The New Dominion

Elephants and Tigers in South Africa.

The district of Uitenhage is just now rather overrun with wild animals of the larger kind, and an hour's ride from the town would bring sportsmen into the haunts of elephants and tigers. On Monday morning, as Mr. Fourie, of Wolvekop, was coming into town, he passed through a large herd of elephants at the Coega. Gen. Nixon's estate, Balmoral, seven miles from town, is actually overrun with the huge animals; and they have become very troublesome on the general's farm, Doorn Kraal, occupied by Col. Ashburner, tearing down the fences, destroying the crops, and scattering even the prickly pears in all directions. The place is about eight miles from Uitenhage. The farm, Kamachs, which adjoins Uitenhage, and may be reached in twenty minutes, is just now subject to great destruction from porcupines, bush bucks, and tigers. On Sunday afternoon last Mr. Harry Marshall, of her majesty's customs, narrowly escaped an encounter with a tiger. He was spending the day with Mr. Clarke at the farm Kamachs, and in the afternoon went for a quiet stroll, gun in hand, along the kloof to the favorite picnic spot near the dam, and suddenly came upon a tiger drinking at the stream. He impulsively leveled the gun at the beast and pulled the trigger, but the cap missed fire. The animal then, with a snarl, ascended the celebrated wild fig tree, the bark of which is scored all over with the names of pleasure-seekers who have from time to time visited the spot. Mr. Marshall attempted a second time to fire, with no better result than at first. It then occurred to him that it might possibly be fortunate for him that his gun refused fire, for had he wounded the brute it certainly would have attacked him. Mr. Clarke's ostrich camps have been greatly disturbed lately by tigers, the spoors of which have been found in the camp, and on one occasion the tiger's hair found on the claw of a bird indicated an encounter, in which the ostrich came off victor. A grand hunt upon the farm will shortly take place, at which some exciting sport may be expected. The danger that Mr. Marshall escaped may be guessed by those who remember the crouching and scratching that Mr. Hayward, of Great Winterbrook, received some years ago from a wounded tiger. The brute had been caught in a trap, and sprung at Mr. Hayward as he approached, literally biting his wrist through and scalping him. Mr. Marshall's animal has not yet been captured, although parties have been on the lookout for him ever since. -Uitenhage Times.