Oct. 13. 1906.] 
FOREST AND STREAM 
5 6 9 
what industry's machinery they were from. 
Often I failed entirely—the parts would be from 
past-date machinery of an epoch long before 
my time. 
Of course, one can learn nothing new nor 
get new ideas from these marketplace museums. 
I would find them fatiguing myself if. to occupy 
my time, I again happened to saunter through 
the bazar and lingered too long there. Still, 
some of them are more interesting than the 
orthodox museums themselves; and if a traveler 
ever finds himself sidetracked in the average 
dull Siberian or Russian town, let him always 
remember he can get a couple of hours’ .diversion 
by inquiring for and sauntering through the 
local bazar. L. Lodian. 
An American in Africa. 
The greater and wiser the man. the more 
simple his language and manners. The greater 
the achievement, the more modest and unassum¬ 
ing the one who has done it. These statements 
are so generally true, as to be almost axiomatic. 
They almost invariably apply to one whose life 
and studies and work have brought much con¬ 
tact with nature. A fine illustration of these 
principles is found in Mr. Aubrey Danvers, of 
Denver. The writer recently met and traveled 
with him for several days, and a more modest, 
genial, courteous, agreeable fellow-traveler 
would be hard to find. Yet when he could be 
persuaded to talk of his experiences in Africa, 
every listener recognized his intelligent worth 
and the greatness of his deeds. He certainly 
illustrated his own definition of a gentleman, 
“One who avoids trouble and seeks to make it 
pleasant for those about him.” After consider¬ 
able acquaintance, the writer obtained Mr. 
Danvers’ persuasion to make notes for Forest 
and Stream, and the following very interesting 
incidents and observations are given as nearly 
as possible in his own words. Furthermore, 
they have never been in print to his knowledge. 
Though he has written sketches and been inter¬ 
viewed repeatedly, these incidents are fresh. 
Mr. Danvers has spent several years in Africa 
in the combined capacity of sportsman and 
prospector—he said: “I always combined the 
two," and has an intimate knowledge of 
the Transvaal, Rhodesia, Natal and Mashona- 
land. Fie also khows other sections. Fie de¬ 
scribes the climate of the Transvaal and 
Rhodesia as perfect. It gives a restful feeling, 
so that one can lie down and sleep the sleep 
of the just, even when lions are roaring in the 
distance. It is most like the Rocky Mountains 
in the fall of anything he has seen—only in the 
Rockies it is a little colder. In Africa there is 
always some moisture in the air; the air is 
clear, the stars are nearer, and everything is 
peaceful. That is the life for enjoyment. He 
has certainly had a large share of it. FI is varied 
experience has also developed that self-reliance 
and resourcefulness, that courage and adapta¬ 
tion, always requisite to the explorer’s success. 
Once with a few other white men and native 
servants, he made an expedition into Mashona- 
land during the rainy season. The rivers were 
swollen, and the party found other parties that 
had been waiting months for the rivers to sub¬ 
side. Mr. D. and his company made a 
dugout, but that was swamped at the first at¬ 
tempt to use it. Then they made a box five 
feet square, and covered it with canvas made 
as nearly as possible waterproof. This was for 
freighting baggage across the “cowholes.” 
(These were deep places in the rivers 200 to 300 
yards across, in which numbers of hippopotami 
made their abode.) Mr. D. and another 
man then swam across with a wire, and having 
made it fast on both sides the river, they ran 
the baggage over in the freight box running on 
the wire. Then they ran chains across for the 
wagons, and ran them over on the chains as 
guides. The stock swam across. The “sea- 
cow” (hippopotami) was not dangerous. The 
crocodiles were; but they were usually frightened 
off by the “boys” (natives) shouting, throwing 
stones and clubs into the water, and occasion¬ 
ally shooting. Once a stalwart Afrikander rid¬ 
ing a horse across “a cowhole” was seized by 
the ankle by a crocodile and the beast jerked 
till the bone broke. The man then threw him¬ 
self into the water to fight the beast, which at 
once grabbed him, drew him between the fore¬ 
legs. and holding him, there swam down among 
a network of roots and left him. That the croc¬ 
odile does not eat fresh-killed prey, but deposits 
it among the roots under water until such time 
as its condition suits his taste was repeatedly 
proved by the carcasses of sheep and goats 
identified at low' water. To this habit of the 
crocodile, the Afrikander owed his life for the 
time. When left among the roots, he swam 
out to an island in the middle of the river. The 
beast came for him, but was frightened off by the 
shouting, stone throwing, etc., of the men on the 
bank. They could not go after their comrade, 
as it was now dark, but in the morning they got 
him ashore and sent him in a cart to a hospital 
ten miles away. There a medical student 
cleaned a butcher’s saw and cut off the injured 
leg below the knee. A man looking on saw a 
mark in the marrow, and said. “You had better 
do it right." The student answered, “I know 
what I am about.” The next morning the 
patient had no pain, and fully described the in¬ 
cident with the crocodile, his feelings among the 
roots, etc.; but his knee was black. His leg was 
then cut off above the knee, but it was too late. 
