It was about this time that the field-cornet and his people were very
much annoyed by beasts of prey. The savoury smell which their camp
daily sent forth, as well as the remains of antelopes, killed for their
venison, attracted these visitors. Hyenas and jackals were constantly
skulking in the neighbourhood, and at night came around the great
nwana-tree in scores, keeping up their horrid chorus for hours together.
It is true that nobody feared these animals, as the children at night
were safe in their aerial home, where the hyenas could not get at them.
But for all that, the presence of the brutes was very offensive, as not
a bit of meat--not a hide, nor rheim, nor any article of leather--could
be left below without their getting their teeth upon it, and chewing it
up.
Quarters of venison they had frequently stolen, and they had eaten up
the leathern part of Swartboy's saddle, and rendered it quite useless
for a while. In short, so great a pest had the hyenas grown to be, that
it became necessary to adopt some mode of destroying them.
It was not easy to get a shot at them. During the day they were wary,
and either hid themselves in caves of the cliff or in the burrows of the
ant-eater. At night they were bold enough, and came into the very camp;
but then the darkness hindered a good aim, and the hunters knew too well
the value of powder and lead to waste it on a chance shot, though now
and then, when provoked by the brutes, they ventured one.
But some way must be thought of to thin the numbers of these animals, or
get rid of them altogether. This was the opinion of everybody.
Two or three kinds of traps were tried, but without much success. A pit
they could leap out of, and from a noose they could free themselves by
cutting the rope with their sharp teeth!
At length the field-cornet resorted to a plan--much practised by the
boors of Southern Africa for ridding their farms of these and similar
vermin. It was the "gun-trap."
Now there are several ways of constructing a gun-trap. Of course a gun
is the principal part of the mechanism, and the trigger pulled by a
string is the main point of the contrivance. In some countries the bait
is tied to the string, and the animal on seizing the bait tightens the
string, draws the trigger, and shoots itself. In this way, however,
there is always some uncertainty as to the result. The animal may not
place its body in the proper position with regard to the muzzle, and may
either escape the shot altogether, or may be only "creased," and of
course get off.
The mode of setting the "gun-trap" in South Africa is a superior plan;
and the creature that is so unfortunate as to draw the trigger rarely
escapes, but is either killed upon the spot, or so badly wounded as to
prevent its getting away.
Von Bloom constructed his trap after the approved fashion, as follows:--
Near the camp he selected a spot where three saplings or young trees
grew, standing in a line, and about a yard between each two of them.
Had he not found three trees so disposed, stakes firmly driven into the
ground would have answered his purpose equally well.
Thorn-bushes were now cut, and a kraal built in the usual manner--that
is, with the tops of the bushes turned outwards. The size of the kraal
was a matter of no consequence; and, of course, to save labour, a small
one was constructed.
One point, however, was observed in making the kraal. Its door or
opening was placed so that two of the three saplings stood like posts,
one on each side of it; and an animal going into the enclosure must
needs pass between these two trees.
Now for the part the gun had to play.
The weapon was placed in a horizontal position against two of the
saplings,--that is, the stock against the one outside the kraal, and the
barrel against one of the door-posts, and there firmly lashed. In this
position the muzzle was close to the edge of the entrance, and pointing
directly to the sapling on the opposite side. It was at such a height
as to have ranged with the heart of a hyena standing in the opening.
The next move was to adjust the string. Already a piece of stick,
several inches in length, had been fixed to the small of the stock, and,
of course, _behind_ the trigger. This was fastened transversely, but
not so as to preclude all motion. A certain looseness in its adjustment
gave it the freedom required to be worked as a lever--for that was its
design.
To each end of this little stick was fastened a string. One of these
strings was attached to the trigger; the other, after being carried
through the thimbles of the ramrod, traversed across the entrance of the
kraal, and was knotted upon the opposite side to the sapling that stood
there. This string followed the horizontal direction of the barrel, and
was just "taut;" so that any farther strain upon it would act upon the
little lever, and by that means pull the trigger; and then of course
"bang" would go the roer.
