moment or so later a splendid creature sprang out of concealment without making a sound. The deer escaped, but the doe was borne to the earth by the tiger's claws. The brute leisurely ate the carcass while the hunter lay in hiding watching it not fifty yards away. When the tiger had finished its meal naturally it felt thirsty. It rose, yawned, stretched itself lazily like a cat and moved off down the path towards the river exactly as the hunter had calculated.

Now the trap set for the tiger was a clever one. The hunter had collected a number of large leaves and had covered them with a peculiar kind of bird-lime, made of sugar, linseed oil, and a number of other things, all boiled together. The preparation is well known in India, and is extremely sticky. If a person gets it on his hands it is sometimes weeks before all traces can be removed. The hunter had covered the path with these leaves for quite a distance, and owing to their color they looked innocent enough. The tiger reached the edge of the leaves and trod upon some of them, and they instantly stuck to its feet. The beast looked troubled, and tried to scrape the sticky things off on its sides, but this only made matters worse for the leaves soon plastered its sides. Then it rubbed its paws over its eyes as a cat would do. This was what the hunter wanted. In a few minutes the tiger, blinded and roaring with rage, rolled over and over on the ground in its struggles, until it looked like a big ball of leaves. The brute was soon exhausted and lay helpless, and the hunter came up and drove his knife through its heart. – Truly a dog's death.

Of course, this is not considered a very sportsmanlike way of killing a tiger, but the rule is that the first thing to be done with a man-eater is to kill it the quickest and easiest way possible.

Quite often tigers have been trapped in heavy wooden cages, well concealed with grass and branches from trees. At the far end of the trap a large mirror is placed and so arranged that the rays of the sun reflect on it. The flash of light attracts the tiger and it comes up to examine more closely, and then it sees its own reflection. On the floor of the trap is placed a board which acts on a spring, and the instant the tiger goes inside and steps upon it the trap door falls and the animal is a prisoner. Natives then come and lift the cage on to a wagon and carry it off in triumph.

In hunting a tiger does not always have its own way. Curiously enough it is often baulked of its prize by a band of insignificant monkeys. When these little creatures discover a tiger, if they feel in the mood for it, they begin to mob the beast. They follow the tiger throwing branches of trees at it or fruit, or any thing else they find, shrieking and chattering all the while. Every creature in the jungle knows that a tiger is at hand and makes off to a place of safety. The tiger, as a rule, slinks away, for it is no use it cannot climb trees and punish its tormentors.

The true sportsmanlike way of hunting the tiger is from the back of an elephant. Although in many instances men have gone out accompanied only by one native and shot tigers on foot. It is exceedingly risky and a man must be very sure of his nerve before he does so, for to miss a shot means instant death.

At a regular elephant hunt a number of beaters, armed with sticks and drums go on foot looking for the tiger and making a great noise to frighten it. The hunters shoot the game from "howdahs" or saddles on the elephants' backs.

On one occasion a party consisting of a number of hunters and three elephants were beating a track of long jungle grass. The tiger, for they knew one was not far off, was found lying beside a low rock. The animal

AN ELEPHANT FLUSHING A TIGER

did not move until the first elephant almost trod upon it. It sprang at the men in the howdah, but missed its footing and fell upon its back right in front of the elephant. A single shot from a rifle killed it. The body was found to be nearly eleven feet long, which is large for a tiger.

On another occasion a tiger upon being roused from its lair made a

superb spring and landed upon the elephant's head. The elephant trumpeted in terror and did its best to shake its enemy off. For a few minutes the tiger seemed to be getting the best of it, until the elephant encircled its body with its trunk and literally tore it off. The hunter upon the elephant's back fired a shot point blank, and the tiger broke loose and attempted to run away. It could only go about a hundred yards however for its right shoulder had been shattered. It sank exhausted to the ground. The elephant, mean-

while, smarting from its injuries was roused to fury, which only those who know the elephant can appreciate. Disregarding its marhout's voice it charged on the dying tiger and literally danced upon its body until not a spark of life was left. This elephant was never any use for hunting after that, as it was always ready to run in a panic when it smelled its dreaded enemy.

When an elephant is seized with panic nothing can stop it, and any one who happens to be upon its back at the time never forgets the ride. It is said that an elephant that has once been clawed by a tiger is never safe to use again, at least for hunting, for it seems to lose all its nerve. When a tiger attacks an elephant it is usually in front, and trunk bears the brunt of the battle. This is unfortunate, for the trunk of the elephant is constructed of a mass of tiny nerves and is by far the most sensitive part of the animal. Some hunters take the precaution of covering their elephants' trunks with a loose sort of armor, made from the thick skin of crocodiles. This armor is exceedingly tough and slippery, and allows for no grip for the tigers' claws.

As a rule, when the tiger hears the hunt coming it pricks up its ears and listens to make sure in which direction its enemies lie, and then slinks off another way. In case it is surrounded it will lie in wait until the line of battle comes quite close, and then with a roar it will dash through the ranks of beaters, and the process of cornering it will have to begin again.

