Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute - Acta Nostra Yearbook (Guelph, Ontario Canada)

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ACTA NOSTRA, 1926 73 southern game reserve, where life is protected. The natives are a scream. They often WCHI' less than a Highlanders sporran. but a tiner lot. or more decent lot. I never hope to meet. The women do all the work. carrying great loads on their heads. or by means of a strap tied around the forehead. The men are war- wife. riots. Five cows will buy an excellent and often two. and the more wives a man has the more wealth he claims. since the wo- men till the fields. and look after the grass huts. and everything. One thingI learned was this: If a negro said he would do a thing, he kept his word. It's rather a tine policy. The settlers grow coffee. cotton. and fruits. also a little rubber. They are a nice lot to 1-Z meet. and often in the mi-ddle of a clearing. you'll find the host and 'hostess dressed for dinner. much as at home, and white tablecloth. and silverware. and all the comforts of a well- appointed English family. I cannot tell you more now. Go and see for yourselves. Ytou'll see strange sights. hear wonderful stories. meet char-ming people, and do many things you deemed impossible before you left home. My space is up. I wish you all well in your first year book. ani proud of your record in school and sport, and have much enjoyed my work on the Board. to carry on. as we Britishers have a way of doing. EJ! , 5 , if 4. , nr ' ' J- 'T' Hflv .' E L' ' I 1 .A-J... , 1 1 1 -f X . l, I 1 '4 ff, l ' is . X 0 I, mi ii 3 Junior A XVe hear that an attempt will be made to secure the presence of Doyle at school two afternoons in succession. This we would discourage. for we fear the effects of so great a shock upon Miss XV. Humphries. The decrease in the protits of the XYm. Mfrigley Co. can no doubt be traced to Miss Cole's promise to Miss L: I shall not chew gum in school. Mr. Leckie says: For pity's sake. Mr. Charlesworth says: .-Xbsurdf' Miss Laughlin says: Remain to-night till your memory work is heard. Miss Wilma Humtihries says: HD' y'u gn 1 see. Her sister says: No talking. Miss McCallum says: Be quiet. Class. Mr. Davison just says: Sihocking! There was an old fisher named Fischer. XYho lished for a fish in a lissure: .-X fish with a grin. pulled the fisherman in. Now thev're tishing the tissure for Fischer. Anderson. who drives a Star touring. to bis looks. to the girls he's alluring. A is for Add this D is for Drew. a truly good fellow. XYhen his marks are reported he lets out a bcllovv. L is for the Longmans. sister and brother. Two are enough. we don't want another. G is for Miss Grundy. anything but slow. lYhen history is needed to Beany we go. Cs aussi lFrenchl for the Misses Christie and Cannern. Some clay two fellows surely will land 'e-m. Y's for visitors and all those who dare. To come to our room when they have a spare.

