HUNTING AND HUNTED IN BELGIAN CONGO 



doubt if any one has ever seen more than fifteen at a 

 time— except in zoos or menageries. 



A few years ago a fine man-eater was killed at Mom- 

 basa by a native, who shot it with a bow and arrow ! 

 There are any amount of lions around Nairobi, where 

 they will even venture within the police camp at times ! 



I would far rather, however, meet a lion than a 

 leopard, for the latter is cunning to a degree and seldom 

 leaves a human being alone ; he is crafty and treacherous, 

 and will crawl up and spring on one from behind, whereas 

 most lions I have seen seldom attack a man, unless they 

 are being irritated by the hunter. The man-eating lion, 

 of course, is an exception. 



Another day when out with several of my boys in 

 search of game, we passed the ruins of an old boma, 

 evacuated by the Belgians long since, and now a mere 

 heap of bricks overgrown with grass. Suddenly, as we 

 threaded our way amidst the piles of weatherworn brick 

 that lay strewn over the ground, the boy in front pulled 

 up short, exclaiming, " Nyoka, nyoka " (Snake, snake). 

 Creeping forward, I saw a huge mass curled up in a small 

 ditch that ran down to the Nile. It was asleep, and offered 

 a splendid opportunity for a shot at the head. Taking 

 careful aim, I let go with both barrels of the -450 : the 

 grass was instantly lashed right and left, but before 

 two seconds had elapsed since the report a dozen 

 excited boys had gathered around and were raining 

 terrific blows all over the reptile. When I examined it 

 afterwards it was almost unrecognizable, but careful 

 measurements proved it to have been twenty-one feet 

 nine inches long. 



Pythons are found in well-nigh every part of the 

 Congo, and attain huge proportions, and not infrequently 

 they have been known to swallow a full-grown antelope 

 almost as large as a cow, horns and all. The reptile 

 1 had shot was regarded with awe by the boys, and no 



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