Paul Niedieck, born in 1873 to a wealthy textile manufacturing family, had the good fortune to travel around the globe on multiple big game hunting expeditions, hunting in East Asia, India, Australia, Africa, and North America.
Niedieck's adventures were chronicled in three books: 1. “With a Rifle in Five Continents” (1905). 2. “Cruises in the Bering Sea” (1907). 3. “Encounters with Humans and Animals” (1920).
The present book "African Safari" focuses on Niedeck's African hunting adventures which for the reader's convenience have been excerpted from Niedieck's exhaustive book “With a Rifle in Five Continents”.
In this book Niedieck describes hunting big game in British East Africa, the Sudan, and Portuguese East Africa---all with great hunting success in each territory.
In describing a run-in with attacking elephants, Niedieck writes:
"A man cannot well be more helpless than when attacked by elephants in the darkness, without any available cover. . . . At the moment when the elephants rushed into the bush, two of them abreast and the third behind, Brown was standing farthest to the right on the plain, and separated from the three of us who leapt into the bush. After jumping successfully out of the way and firing his gun into the air, he ran off over the plain. The bull-elephant managed to get his trunk round Abdul Hamed, who stood near me . . . . When the elephants came at us, the bull knocked me to the ground with his trunk . . . ."
In describing an encounter with an angry zebra, Niedieck writes:
"I was actually, incredible as it may seem, charged by a zebra, which is nothing more than a donkey, and — shameful to relate — fled with astonishing rapidity. Without cartridges in my rifle I did not want to start a fight with my striped donkey's fine set of teeth, still less with his heels. I did not stop till I reached the Kafirs, who were roaring with delight, and then, with a belt full of cartridges and gun loaded and cocked, I went forth to meet my assailant once more. . . ."
In relating an incident with a "lion" Niedieck writes:
"Last night I was rudely awaked from sleep by deafening shouts and cries. Leaping from under my mosquito-net, I saw Brown close by, loaded pistol in hand, while the carriers were rushing from all sides to my tent. I went out, but could find nothing unusual, and it came out presently that one of the boys had given the alarm "a lion in camp." In reality it was only a hyaena, which had come to steal a bit of rhinoceros. Though it was but 2 A.M. the camp got no more rest that night, for the blacks laughed for hours over the incident in spite of my orders to them to keep quiet."
Niedieck's adventures were chronicled in three books: 1. “With a Rifle in Five Continents” (1905). 2. “Cruises in the Bering Sea” (1907). 3. “Encounters with Humans and Animals” (1920).
The present book "African Safari" focuses on Niedeck's African hunting adventures which for the reader's convenience have been excerpted from Niedieck's exhaustive book “With a Rifle in Five Continents”.
In this book Niedieck describes hunting big game in British East Africa, the Sudan, and Portuguese East Africa---all with great hunting success in each territory.
In describing a run-in with attacking elephants, Niedieck writes:
"A man cannot well be more helpless than when attacked by elephants in the darkness, without any available cover. . . . At the moment when the elephants rushed into the bush, two of them abreast and the third behind, Brown was standing farthest to the right on the plain, and separated from the three of us who leapt into the bush. After jumping successfully out of the way and firing his gun into the air, he ran off over the plain. The bull-elephant managed to get his trunk round Abdul Hamed, who stood near me . . . . When the elephants came at us, the bull knocked me to the ground with his trunk . . . ."
In describing an encounter with an angry zebra, Niedieck writes:
"I was actually, incredible as it may seem, charged by a zebra, which is nothing more than a donkey, and — shameful to relate — fled with astonishing rapidity. Without cartridges in my rifle I did not want to start a fight with my striped donkey's fine set of teeth, still less with his heels. I did not stop till I reached the Kafirs, who were roaring with delight, and then, with a belt full of cartridges and gun loaded and cocked, I went forth to meet my assailant once more. . . ."
In relating an incident with a "lion" Niedieck writes:
"Last night I was rudely awaked from sleep by deafening shouts and cries. Leaping from under my mosquito-net, I saw Brown close by, loaded pistol in hand, while the carriers were rushing from all sides to my tent. I went out, but could find nothing unusual, and it came out presently that one of the boys had given the alarm "a lion in camp." In reality it was only a hyaena, which had come to steal a bit of rhinoceros. Though it was but 2 A.M. the camp got no more rest that night, for the blacks laughed for hours over the incident in spite of my orders to them to keep quiet."
