Among the Wild

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Part of The Young Citizen: The Magazine for Young People

Title: Among the Wild
Year: 1941
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Fulltext: }UNE, 1941 THE YOUNG CITIZEN 199 AMONG THE WILD ANIMALS OF EAST AFRICA True Experiences Related ·by a Young Traveler VI. A TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE WITH WILD ELEPHANTS ONE EVENING I was sitting with several friends in the airy lobby of the hotel in Nairobi, East Africa. Here many a hunter, adventurer, and business man has sat and listened to the stories told of experiences in the jungles. On this occasion among the men in the lobby was one of the oldest hunters of elephant ivory in Africa. As I listened to his tales of herds of wi)d elephants, I decided to go and see a herd for myself. The next day my friend and I talked to old hunters in Nairobi to get some information about a safari in the Belgian Congo. We learned that it would be possible, but not advisable, to make this safari in 011r Ford sedan. Nevertheless, we decided to go, anct to go in our trusty Ford. During the next few days we were busy getting food and other supplies, canteens of water, and a spare tire for our auto. At the end of the third day we had everything ready and neatly stowed away in the back seat of our little car. We were ready to leave at an early hour next morning. The following morning we le.ft at four o'clock and headed northwest. There are no good highways in East Africa. Most of the roads are across sandy and dusty plains, and are full of holes and deep ruts. These holes and ruts were often deeper than the radius of the wheels of our Ford car. The effect on the springs and on ourselves was very bad. We traveled all day and reached Kampala, the capital of Uganda, late at night. Here we found lodging. After a long and tiresome ride, we were happy to get a good night's sleep. The next morning we started down the jungle road to Kamande. The burning tropical heat was intense. We were always on the watch for. wild animals, but during the heat of the day· the animals keep in the shade. We were making good progress in our journey until all of a sudden we were i"nterrupted by the sound of a .blowout in the rear tire of our auto. Although the sun burned down without.mercy, I had to change that rear tire at once. We 0had to reach Kamande before nightfall, as it would not be safe ·to be in the jungle after dark. We were in the midst of a ·world of wild animals, where, as soon as darkness falls, every animal starts out in search of its prey. Presently I got the tire changed, and we proceeded on our way to Kamande. l,Jp hill and down, around curves and over ravines we went. Sometimes ·an antelope or a hart would spring from the side of the road, run across to the other side, and disappear in the jungle. Once a herd of five giraffes came from the plain toward the road. We drove slowly in order to watch them. ·It was . interesting to see these brown and yellow spotted animals with their long necks fifteen to eighteen feet in the air as they crossed the road. A giraffe has long legs, and can run as fast as forty miles an hour. He is very shy and easily frightened. When I sounded the auto horn, this herd took to the jungie with long strides. We could see their heads up in the air for some time after they disap200 THE YOUNG CITIZEN ]UNE, 1941 peared. We drove northward through dense jungle. The road was getting darker from the shadows of the trees. Just as we came to the top of a small hill, I saw something moving ahead of us. As I came closer, I saw directly ahead of us a herd of elephants. How many there were, I could not tell. I stopped the car and turned off the engine. A few hundred feet ahead· of us, there were, by actual count, fifteen great African elephants. They were standing in groups, looking, for all the world, as if they were talking to each other. . It was a wonderful' sight to see these immense creatures in their native habitat. It seeined so unreal that I thought I must be dreaming. But I was soon to realize that it was not a dream. · As we sat in our little P'ord car looking at the immens~ beasts before us, I thought how easy it would be for them to upset our auto and trample it to pieces. We watched the herd. They were moving slowly forward. Suddenly they stopped. They began to show signs of excitement. One of them raised his trunk into the air. His great ears stood straight out on both sides. This is the usual position of a charging elephant. We had bee~ advised not to sound the auto horn when we saw wild elephants. The noise might frighten them into a mad frenzy and cause them to charge. We sat very quietly in our car, wondering what would happen. It seemed as if they had not ·noticed us. The wind was blowing against us, so they had not caught our scent. The elephant and the African .buffalo do not like the scent of human beings. My friend asked, "What shall we do now?" I said, 'We cannot go ahead, and we cannot back up. We will just wait and see what happens." We sat there for quite a while. Finally the elephants turned around and headed directly towards our car. One of the larger ones, who seemed to be the leader, had his trunk upraised. We could easily hear him as he took deep breaths. His small eyes were watching our car, but as he saw no movement, it did not seem to disturb him. My friend and I were watching every movement of the animals before us. Our hearts were beating so loudly we could hear them. These were minutes of life or death. All depended upon the sense of the old elephant before us, and upon our· ability to remain perfectly