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Alfred W. Drayson. Adventures of Hans Sterk: The South African Hunter and Pioneer
Adventures of Hans Sterk: The South African Hunter and Pioneer
Table of Contents
Preface
Chapter One
Introduction to the Hunters—Death of the Lion—Discovery of the Elephants by Hans Sterk
Chapter Two
Following the Elephants—Cutting out the tusks—Hunting the herd of Elephants
Chapter Three
The Bull Elephant—The Charge of the Elephants—Counting the Spoils
Chapter Four
Seeking the Dead Elephants—Ambuscade of the Matabili Warriors—Escape of Hans Sterk and his Party—Battle with the Matabili—The Slaughter of Siedenberg
Chapter Five
Commando against the Matabili and Moselekatse, the Chief of the Matabili
Chapter Six
Hans determines to follow Katrine—He journeys by Night—Hans watches the Enemy
Chapter Seven
Expedition of the Matabili—Hans telegraphs to Katrine, and receives his Answer
Chapter Eight
The attempted Rescue—Hans outwitted and captured by the Matabili
Chapter Nine
Hans Sterk becomes a Prisoner with his Companions—Finds an unexpected Ally—Plots an Escape
Chapter Ten
The Prisoners are free—The Pursuit—The Horses sick—The Ride for Life—The Concealment
Chapter Eleven
Night in the Wilderness—The Lions roar—The Savage outwitted by a Lion—The Party take up a good position
Chapter Twelve
Preparations for a Siege—The Rock and Caves—Wild Bees and Rock Rabbits—The Baboons—The Night Watch
Chapter Thirteen
The Matabili appear, and follow the spoor of Hans’ party—The Discovery—The Attack—The Repulse of the Savages
Chapter Fourteen
The Fortification—Waiting Relief—Fight to the Last—Fresh Weapons—The Maidens keep watch—The Savages’ Night Attack—Their Defeat—The Battle—New Allies—The Poisoned Arrows—More of the Enemy arrive
Chapter Fifteen
Bernhard’s Journey—His Success—To the Rescue
Chapter Sixteen
The Fight for Life—Grand Attack of the Matabili—Help arrives—The Meeting of Old Friends—Retreat from the Stronghold
Chapter Seventeen
The Boers’ Camp—The Plans for the Future—Off to Natal—Treaty with the Zulu Chief—His Treachery—Slaughter of the Boers—The Defence of the Boers
Chapter Eighteen
The Boers advance towards Zulu Land—Their Battle with the Zulus—Hans’ Danger—Lost—The Artifice—The Race for Life
Chapter Nineteen
Unexpected Meeting—Hans tells his Story—The Ambuscade—Greek meets Greek in War—The Country near Natal—The News—The solitary Hunt in the Bush
Chapter Twenty
The Emigrants collect their Forces—Battle with Dingaan, the Zulu Chief—Formation of the Natal Settlement—The Treachery of the Zulu Chief—Brother against Brother
Chapter Twenty One
A Hunting Trip—Round the Bivouac Fire—The Hunter’s Tale—Carried off by a Lion—The Shooting Laws in the Desert—The Ophir of Scripture—Baboons hunting a Leopard—The Natal Rock Snake
Chapter Twenty Two
Elephants found—The Hunt—The Evening at the Camp—An Elephant Adventure—Encounter with a Kaffir Spy—More Elephants—Strange Men—Hans made Prisoner
Chapter Twenty Three
Hans carried away—His Fellow-prisoners—Slavery—Thoughts of Escape—Carried off to Sea—The Voyage—Pursued—The Chase—The Night Battle—The Repulse—The Capture
Chapter Twenty Four
Off to Simon’s Bay—Mutiny of the Slaves—Their Repulse—Ship on Fire—The black Demons—The Zulus’ Escape—The Vessel sinks
Chapter Twenty Five
Off in the Boats—The Storm—A fair Wind—A Council—They Steer for Islands—Land
Chapter Twenty Six
Game found on the Islands—Want of Water—Water at Last—Sea-lions—Fish and Eggs—A Ship—Rescued and Carried to Simon’s Bay—The Traveller among the Cockneys
Chapter Twenty Seven
Hans tires of the Towns—Reaches the Wilderness—Adventures with Wild Beasts—Meets his old Companions, and starts for his old Haunts
Appendix
The Dutch Boer of South Africa
The Hottentot
The Amakosa Kaffir
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Alfred W. Drayson
Published by Good Press, 2019
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The country in which elephants are found in abundance is usually thinly inhabited, and the natives are not possessed of fire-arms in great abundance or of much value. Thus the elephant, being a dangerous animal to hunt and hard to kill, often remains in forests when the more timid game of the open country has been driven away. But when English or Dutch sportsmen have visited a country, they usually wound mortally many more elephants than they kill and find, and thus the Kaffirs, who follow up and find the wounded animals, drive a very fair trade in elephants’ tusks, of which they soon understand the true value. Thus a party of hunters not unfrequently return from a three or four months’ shooting-trip into the interior with from two to three thousand pounds’ weight of ivory. There is, however, considerable risk in this sport when looked at from its mercantile point of view. It may happen that the country to which the hunters have travelled has been temporarily deserted by elephants in consequence of hunters having just previously hunted that ground, or from a scarcity of water. The horse or cattle sickness may attack the hunter’s quadrupeds, and thus, even if his waggons be full, he may have to leave them behind whilst he returns some four or five hundred miles to re-purchase cattle, again enter the country, and find his waggons probably pillaged and burnt he knows not by whom, his followers murdered, and he left to make the best of his way home again. Thus a hunter’s life is one of excitement and risk; and though the profits are great at times, and the life one which has irresistible charms, yet it is one not to be rashly undertaken by all men. There are, too, very many small chiefs, whose friendship it is necessary to gain by presents, or they will not allow you to journey through their country; and sometimes small wars take place between these potentates, when each party considers himself entitled to pillage all travellers who have been on friendly terms with his enemy.
There are, then, a goodly array of dangers and difficulties surrounding the African hunter, to say nothing of those which threaten him from wild beasts, such as lions, leopards, etc., or poisonous snakes. So that it is not difficult for a man as young even as Hans Sterk to gain a wide reputation for skill and bravery in surmounting those obstacles to which he had been frequently opposed.
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