Life of Frederick Courtenay Selous, D.s.o., Capt. 25th Royal Fusiliers

Volume Iii, Rodentia (_completion_), With the Hares and the

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=Rhododendrons,= in which is set forth an account of all species of the genus Rhododendron (including Azaleas) and the various Hybrids. By J. G. MILLAIS, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. With Coloured Plates by ARCHIBALD THORBURN, BEATRICE PARSONS, E. F. BRENNAND, and W. WALKER; also 14 Collotype Plates and numerous Half-tone Illustrations. 4to. 16 x 12 ins. L8 8s. net.

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LIFE OF FREDERICK COURTENAY SELOUS, D.S.O. CAPT. 25TH ROYAL FUSILIERS

BY J. G. MILLAIS, F.Z.S. Author of "Rhododendrons," "The Mammals of Great Britain and Ireland," "The Wild Fowler in Scotland," "Newfoundland and its Untrodden Ways," "The Natural History of the British Surface-Feeding Ducks," "British Diving Ducks," etc.

WITH 14 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR AND 2 PORTRAITS

SECOND IMPRESSION

NEW YORK: LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO. FOURTH AVENUE AND 30TH STREET 1919

PREFACE

In preparing the life of my friend, Fred Selous, I have to thank his brother Edmund, and his sister Mrs. Jones (Ann Selous) for contributions regarding his parents and early life. I am also indebted to his friends, Sir Alfred Pease, Captain P. B. Vanderbyl and Mr. Heatley Noble for certain notes with regard to short expeditions made in his company. Mr. Abel Chapman, a life-long friend, has also assisted me with numerous letters which are of interest. But most of all have I to thank Mrs. Selous, who from the first has given me every assistance in furnishing details of her husband's adventurous life, and allowed me to read and extract from the numerous letters he wrote to different members of his family during a considerable part of his life. Selous had many friends, but none evinced a more keen understanding of his life and work than Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, Ex-President of the United States, and I feel grateful to him for the attention he has given to the following pages and the use he has allowed me to make of his numerous letters.

The Author has also to thank Messrs. Macmillan and Co. and Messrs. Rowland Ward and Co. for the use they allowed him to make of two of Selous' works, namely, A Hunter's Wanderings and Travel and Adventure in S.E. Africa. He is much indebted to their kindness in this matter, since they give in the hunter's own words accurate details of his life.

J. G. MILLAIS, COMPTON'S BROW, HORSHAM.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I. 1851-1865

1851-1865

Ancient and modern heroes--The character of Selous--The Selous family--Edmund Selous' notes--An artistic and ancient race--Selous' parents--Family life--Selous' father--Some of his reminiscences--His mother--His uncles--Selous' childhood in London--Early schooldays--Selous' own story of his youth--His first battle--Youthful adventures--His athletic prowess--Life at Belton Page 1

CHAPTER II. 1865-1870

1865-1870

He enters Rugby--Love of books of travel--Life at Rugby--Rugby football in the old days--"Butler's leap"--Excursions in Natural History--Adventures out of bounds--The Pilton Range episode--Raid on the Heronry at Coombe Abbey--A cold swim--Unjust treatment--Wanderings with the rifle--Chased by the keeper--Mr. Boughton Leigh's broad-mindedness--The ice accident at Regent's Park--The panic--A narrow escape--Canon Wilson's recollections of Selous as a schoolboy--"Williamson's" duck--Neuchatel--Wiesbaden--His friend Colchester--A row with the forester--He flies to Salzburg--Butterfly collecting--Chamois hunting--The Franco-German War--Its unpopularity in Austria--His estimate of the German character--Visit to Vienna--Back in England 29

