Big Game Shooting in South Africa Fifty Years Ago
()
About this ebook
Related to Big Game Shooting in South Africa Fifty Years Ago
Related ebooks
South African Big Game Hunting in the 1840s Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Red Chief Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFive Weeks in a Balloon (Silver Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFive Weeks in a Balloon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAfrican Nature Notes and Reminiscences Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFive Weeks in a Balloon - Jules Verne Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlack Sheep: Journey to Borroloola Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shrewdunnit: The Nature Files Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHunting Big Game: In Africa and Asia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Life of Horatio Lord Nelson: "Affliction is not sent in vain, young man, from that good God, who chastens whom he loves." Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAt the Fireside - Volume 1: True South African Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpirit Island (Cryptofiction Classics - Weird Tales of Strange Creatures) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMeridiana: The Adventures of Three Englishmen and Three Russians: In South Africa Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArise Crusader Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPiercing the Veil Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wild White Man of Badu Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIndian Heroes and Great Chieftains Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5African Nature Notes and Reminiscences Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJules Verne: The Best Works Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFive Weeks in a Balloon or, A Journey of Discovery by Three Englishmen in Africa Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJungle Man: The Autobiography Of Major P. J. Pretorius C.M.G. D.S.O. and Bar Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLobo, Rag, and Vixen and Pictures Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFor the Want of Silver Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Stone People Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTarzan the Terrible (Read & Co. Classics Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Adventures of Three Englishmen and Three Russians in South Africa Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGirt Nation: The Unauthorised History of Australia Volume 3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBoyer Lectures 2011 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Grizzly King Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Saga of Asbjorn Thorleikson Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Sports & Recreation For You
The Stretching Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Improving Fitness and Flexibility Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Pocket Guide to Essential Knots: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Most Important Knots for Everyone Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMOX Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World's Greatest Racehorse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anatomy of Strength and Conditioning: A Trainer's Guide to Building Strength and Stamina Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Body by Science: A Research Based Program to Get the Results You Want in 12 Minutes a Week Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding: The Bible of Bodybuilding, Fully Updated and Revis Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Peak: The New Science of Athletic Performance That is Revolutionizing Sports Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakable Performance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Build Muscle the No Nonsense Way Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Field Guide to Knots: How to Identify, Tie, and Untie Over 80 Essential Knots for Outdoor Pursuits Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Guide to Improvised Weaponry: How to Protect Yourself with WHATEVER You've Got Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Basic Fishing: A Beginner's Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Ultimate BodyWeight Workout: Transform Your Body Using Your Own Body Weight Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Ultimate Survival Medicine Guide: Emergency Preparedness for ANY Disaster Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The MAF Method: A Personalized Approach to Health and Fitness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hard Knocks: An enemies-to-lovers romance to make you smile Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Tyrus: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Baseball 100 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5How Am I Doing?: 40 Conversations to Have with Yourself Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Getting to Neutral: How to Conquer Negativity and Thrive in a Chaotic World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow Champions Think: In Sports and in Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Big Game Shooting in South Africa Fifty Years Ago
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Big Game Shooting in South Africa Fifty Years Ago - W. Cotton Oswell
OSWELL
WILLIAM COTTON OSWELL: A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
BY SIR SAMUEL W. BAKER
ONE man alone was left who could describe from personal experience the vast tracts of Southern Africa and the countless multitudes of wild animals which existed fifty years ago in undisturbed seclusion; the ground untrodden by the European foot; the native unsuspicious of the guile of a white intruder. This man, thus solitary in this generation, was the late William Cotton Oswell. He had scarcely finished the pages upon the fauna of South Africa when death seized him (May 1, 1893) and robbed all those who knew him of their greatest friend. His name will be remembered with tears of sorrow and profound respect.
Although Oswell was one of the earliest in the field of South African discovery, his name was not world-wide, owing to his extreme modesty, which induced him to shun the notoriety that is generally coupled with the achievements of an explorer. Long before the great David Livingstone became famous, when he was the simple unknown missionary, doing his duty under the direction of his principal, the late Rev. Robert Moffat, whose daughter he married, Oswell made his acquaintance while in Africa, and became his early friend.
At that time Oswell with his companion Murray allied themselves with Livingstone to discover a reported lake of the unknown interior, together with Mrs. Livingstone and their infantine family. This expedition was at the private cost of Oswell and Murray; but, in grateful remembrance of the assistance rendered by Livingstone in communicating with the natives and in originating the exploration, Oswell sent him a present of a new waggon and a span of splendid oxen (sixteen animals), in addition to a thorough outfit for his personal requirements.