Gorilla Hunting

Paul Du Challiau the great traveller and naturalist, who died in the year of 1903, was the first white man to discover the existence of the Gorilla. While he was exploring in the Gaboon Country, on the West Coast of Africa, the natives told him of a mighty ape, and of its great strength and height. He could see for himself that they held it in the greatest dread. At first he could hardly credit their stories but he was soon convinced when the natives took him into the forests and showed him the creature alive.

Later Du Challiau returned to Europe and gave the great men of science an account of this strange animal. He was laughed at, treated with scorn and called a liar. If you examine history carefully you will find that this has been the fate of every man who has made a new discovery, or visited some unexplored land. After a while, when the facts were proved, the scientific world did not apologize and admit that it had been mistaken, but simply ignored its first blunder. However Du Challiau was not to be put off so easily, and he forthwith returned to the Gaboon Country, and succeeded in killing a few gorillas and returned to Europe with the skins, and a huge skeleton. Now the majority of the museums throughout the land have stuffed specimens of this great ape which you may see any day.

Gorilla hunting, looked at from any side, is a dangerous business, and doubly so if an attempt is made to catch a specimen alive. A story is told of a hunter who managed to kill a gorilla and this is what he says.

He took a number of natives as escorts and guides, and travelled many miles into the forest. Now one of the first things that struck the traveller was that in this country animal life was exceedingly scarce, and this was curious because the Gaboon Country is situated in one of the hottest parts of Africa where every place teems with life. It is supposed the gorilla will not let anything live near it, for even birds that live in the tree tops are silent and hard to find.

It was not long before the gorilla was discovered. The great ape was heard roaring as it crashed through the undergrowth and soon it appeared walking on its feet like a chimpanzee. The nearest man to it was a brave native hunter, who stood at one side in case of a frontal attack. The white hunter had been told to reserve his fire until the brute came quite close, for a bullet at a long distance would not have any deadly effect.

The gorilla was sly and came slowly forward as though it did not see an enemy at its side, but it suddenly swung round and charged the native, who tripped over a root, and the next instant the ape was upon him. The gorilla seized its victim by the neck and shook him only once, and then let the dead body fall. This seemed to rouse its rage for it advanced on the rest of the party roaring and beating its chest. When only a few yards from its enemies it rose to its full height, its devilish gray eyes darting glances of hatred. The hunter fired and the bullet passed into the shoulder, and at the same instant the ape charged. Two more carefully aimed shots

were put in without seeming to have any effect at all except that of rousing the brute to still greater fury.

The hunter was now thoroughly frightened, for he realized that unless a vital spot was hurt they would probably all be killed. The gorilla soon recognised the white man as its chief enemy and charged him. The brute came so close that it gripped the rifle barrel and twisted it in its hands as though it were made of lead pipe. The hunter backed away and seizing another rifle from a trusty native who was close at hand, sent a ball crashing through the ape's skull. It gave one roar and tumbled head foremost on its face. The body twitched for several minutes: and not one of the natives would go near until they could be sure that it was really dead. They got a long pole and turned the body over and over to make sure. The height of that gorilla was just a little short of seven feet!

One of the greatest dangers in gorilla hunting is that sometimes the ape is so silent that it does not give any warning before it attacks.

A hunting party was stalking along Indian file in the forest, and paused for a few moments for breath. It was then noticed that one native, who had been in the extreme rear of the line, was missing. Before the others could search for him they heard a rustling in the leaves, and the poor man's body fell to the ground. The gorilla, in this case, was a female and had a baby with her. She had watched the party approach and had let them all pass beneath her but the last one. This man she had seized so swiftly and quietly that he had not even time to cry out, and none of his companions were aware that he had vanished.

After a stubbon fight this gorilla was killed, and the baby was carried off in triumph. On the way to England the tiny gorilla grew fond of a bull terrier and the two became great chums, playing together for hours in the cage. The poor beast did not live long in the damp English climate, and died of consumption, although every possible care was taken to preserve its life. To this day, though everything is though of in the way of having the houses steamed heated and the foundations built on dry ground, but few zoological collections can boast of possessing a live gorilla.

All hunters and explorers who have met the gorilla in its native land agree on one point, and that is that the stuffed specimen gives no idea of the apparent height, or looks of the brute when alive in its own forests. It would be hard to picture a more fiendish looking creature. Its eyes are shifty and cruel, while its cheek bones and eye brows are large and lowering. Its teeth stick out, giving it a most ferocious look. When alive it appears to be much larger than it really is. Its great breadth of chest and length of limb seems to shrink up when it is dead. The color of its fur is black but if you look closely you will see a slight slate-grayish tint running through it.

The West African natives declare that the gorilla is easily a match for the lion and that whenever the two come together the lion always gets out of the way as quickly as possible. Furthermore they declare that even the elephant will not face the gorilla willingly.