CHAPTER III. 1871-1875

1871-1875

The influence of literature--Books on Africa--Thomas Baines--Baldwin--Selous lands in Africa--Leaves Port Elizabeth--Sport on the road--Arrival at Kimberley--A short expedition into Griqualand--Starts for the north--His companions--The first giraffe hunt--Lost in the bush--An unenviable position--Loses his horse--Reaches safety--His first lions--Meeting with Lobengula--The Matabele king's humour--Cigar--Elephant hunters--Piet Jacobs--William Finaughty--His life as an elephant hunter--Selous kills his first elephants--Cigar's good qualities--Selous remains in Matabeleland--Joins Wood in an elephant hunt--A great day--A fatal accident--The Dett valley--Elephant hunting--Charged by a cow--A narrow escape--A doubly loaded elephant gun--Further adventures with elephants--Return to Bulawayo--Game in the Dett valley--Selous goes north to the Zambesi--Visit to the Chobe--Begins his collection of trophies--Adventures with buffaloes--Abundance of game--His first lion--A savage charge--Arrives at Tati 65

CHAPTER IV. 1876-1878

1876-1878

Lands again at Algoa Bay--Reaches Matabeleland--Kills a fine lion--George Westbeech--Return to the Diamond Fields--Loses a fine lion--The comparative danger of hunting various wild animals--Views of experienced hunters--Adventures with buffaloes--Goes north to the Zambesi--Hunting in the Chobe delta--Sepopo's elephant drives--A charging buffalo--Selous' horse killed by a buffalo--Further adventures with buffaloes--Their speed and cunning--A depressing outlook--Visit to the Zambesi--Portuguese misrule--The Kafukwe country--An unhealthy region--Illness of Owen and Selous--Restored to health--Elephant hunting on the Hanyane river--Clarkson and Wood--The death of Quabeet--A vicious cow--Nearly crushed--Kills a lioness--Plans for the future 99

CHAPTER V. 1879-1880

1879-1880

Intends to visit the Mashukulumbwe country--Expedition into the northern Kalahari--The Botletlie river--Adventure with lions--The difficulties of the Thirstland--The Mababe flats--Oxen nearly exhausted--Finds water--Kills two lionesses and two fine lions--Hunting on the Linyanti and Chobe--The death of French--Sick with fever--Causes of the Zulu War--The magnanimity of the Zulus--Selous' visit to Cetewayo--The story of John Dunn--McLeod of McLeod--The Swazi king's reasoning--Selous' views on the Zulu War--Sir Godfrey Lagden--Selous again goes to Matabeleland--J. S. Jameson, some details of his life--Expedition to Mashunaland--Return to England--Causes of the first Boer War--Selous' first book--Slaughter of game in South Africa--The ethics of Big Game hunting 120

CHAPTER VI. 1881-1885

1881-1885

Return to South Africa--Intends to be an ostrich farmer--Goes north again--The snake-stone--Collecting specimens of big game and butterflies--A bold lioness--Visit to Khama--Lion attacks the camp--Death of the lion--Laer's narrow escape--Kills a leopard--Reaches the Zambesi--Goes south and then returns to Mashunaland--The Manyami plateau--A savage leopard--Adventure with a lion--The hippopotamus row--A poor outlook--Visit to the Mababe--A man-eating lion--Return to Bulawayo--The white rhinoceros--A wonderful herd of elephants--A great day spoiled by a sulky horse--Frequently charged by elephants--A savage cow--Curious magnanimity to a horse--Liechtenstein's Hartebeest--A gallant sable antelope--Havoc amongst the dogs--Danger from wounded sable and roan antelopes 141

CHAPTER VII. 1886-1889

1886-1889

Expedition to Mashunaland with Messrs. Jameson, Fountaine and Cooper--A serious accident--Sets out for Barotsiland--Arrival at Wankie's--Extortion by the Batonga chiefs--Monzi--The Mashukulumbwe--Into the jaws of death--Attack on Selous' camp--Selous escapes south--Pursuit by the natives--Lucky meeting with a Wildebeest--His rifle stolen--Nearly shot--Reaches Monzi's village--A dangerous position--Marancinyan--Suspicious friendship--Moves south with guides--Meets some of his men--Their adventures--Reaches Panda-ma-tenka--Sikabenga's treachery--Crosses the Zambesi again--Wanderings in Barotsiland--Return to Bamangwato 157

