With l"lashli-lii aiul Ritlc ^^ 



bcjcii tru(; of th(' ciilirc world Ijcforc the beginning- ol 

 the suj)rr:iTi;icy ol I loiiio sapiens. 



What was IouikI, inchtcd in those i)olar rcf^ions 

 uninhabited by man, I niysell have; otten observed in 

 that land of blindino^ sunshine vvhich ij^oes by the name 

 of the Dark Continent. l^normous herds of harmless 

 animals, as well as bc^asts of prey, forminL( one j^-eneral 

 community, are to be; found to_L;(;ther at certain times in 

 desert places. 



Where the natives do not hunt, wild animals are 

 to b(; found on almost as friendU' terms with them as 

 sin^in^^ birds and other such p(;ts are with us, or as storks, 

 swans, sfjuirrels, and all the; oth(;r naturally wild animals 

 that have come under our protection, ami have come; to 

 trust us. 



Thus it is that in the wild regions ol Ecjuatorial Africa 

 we fmd the; animal kingdom flourishing almost to the 

 same extent as was once the case; in th(.' south. 



I say " almost," because it must be alle)weil that the 

 herds of el(;phants in the interior have; l)e;(;n thinned 

 and the; herels of buiralo<;s decimateel by the rinderpest 

 intr()duc-(;d bv I'airopeans into Africa. At certain times 

 ot the; \e:ar, how(;\c;", lor wcjeks anel months at a time;, 

 I have seen such numbers and such a \ariety of animals 

 as simpK' e'amiol b(; imagine;d, and 1 am able; thus to 

 form a notion ot what things must have been like; in 

 the s(juth. 



1 can gi\e; no adequate notion of the extraordinary 

 prolusion ol wild life; there is still in h.(|ualorial Africa, 

 and 1 would lain raise my voice in e)i-eler to induce 



lO 