When this string was adjusted, and the gun loaded and cocked, the trap
was set.
Nothing remained to be done but bait it. This was not a difficult task.
It consisted simply in placing a piece of meat or carcass within the
enclosure, and these leaving it to attract the prowling beasts to the
spot.
When the gun had been set, Swartboy carried up the bait--the offal of an
antelope killed that day--and flung it into the kraal; and then the
party went quietly to their beds, without thinking more of the matter.
They had not slept a wink, however, before they were startled by the
loud "crack" of the roer, followed by a short stifled cry that told them
the gun-trap had done its work.
A torch was procured, and the four hunters proceeded to the spot. There
they found the dead body of a huge "tiger-wolf" lying doubled up in the
entrance, and right under the muzzle of the gun. He had not gone a step
after receiving the shot--in fact, had hardly kicked before dying--as
the bullet, wad, and all, had gone quite through his ribs and entered
his heart, after making a large ugly hole in his side. Of course he
must have been within a few inches of the muzzle, when his breast,
pressing against the string, caused the gun to go off.
Having again loaded the roer, the hunters returned to their beds. One
might suppose they would have dragged the suicidal hyena away from the
spot, lest his carcass should serve as a warning to his comrades, and
keep them away from the trap. But Swartboy knew better than that.
Instead of being scared by the dead body of one of their kind, the
hyenas only regard it as proper prey, and will devour it as they would
the remains of a tender antelope!
Knowing this, Swartboy did not take the dead hyena away, but only drew
it within the kraal to serve as a farther inducement for the others to
attempt an entrance there.
Before morning they were once more awakened by the "bang" of the great
gun. This time they lay still; but when day broke they visited their
trap, and found that a second hyena had too rashly pressed his bosom
against the fatal string.
Night after night they continued their warfare against the hyenas,
changing the trap-kraal to different localities in the surrounding
neighbourhood.
At length these creatures were nearly exterminated, or, at all events,
became so rare and shy, that their presence by the camp was no longer an
annoyance one way or the other.
About this time, however, there appeared another set of visitors, whose
presence was far more to be dreaded, and whose destruction the hunters
were more anxious to accomplish. That was _a family of lions_.
The spoor of these had been often seen in the neighbourhood; but it was
some time before they began to frequent the camp. However, about the
time the hyenas had been fairly got rid of, the lions took their place,
and came every night, roaring about the camp in a most terrific manner.
Dreadful as these sounds were, the people were not so much afraid of
them as one might imagine. They well knew that the lions could not get
at them in the tree. Had it been leopards they might have felt less
secure, as the latter are true tree-climbers; but they had seen no
leopards in that country, and did not think of them.
They were not altogether without fear of the lions, however. They were
annoyed, moreover, that they could not with safety descend from the tree
after nightfall, but were every night _besieged_ from sunset till
morning. Besides, although the cow and the quaggas were shut in strong
kraals, they dreaded each night that the lions would make a seizure of
one or other of these animals; and the loss of any one of them, but
especially their valuable friend "old Graaf," would have been a very
serious misfortune.
It was resolved, therefore, to try the gun-trap upon the lions, as it
had succeeded so well with the hyenas.
There was no difference in the construction or contrivance of the trap.
The gun only had to be placed upon a higher level, so that its muzzle
might be opposite the lion's heart, and the proper range was easily
obtained. The bait, however, was not carcass, but an animal freshly
killed; and for this purpose an antelope was procured.
The result was as desired. On the first night the old male lion
"breasted" the fatal string and bit the dust. Next night the lioness
was destroyed in a similar way; and shortly after a full-grown young
male.
The trap then lay idle for a while; but about a week after a half-grown
"cub" was shot near the camp by Hendrik, no doubt the last of that
family, as no lions were seen for a long time after.
A great enemy to night-plunderers was that same gun-trap.