CHAPTER VIII. 1889-1892

1889-1892

Expedition to the Mazoe river--Reaches Tete--The extortions of Maziwa--Mapping the new country--Discovery of Mt. Hampden--Trouble with the Portuguese--The importance of Mashunaland to Great Britain--Selous' scheme of occupation--Rhodes' plans--Lobengula and Cecil Rhodes--The Charter of the British South African Company--Selous' proposed road--The pioneer expedition starts--The cutting of the road--Lobengula's ultimatum--The road complete from Tuli to Salisbury--Treaties with local chiefs--The Odzi road--The Portuguese attack Massi-Kessi--A fiasco--A night with lions--Visits the Pungwe district--A great game country--Progress in the new country--Leaves South Africa--The Hartley Hills lion--An unfortunate miss-fire--A gallant foe--Death of the lion--Lion hunters--The brothers Hill--Methods of hunting--Sir Alfred Pease--Selous' writings--The Government neglect of science--The jealousy and poverty of scientific societies--America's good example--The miserable treatment of African explorers--Selous and Rhodes--The rewards of hard work--The pioneer's only monument 172

CHAPTER IX. 1893-1896

1893-1896

Cupid at work--Engagement to Miss Maddy--Intends to visit America--Trouble in Matabeleland--History of Matabele raids--The position in 1893--Hunters enter Matabeleland--Selous returns to South Africa--Joins Col. Goold-Adams' column--Preliminary fights--Selous wounded--The first battle--The Matabele retreat north--Disaster to Major Wilson's column--Selous' prophecy--Return to England--Marriage--Honeymoon on the Danube and in Asia Minor--Hunting in the mountains of Asia Minor--Leaves again for Mashunaland--Essex vale--The new Bulawayo--The cloud of trouble--The Umlimo--The rising of the natives--The defence force--Col. Johan Colenbrander--Driven from Essex vale--Isolated engagements--The fight on the Umguzra--Selous surrounded--His horse runs away--His life saved by Capt. Windley--A narrow escape--Work on the main road--Arrival of Sir H. Plumer--Mr. Labouchere's views of the second Matabele War--The future of S. Rhodesia--The difficulties of farming there--Markets too distant--Selous attacked by Labouchere--Messrs. Rowland Ward and Co.--Their kindness to Selous--The Nyala--Expedition to the Pongolo and Usutu rivers--An unhealthy country--Return to England 197

CHAPTER X. 1896-1907

1896-1907

Selous' restlessness and love of travel--Roosevelt on the charms of travel--Criticism of travel books--Selous as an egg collector--Second visit to Asia Minor--Short excursions at home--Goes with his wife to the Rockies--Wapiti hunting--Roosevelt on past and present hunting in N. America--Hunting chamois in Transylvania--Selous on the second Boer War--An Imperialist, but always fair--His sorrow as to the causes of the war--Personal knowledge of the Boers--An honourable foe--Their ignorance and good qualities--Selous' views on their unjust treatment--Letter to the "Speaker"--Roosevelt on the Boers--Birds'-nesting on the Danube--Hunting moose in Canada--Newfoundland caribou hunting on the railway--A poor sport--Goes into the interior--Too late for the migration--Second visit to Newfoundland--A successful expedition--Third visit to Asia Minor--First expedition to East Africa--A big game paradise--Birds'-nesting at home--First expedition to Alaska--Visit to the Ogilvy Mountains--Up the North Fork of the MacMillan--Kills a bull moose--Osborn's caribou--A great moose--Bad weather--Third trip to Newfoundland--A wet season--King George IVth Lake--A bad year for heads 224

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