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72 AOTA NOSTRA, 1926 law of the forest. We sloon came upon a leopard. 'hiding under a thorn bush. and s-pit- ting like a cat. In vain we tried t-o get it out. It was soon lost in the bus.hes. Later on White wounded a wildebeast. which is like a cow. The poor thing sank down and looked at us in a pitiful sort of way. Afterwards .Ioyce killed a cheetah. which is mu-ch like a tiger. and does a lot of harm to the settlers' fowls. In the early afternoon VVade killed a rhino, He was alone in a clearing at the time. and tive rhinos charged him at once. These animals can smell for more than five hundred yards, but they can only see about thirty-five yards. The killing requires nerve, and cool- ness. because you let them rush by. side-step. and -then wheel and take a shot as they go. Wade was an experienced hunter. He shot in the right place, just behind 'the ear. and wlhen we ran to him. there he was, sitting on -top of a two-ton rhino. with the niggers all around. rubbing their tummies in gleeful an- ticipation. The rhino had one large horn. and two smaller ones. and it looked a very ugly beast. We were walking beneath some trees when Macgregor suddenly grabbed me by the shoulder. In a moment he had fired. and nineteen feet of snake fell out of a tree. It was a python. beautifully colored and with sharp teeth. turned backward. so that there was no escape for prey. The keen eyes of Mac had spotted it before it could even offer up a prayer. if snakes ever pray. In that district pythons do a lot of harm. often measur ing over forty feet in length. and are several feet round. IVe were about to camp for the night when one of the boys calle-d out sud- denly ndovu. I knew this to mean elephan-t. Huyu mdiji. said the others. and big Mac pointed to where they .had said. There stood a single elephant. flapping its great ears, and apparently quite unaware of our presence. since we were about five hundred yards away. Lower down in Portuguese East Africa I had killed a three ton hippopotamus. and I was called hip-po as a consequence. Here's your chance. Hippo. said Macgregor to me. VVe'll steal up to within say about two hund- red yards. and then get ready. A young cannon was handed to me. It was a double barrelled elephant gun. I tried to level it. but failed, hence on reaching the allotted space, well to windward. I lay down. and took care- ful aim. There was a loud roar, a sheet of flame. and I found myself hurled over and over backward. amlong the thorn bushes. I had pulled both triggers at once. and .had missed the animal entirely as well. VVhen I was picked up. the elephant was lying dead. shot by my friends. but all I got was a laugh. Alas. I lost two teeth, and a lot of prestige. by that unlucky shot. But some d-ay I am going 'back to Africa. and then who knows? A big tropical moon Hooded the heavens that night. XVe heard the native drums calling persistently. The sound was strange. even awe inspiring. It gradually grew lou-der and lou-d- er. as the native dance reached the height of its revel. when it seemed as if -the dfrumis we-re bein.g beaten almost at on'e's elb-ow. Then it gradually faded away, until once more all was silent and mystical. 'Twas an African night. alluring. unforgettable. captivating. Big Macgregor told us hunting stories about the camlp fires. One was about some English lads, wlho worked in a bank in Niarobi. and who had gone crocodile hunting. They had shot a croc, and pulled it into their -dug-out canoe. and were paddling back, one in the bow. and one in the stern. when the lad in the stern of the canoe shouted out: Good heavens. the thing's still alive. Both stopped paddling. The boy behind pumped lead into the Croc, and also through the bottom of the canoe, aft-er which it was a race for the shore. wirtih a now dead crocodile. and many live 'ones waiting in the muddy waters for a little white meat. The boys won out. They reached the bank just as the canoe sank. What a fine tale to write about to their parents in far-off Eng- land? Another of his stori-es was about a friend of his. who. with him was pus-hing through a great thicket of bamboo. when sud- denly they had come upon a big bull elephant. calmly awaiting their approach. having got their scent so-me time ago. There was no time for this friend to fire. and all he cou.ld do was to fall prone to the ground. and trust in some miraculous manner -t-hat he mighlt es- cape being impaled on those long tusks, in the mad rush that he knew would follow. He was too late. The elephant smashed through the few yards that separated them, an-d in an instant had seized hold of his friend with hi.s great trunk. and began hurling -him around and around, prior to dashing him with violen.ce to the ground. Macgregor hurried forward. He was at first afraid to fire. for 'fear of shooting his friend. and it was not until -the maddened animal had hurled him away, and was preparing to stamp on him 'that he did so, His shot went through the heart. killing the huge beast instantly. Hastening to his friend's side. he found the poor fellow dreadfully in- jured. and although he was hurried to the hos- pital he died shortly afterwards from his in- juries, Somehow elephant 'hunting -didn't have the same glamor for us after tlhat. VVvhile we were chatting. a deep-throated roar. that was suspiciously near. somewhat startle-d us. Very complacently Macgregor said it was a lion calling for his m-ate. To me it seemed more as if he were calling for his meat, and I was glad we were so many, and had such fine shots. Someday, perhaps. some of you boys and girls will visit Africa. I don't mean the north and south so much. but the wild interior. If you do you will find it a most attractive place. full of strange mystery and charm. It's hot, of course. but life is very interesting. In parts the wild life is amazing. and especially in the

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