quiet and not give the slightest sign of movement. The herd came up to our car. The lead~r of the herd stood directly in front of our engine. · We could hear the trunk of another, as it scraped across the roof of our auto. Four other elephants were ·loitering nearby our little Ford', looking over the top. One of them struck a glass window with his yellow ivory tusk. We feared that he might break ·the window in; then it would be bad for us. Several of the huge animals bumped against the sides of our auto. we expected that they would grasp the car by their trunks and tip it over. Sometimes the car would shake and rock violently. I hoped they would not try to lie down against it. Suddenly one of the elephants seemed to have a new idea. He went to the back of the car and pushed it s,lowly forward against the elephant in front, who was the leader. Then the leader pushed it back again. The~ they begin pushing THE YOUNG CITIZEN 201 it back and forth. It was not a pleasant sensation to be powerless in an auto which was being pushed backward and forward by wild elephants. · This went on .for about half an hour, during which time we were nearly petrified with fright. Suddenly, without any apparent reason, the entire herd ·raised their irunks and let out a mighty roar. Then they &tarted off into the jungle. We felt sure they had got the scent af another elephant herd, and had gone off to join them. Although my friel)d and I were s 0 frightened we ·could not speak, I lost no tim·e in getting. . our little Ford started. Soon meat, we sat on the porch and told of our harrowing experience with the elephants. The old keeper listened carefully. After we had finished, he turned to us and said, "I consider you lucky to be alive tonight;" A REVIEW I. What and where is Nairobi? 2. What is a safari? 3. What did the writer and his friend wish to do? · 4. Tell of their preparations. 5. Tell of the roads in East Africa. 6. What do African animals do in the daytime? 7. Tell all you can about the giraffe. we were going as fast as possible, as we hoped to Fiftttn big fellows like these came around our auto. 8. Tell all you can about the elephant. reach Kamande before nightfall. It was dark when we fina1Iy arrived at that little native village. We went at once to the rest house on the shore of a lake. W e were welcomed with colonial hospitality by the old keeper who had built this comfortable rest house for the .weary traveller. After we had enjoyed a dinner of native poslio (mush) and roast antelope. 9. What did the writer and his friend see? IO. What did the two men do? Why? 11. What did the elephants do? 12. Were the two men in danger? Why? 13. What peculiar thing ·did the elephants do? 14. Was this "a terrifying experience?" (Pltast turn to pagt 216.) 216 THE YOUNG CITIZEN ]UNE, 1941 MOUNTAIN BOYS 4. :What things did he TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE (Continued from page 196) grow? (Continued from page 201) sap squeezed out of the 5. What fruit did he Why? cane. When it was being grow? 15. What did the keeper boiled into brown sugar, 6. Can those things grow say after the men told their in the hot lowland? Why story? ~~e~h~o7:i~~%o~:~se:. taste no~? Is sugar-cane grown E1a~~ ~f~:a:::rm~lf st~~~~~ The month went by all in the Mountain Province? have you read? too soon, and it was time for Aco and Nanding to re- Why not? . 17. Can you tell wha_t each y h · h · h 8. Are coconuts grown in was about? turn to t eir ome in t e . . 8 · ? M . p . Th the Mountain Province? 1 . Do you enioy them ountain rovince. ey 9 said good by to their boy Why not? . . l . Do you wan~ more to f . d d . h . 9. Do pine-trees grow in be published in THE nen s, an in a s art time h M . p · ? YOUNG CITIZEN? were back in Baguio. t e ountain rovince "Wh d'd l'k Why? 20. Have you learned ,, at . 1 you 1 e ·JO. Do pine-trees grow in things from .these stories? best? their father asked the lowland? Why? . 21. Why are many large them when they rerurned. l I. Where. did the boys wild animals found in East "I liked to drink the go to visit?- Africa? milk from a young coco- 12. What things inter- 22. Make a list of the nut," said Nanding. ested them on the hacienda? large wild animals found "I liked to eat molasses Why? there. made from sugar-cane sap," 13. Have you ever been 23. Write a paragraph or said Acoy. in the Mountain Province? tell as much as you can "Did you enjoy your stay 14. If not, would things about each one. in the lowlands?" there interest you? 24. Which of these wild "Yes," replied the boys, 15. Have you ever visited animals are found in other "but· N egros is very differ- an hacienda? parts of the world? ent from our home in the 16. If not, would things 25. Which are found only Mountain Province. It is there interest you? in East Africa? very hot in N egros-not 17. Did you like this 26. Have you ever seen cool like Baguio. And just story?· Why? pictures in the movies of think! We didn't se.e a 18. Do you know the ele- any of the wild animals of single pine-tree!" vation above sea level of East Africa? Baguio and other parts of 27. Did such pictures inthe Mountain Province? terest you? Did you learn QUESTIONS TO ANSWER (Baguio, 5,000 feet. Other anything from them? l. Where did N anding parts of the province from 28 .. Where are some of and Acoy live? 5,000 to 8,000 feet.) these wild animals kept in 2. Is it cciol or hot in Baguio? 19. What are the differ- captivity? (In the "circus" ent Filipinos of the Moun- and in the "zob.") tain Province called? 29. Does the East African 3. What father do? did the boys' 20. What can you tell of government protect any of the Mountain Province? these animals? Why?