He died of blood poison. This is characteristic 
of the bite of a crocodile. 
Another time a young fellow, a leader of the 
oxen, was standing in water waist-deep holding 
a rope of oxen. A young crocodile seized his 
hand. He seized the brute and lifted it above 
the water. It then broke aw'ay and took two 
fingers and part of the hand. Quick treatment 
saved the native's life, and Mr. D. saw him eight 
years afterward. 
In Rhodesia, Mr. D. was hunting a 
baboon with dogs. They tr.eed the game, and 
as Mr. D. came up, it stood in the fork 
of the tree and showed its teeth. When it turned 
sidewise, he shot it through the lungs. It fell 
and the dogs chased it among grass and rocks. 
It growled fearfully. Finallv the growling 
ceased, and there was a noise of approach. Mr. 
D. mounted a rock two feet high in a 
little opening. The baboon appeared walking 
upright. Mr. D. shot him in the breast 
at one rod. He never noticed it nor changed 
a particle, but came right on. The next shot 
was within an inch of the other and at a distance 
of eight feet. It broke his back and the beast 
fell. A dog rushed in and seized it. The beast 
turned its head and seized the dog bv the neck. 
Mr. D. put his rifle to the brute’s head 
for a finishing shot, and the dog jumped away. 
The baboon was dead. Examination showed 
that both shoulders were broken by the first 
shot. This explained why the arms' were down 
and he walked upright in the charge. Both in 
the tree and in the charge he looked -wicked, 
devilish. 
A leopard one night came near the camp. The 
dogs gave chase, and Mr. D. and another 
man hastily followed. The leopard soon treed, 
but ran at the approach of the men. Several 
times this was repeated, tree and run, tree and 
run, till finally he took refuge in a leafless tree 
and could be seen quite plainly. D. had a 50- 
caliber rifle, but only one cartridge. His Com¬ 
panion, B.. had a double-barrel shotgun. As 
they came in sight of the game, D. said, “Don't 
fire both barrels, for I am no good with this 
one cartridge unless right on him." B. an¬ 
swered, “You need not teach me." and fired 
both barrels. The leopard leaped down be¬ 
tween the men. and B. ran. The dogs closed, 
and D. tried to shoot but could not. on account 
of the dogs. Finally the leopard stood up free 
from the dogs, his head higher than D.’s head, 
and struck at him, but missed. D. thrust the 
muzzle of his rifle into the beast’s mouth, the 
dogs seized and threw him on his back, and then, 
with rifle in the mouth, the one cartridge did its 
work. After the leopard was killed. B. came 
up and said. "That was a fine shot of mine. Fie 
is mine. I drew first blood." "All right, said 
D.. though he knew well enough the situation. 
So B. started to carry his leopard to camp. 
Pretty soon he said, “Something is crawling on 
my neck.” "I guess not, you imagine it,” said 
D. But the complaints were frequent, and 
throwing down the game, B. insisted that D. 
should strike a match and look. Of course, he 
did not see anything. The leopard was infested 
with fleas, and B. got so many that he was un¬ 
comfortable all night. As D. lay in his blankets 
and listened to the fun, he concluded he was 
even with B. for claiming the leopard’s skin. 
Next day examination showed that only one 
pellet of shot had hit the animal. 
Mr. Danvers has seen such quantities, of 
game as few countries afford at the present time. 
A long procession of eland, 300 antelope in a 
herd, and 26 lions at one time, are among the 
unusual sights that have greeted him. The 26 
lions were around a kill that had been made dur¬ 
ing the night and were there for breakfast. 
They were not disturbed. 
Once in good koodoo country the camp 
needed meat. D. and B. started out to get it. 
They found two bull koodoos, and both fired. 
B.'s ran. but D.'s fell. When they came near, 
it up and ran. Getting within range, B. asked 
the shot. “All right,” said D.. “only be care¬ 
ful and sure.” At 100 yards B. shot suddenly, 
and the koodoo ran. Again up with the game 
B. shot twice and missed. By this time D. was 
so annoyed that he shot and missed at 60 yards. 
But he plunged ahead and drove the wounded 
animal into a river, where the natives killed it 
with assegais. Then all hands hurried to camp, 
on account of lions, which could be heard aH 