Livingstone, in the ‘Zambesi and its Tributaries,’ dwelt forcibly upon the obligation imposed upon him by Oswell’s generosity; but, having submitted the manuscript to his friend for revision, Oswell insisted upon disclaiming the title of a benefactor. After the discovery of the Lake ’Ngami by Livingstone and his party, Oswell received the medal of the French Geographical Society; he was therefore allied with Livingstone, who was the first explorer of modern times to direct attention to the lake system of Africa, which has been developed within the last forty years by successive travellers.
Oswell was not merely a shooter, but he had been attracted towards Africa by his natural love of exploration, and the investigation of untrodden ground. He was absolutely the first white man who had appeared upon the scene in many portions of South Africa which are now well known. His character, which combined extreme gentleness with utter recklessness of danger in the moment of emergency, added to complete unselfishness, ensured him friends in every society; but it attracted the native mind to a degree of adoration. As the first-comer among lands and savage people until then unknown, he conveyed an impression so favourable to the white man that he paved the way for a welcome to his successors. That is the first duty of an explorer; and in this Oswell well earned the proud title of a ‘Pioneer of Civilisation.’
As these few lines are not a biography, but merely a faint testimony to one whose only fault was the shadowing of his own light, I can sincerely express a deep regret that his pen throughout his life was unemployed. No one could describe a scene more graphically, or with greater vigour; he could tell his stories with so vivid a descriptive power that the effect was mentally pictorial; and his listeners could feel thoroughly assured that not one word of his description contained a particle of exaggeration.
I have always regarded Oswell as the perfection of a Nimrod. Six feet in height, sinewy and muscular, but nevertheless light in weight, he was not only powerful, but enduring. A handsome face, with an eagle glance, but full of kindliness and fearlessness, bespoke the natural manliness of character which attracted him to the wild adventures of his early life.
He was a first-rate horseman, and all his shooting was from the saddle, or by dismounting for the shot after he had run his game to bay.
In 1861, when I was about to start on an expedition towards the Nile sources, Oswell, who had then retired from the field to the repose of his much-loved home, lent me his favourite gun, with which he had killed almost every animal during his five years’ hunting in South Africa. This gun was a silent witness to what its owner had accomplished. In exterior it looked like an ordinary double-barrelled rifle, weighing exactly ten pounds; in reality it was a smooth-bore of great solidity, constructed specially by Messrs. Purdey & Co. for Mr. Oswell. This useful gun was sighted like a rifle, and carried a spherical ball of the calibre No. 10; the charge was six drachms of fine-grained powder. There were no breech-loaders in those days, and the object of a smooth-bore was easy loading, which was especially necessary when shooting from the saddle. The spherical ball was generally wrapped in either waxed kid or linen patch; this was rolled rapidly between the hands with the utmost pressure; the folds were then cut off close to the metal with scissors, and the bullet was again rolled as before. The effect was complete; the covering adhered tightly to the metal, which was now ready for ramming direct upon the powder-charge, without wads or other substance intervening. In this manner a smooth-bore could be loaded with great rapidity, provided that the powder-charge was made up separately in the form of a paper cartridge, the end of which could be bitten off, and the contents thrust into the barrel, together with the paper covering. The ball would be placed above, and the whole could be rammed down by a single movement with a powerful loading rod if great expedition should be necessary. Although the actual loading could thus be accomplished easily, the great trouble was the adjustment of the cap upon the nipple, which with an unsteady horse was a work of difficulty.
This grand old gun exhibited in an unmistakable degree the style of hunting which distinguished its determined owner. The hard walnut stock was completely eaten away for an inch of surface; the loss of wood suggested that rats had gnawed it, as there were minute traces of apparent teeth. This appearance might perhaps have been produced by an exceedingly coarse rasp. The fore-portion of the stock into which the ramrod was inserted was so completely worn through by the same destructive action, that the brass end of the rod was exposed to view. The whole of this wear and tear was the result of friction with the ‘wait-a-bit’ thorns!
Oswell invariably carried his gun across the pommel of his saddle when following an animal at speed. In this manner at a gallop he was obliged to face the low scrubby ‘wait-a-bits,’ and dash through these unsparing thorns, regardless of punishment and consequences, if he were to keep the game in view, which was absolutely essential if