VENTURESOME LADIES

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2734, 12 February 1910, Page 4 (Supplement)

VENTURESOME LADIES

Two English l ladies are the heroines of sensational adventures recounted by Lieutenant-Colonel Patterson in his new book, “In the Grip of the Nyiko.” It will be remembered that Colonel Patterson last year published “The Man Eaters of Savo,” the thrilling story of the hunting and killing of two man-eating lions who had, for nine months, successfully held up a great railway enterprise, and .had made away with a hundred Hindu coolies. It was a most exciting story, and proved to be one of the greatest book successes of the year. In one of these, two military men accompanied him with their wives, and one of the ladies had an exciting experience, in which she played the chief and the heroic part. It was when they were hunting rhinos, that . Colonel Patterson says:—Next instant I saw the vicious head of a huge rhino dashing at me at full speed. Aladdin needed neither whip nor spur to get out of the way —in fact, he gave such a hound that he almost unseated me, and simplv flew for about 30 to 40 yards, before I could get the least control over him. Glancing over my shoulder to find out what was happening, I was horrified to see gun-bearers dashing wildly for the trees, mules careering off ■riderless through the bush, S. standing weaponless shouting for his rifle, and—horror of horrors —the infuriated rhino, rushing headlong on to Mrs, S., who was seated on the ground with nothing in her hand save an open umbrella. I gave her up for lost, for I know we could do nothing in time to save her. Luckily, at that critical moment, she did not lose her nerve, but “shooed” the umbrella right in the face d'r the oncoming brute, and this extraordinary' and unexpected apparition so startled the great beast that, instead of continuing his charge and tossing her aloft, he suddenly veered away to the left and disappeared through the bushes in a cloud of dust!

On th e second expedition, a big-game hunter, Mr. 8., with his wife, accompanied the Colonel. Mrs. B. attiring herself for the trip in a masculine costume, with khaki tunic, riding breeches, and stout leather leggings. Mrs. B. shot a rogue elephant as it was charging her after it had killed the Colonel's Arab horse, and mortally wounded a native eyce. Later on there is an account of how she. sat up all night with the author and her husband in a hut of bushes built alongside an eland that had been killed by lions who were expected to return to tlicir prey. The lions did return. They walked round the hut within a yard of the dauntless three, and while they were devouring the eland the hunters opened fire at close, range through loopholes. The lions were badly wounded, but all got away. Towards the end of the long trip the unfortunate Mr. B. sustained a sunstroke, and while delirious blew his brains out with a revolver, leaving his heart-broken widow to march back to civilisation alone with the 1 leader and -the supporting convoy of natives.