EBOOK
Hunting the Elephant
William Stamps Cherry's Wild Sporting Adventures in the Congo Basin
William Stamps Cherry5
(1)
About
Surviving only by his wits and a double-barreled.50 caliber rifle, 20-year-old big game hunter William Stamps Cherry of Missouri traveled alone into the unexplored heart of Africa, a land of slaves, cannibals, and big-game beyond all of his wildest imaginations. The natives of this wild and dangerous region would later come to refer to this great white hunter as "Hula Macosy" which means "strong man."
In 1901 and 1903, Cherry published several articles on his elephant hunting experiences in central Africa. The first of these articles, titled "Elephant Hunting in Africa" appeared in the October 1901 issue of McClure's. The second, titled "Hunting the Elephant" was published in Hearst's International, Volume 5, in 1903. It is these two articles, comprising about 30 pages, that have been compiled and republished here for the convenience of the interested reader.
After arrival in the Congo and completion of a successful expedition for the French, Cherry purchased two 60-foot native canoes, hired a crew of natives, packed his rifles and camp outfit, and set out for the jungles above the equator. He followed the upper Mobangui and its tributaries, making numerous trips up the Kotto river above the rapids which had previously been a barrier to other white travelers. He lost almost everything he had through the capsizing of his canoes in the rapids three times. He would voyage several hundred miles further up the river open up an unexplored region equal in size to Illinois.
As noted by Cherry, for a long time the natives of this region of Africa had been trying to kill a gigantic elephant who had killed 27 of their own, but due to his toughness and strength he always managed to escape, even though the beast's huge body was covered with spears like a pincushion.
In introducing this jumbo sized elephant, Cherry relates that "I had come into contact with an enormous elephant about eleven feet high at the shoulders; he had the points of several spears sticking in his body, and was not in an amiable mood. He had killed twenty-seven natives and was thirsting for more. I felt that I was on the trail of perhaps the biggest elephant in Africa, and naturally I was determined to follow him to the bitter end... "
This encounter proved one of the most dangerous and thrilling episodes in Cherry's life. Such is the beginning of but one of many of Cherry's adventures described in his famous magazine articles published on his return.
In 1901 and 1903, Cherry published several articles on his elephant hunting experiences in central Africa. The first of these articles, titled "Elephant Hunting in Africa" appeared in the October 1901 issue of McClure's. The second, titled "Hunting the Elephant" was published in Hearst's International, Volume 5, in 1903. It is these two articles, comprising about 30 pages, that have been compiled and republished here for the convenience of the interested reader.
After arrival in the Congo and completion of a successful expedition for the French, Cherry purchased two 60-foot native canoes, hired a crew of natives, packed his rifles and camp outfit, and set out for the jungles above the equator. He followed the upper Mobangui and its tributaries, making numerous trips up the Kotto river above the rapids which had previously been a barrier to other white travelers. He lost almost everything he had through the capsizing of his canoes in the rapids three times. He would voyage several hundred miles further up the river open up an unexplored region equal in size to Illinois.
As noted by Cherry, for a long time the natives of this region of Africa had been trying to kill a gigantic elephant who had killed 27 of their own, but due to his toughness and strength he always managed to escape, even though the beast's huge body was covered with spears like a pincushion.
In introducing this jumbo sized elephant, Cherry relates that "I had come into contact with an enormous elephant about eleven feet high at the shoulders; he had the points of several spears sticking in his body, and was not in an amiable mood. He had killed twenty-seven natives and was thirsting for more. I felt that I was on the trail of perhaps the biggest elephant in Africa, and naturally I was determined to follow him to the bitter end... "
This encounter proved one of the most dangerous and thrilling episodes in Cherry's life. Such is the beginning of but one of many of Cherry's adventures described in his famous magazine articles published on his return.