A Hunt for a Grizzly

A GRIZZLY SWEPT AWAY BY AN AVALANCHE.

A mining prospector, who was also a great hunter, while locating claims camped in a wild canon of the Sierra Nevada mountains, near the Needles in California. Late one afternoon while seeking a place to pitch his tent he came upon a band of Indians, who told him that a few hours before they had passed a gigantic grizzly bear. They pointed out as nearly as possible the spot where the brute had been seen, and then told the hunter that he had better go and kill it. Wishing him good luck they passed on.

Before daybreak the next morning the hunter started off in quest of his prey. He soon came to the tracks of the bear and followed them up into a dark canon. Presently he came across a cluster of bees buzzing angrily around a tree stump from which their nest had been torn. This was a sure sign that the bear could not be far off. The hunter pushed on rapidly, but he was not prepared for what happened next. On turning a corner he suddenly found himself face to face, with a huge grizzly bear.

The beast was sitting up on its haunches licking its paws, which were still covered with honey from the bees' nest. For an instant the bear gazed in astonishment at the hunter; and then, growling angrily, started toward him as though quite ready to eat him up. The hunter shouldered his rifle and fired, but missed a vital spot, and only succeeded in making the brute furious. It was not a good place for a fight, so the hunter ran back as fast as he could, pausing only to fire once more; and this time the bullet entered the animal's chest, but did not disable it and so end the attack.

The hunter was now desperate, and as a last chance ran in among the pines. The bear, in spite of its bulk and its wounded chest dashed between the trees after its enemy as nimbly as a cat. Once only did the hunter gain any advantage, and that was when the bear stumbled over a fallen tree trunk.

The hunter had managed to cross a narrow ravine when suddenly he heard a crash and a roar overhead, and before he realized what was happening, an avalanche was well started. He scrambled near a big rock for safety and looked back just in time to see the bear swept off its feet and go rolling down the hillside amid a shower of rocks and snow. The bear made frantic efforts to gain a foothold, but without success.

After the dust had subsided and the rocks had ceased falling the hunter crept down in the path of the avalanche. Near the bottom, almost buried in the snow, he found the bear lying dead, its claws sunk deep in a pine branch to which it must have clung as it went down. The hunter took the skin home, damaged and torn as it was, as a memento of his most exciting experience in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Polar Bears and Esquimaux

A POLAR BEAR ATTACKING AN ESQUIMAU

A scientist who had gone up to the lower coast of Greenland to hunt for rare sea birds and plants, spent a large part of his time living in the huts of some friendly Esquimaux. When he was able to understand their language a little he found that most of their talk was about fishing and hunting. He heard wonderful stories from the lips of the little men who had sailed out into the rough sea in tiny canoes called "kayaks" to spear seals, and also of others who had been carried off on great pieces of ice that had broken from the floes and had never been seen again.

The more he heard, the more he longed to see some of the wonders, and experience the dangers. The little men laughed when he told them his wishes and promised that he should have plenty of excitement before he went away. The first thing the hunter had to learn was to manage a kayak, which seems a crazy enough craft at first but in reality is very seaworthy. Then his host, took him out upon expeditions to hunt seal and walrus, and he realized at once that the little people had not told of half the risks they ran. Every instant he had to be on the watch to prevent the frail kayak from being crushed between the floating masses of ice.

That morning there did not seem to be any seal in sight and the reason was soon apparent when they beheld a hugh Polar bear marching leisurely across a small ice floe. Immediately both men paddled in its direction, and the bear, hearing them, turned and snarled angrily. The Esquimau passed quite close to the bear and fearlessly plunged his spear into its shoulder. The brute roared with pain and tried to tear the spear out with its teeth, but it only succeeded in breaking the end off short. It then made a sudden rush to the end of the ice and leaped into the water. When it came to the surface it struck out for the rocky shore which was about a mile away. The two kayaks went off in hot pursuit. Without warning the bear suddenly dived and in a few moments appeared alongside of the Esquimau's kayak. The brave little man attempted to drive another spear into the bear but the bear was too quick for him and brought its paw down heavily upon his shoulder. The hunter, who was about thirty yards away, lifted his rifle and fired. The recoil toppled over the kayak, and from the way he was fastened in, he had a narrow escape from being drowned. As it was he was none the worse except for an icy cold bath and the loss of his rifle which, of course, had sunk. As quickly as possible he made his way to the Esquimau and found him lying back in his kayak bleeding and senseless, his left arm dangling uselessly by his side. The bear floated alongside, the bullet having passed clear through the back of its skull.

Hippopotamus Hunting

THE DEATH OF A THIEF.

The hippopotamus or hippo as it is generally called, is another mighty animal that is rapidly being exterminated by man. At one time it was a common sight to see many hippos feeding together on the banks of the Nile as far north as Cairo but now they are never found beyond Khartoum, which if you will look at the atlas you will find is many miles to the south of the Mediterranean Sea.