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The Seaforth News, 1957-10-31, Page 3Cheating Death In The Jungle You • must not go to 'Africa again,- unless you want to drop dead in the jungle:" Cherry Kearton, jungle . film pioneer, listened to the ''heart specialist's warning and smiled. AU the other doctors had said the same thing. If he, wanted to live he must give up his tong career of adventure hunting big game with a camera, and retire to the country or some quiet suburb. Kearton's reaction was typical of him. At sixty-five, he imme- diately booked passage to Cen- tral Africa! Although a very sick 'man be set off again with even more ambitious filming plans. Alto- gether, he travelled 30,000 miles, cheating • death all the time as he "hunted" with his beloved camera. And, when the great safari ended, he breezed back to Bri- tain, a changed man whom his d o e t ors scarcely recognized. Amazingly his health had been restored by the hazards he had overcome! He said he found the jungle, with all its terrors, more peaceful than London with its traffic! His most heart -stopping ad- venture occurred in the danger- ous jungle country tr between Nai- robi robi and Lake Victoria. His in- stinct for good pictures led him into a dried-up volcanic gorge. Within half an hour of entering it, he became aware of a sud- den ominous silence. Birds stop- ped chattering, baboons ceased their throaty serenades. Then an acrid smell reached. Kearton's nostrils, His worst fear was real- ized. He and his native boys were trapped by jungle fire. Soon he saw an enormous bar- rier of flame and smoke licking forward through the 15 -foot high elephant grass behind him. The gorge's entrance was Obscured, blocked by fire. Ile could not drive forward, for to do so== he was unarmed -would put hint at the mercy of the lions, ele- . phants and rhinos trapped like himself, in the crackling death gorge. Already, he could hear their snorts of terror ahead of him. Snakes slithered by, too ter- rified to notice him or his na- tive boys. The fire roared on relentlessly through the narrow pass. His natives, their faces glowing red, their eyeballs smarting with heat and whitening in terror, crowded together, calling on their gods for mercy. There seemed no hope. Kearton felt sure that his self - prescribed health cure was about to meet a blazing end, but he tried one last trick. He got his boys to surround the car with a ring of fire, and coaxed' it to spread outwards, 'hoping t0 create a burnt safety belt as the Inferno roared down on them. Now a new hazard appeared. Five hundred feet above them, at the top of the gorge's unscalable cliffs, baboons shrieked and scampered, desperately trying to escape the flames. In their panic they dislodged heavy boul- ders which beganto rain down perilously near Kearton and his party. For nine hours this ordeal by fire and smoke and stones con- tinued. Then a miracle happen- ed. The wind veered slightly and Kearton, peering into the smoke, saw that the flames in the ele- phant grass had lost their fury; they now flickered barely a foot high. It was nearly dark and the car's headlamps, though still ser- viceable, could not penetrate the smoke curtain. But there was a chance, a slender one, and he knew he 11 .1 while the wind held. So, having loaded all aboard, he drove slap -bang into the mid- dle of that reeking hell. The car hurtled forward, hitting and sliding off boulders, and at last carried its chokingoccupants out of the death gorge and into the welcome fresh air. Kearton's knowledge of lions, gained while photographing them. in their true haunts was tremen- dous. Yet some aspects of their behaviour 4eompletely -mystified him. Why should a lion, a man- eater, leave a white man it was about to maul, and attack a na Live? Lions, said Kearton, seem' guided at times by a peculiar, sense of unreason.. You cannot rely on them to take the easiest course of action. On one occasion a man-eater began picking off a native rail- way staff, carrying its members away singly, night after night, until no one dared work at the station, Then three Europeans volunteered to keep watch and destroy the killer. A cabin wax drawn up for them on a siding. It offered a good field of fire. Two slept, while the third, rifle in hand, kept watch. But on this night, all being quiet, the watcher decided to turn in. He dozed off. Then the man-eater arrived, It pushed back the sliding door with its paw, and steadily nosed into the compartment -all three sleepers were at its mercy. But the liondid not snatch the man sleeping on the floor nearest the door •- the obvious victim, Instead, he dragged down the fellow from the berth above, shook him ferociously and bounded off with him. Kearton himself once tricked a lion which barred his way. He switched on his car head- lamps, illuminating some bushes. Seeing the light, the man-eater investigated, giving Kearton the chance to escape, He had another narrow es- cape while photographing a rhino and her waddling baby, Suddenly, he realized that an- other great, beast, the three -ton male rhino, was stalking him from behind. Kearton raced for the near- est tree. A second or so later the great beast charged. Al- though hampered by his slip- pery leather leggings, Kearton just managed to shin up the tree, leaving the rhino snorting and baffled below. Not bad acrobatics for a chap of sixty-five! A rhino out for blood thunders forward as fast as a galloping horse for about three-quarters of s mile -after that he's winded. Anyone caught by a rhino is either trampled to pulp, or gored to shreds by its murderous horns. On an earlier safari, Kearton was photographing rhino at night when his camera's flashlight dis- turbed one of them. The beast charged straight at him. Kear- ton again scrambled up a tree, but had no time to worry about his apparatus. The rhino wreaked its ven- geance on the expensive camera, trampling it into the ground. Kearton was glad he had learned to climb trees as a boy. BRIDGE OF SIGHS -AND REGRETS The mayor of Huyeapan de Campo, in Mexico, is in the bad books of the people of his town. He not only offered to sell the town's main bridge to a visiting. American -but sold it and then began to tear it down so that the buyer could take delivery. The mayor, Primitivo Rios, now stands charged with the theft of the bridge. CROSS OR I PUZZLE 7. Hazardous 30. Quite n taw h enterprise 81.7'almleet 8. Meadow 0. Exist 32. Witte cask 10, Land-ot syrup 33. Disprove 13. DYmn 34, Onsh. 14. Untruth 80. Smell candle 10 Tw it ig ht87_ Notting ACROSS 61. Old age 21). Moban 80. nt'longlne to • 1.0f that riri (poet.) 21. illectrlo us ' 4. Ancient 'DOws particle 40. itun away • Asiatic region22.t:ut hay 42.nsciumsLion 8, Portable light 1, Owned 28. wayfarer of pleasure 32, 311012 2. (Warmer 24. Parson bh'd 43. Achievement 13. nellgiune 3. insurrection 215. Forbid 44. Completion festival 4. La.nd1r10fiIUt a 27. Anger 46. Nateof the 95. Deflect 5.1indent 22. Seed scale 17 130 war of 0. At home container 47. Not nus 10. Papa 19 .Sheltered nook 20 resmeler's command 21. Poorly . 2' Reset nt. burden 23 ('oge 24 Composition In verse' 25 Fra girl rot of food 20 irortlfled pine 23, 1'011 and I 29. !:razing field 80. l'herefnre 82. Haircut 23. TInit of reluctance 84. Shirt button' 80. Prier in tinge. 87, Medal , snow.' 28. Open vessel 39, Unity 40. rifah-Pitched flute 41. rl.le her 42. l0mbraee 43 I'aacinale 88. Allusion 48. Make leather 40. Server 00, 'Repetition 1 2 3 . W4 5 6 7 •'8 9 10 11 14 15 16 17 .,.S$ 18 S19 20' }\'><; 21 22 .. IN/23.' X 24 25 27 4.K � F`' 20 .H2T" • 4 19 30 31 33 34 35 .0 36 • 37 38 - Ot, 39 • 40 41 - r 0, 42 43�• 44 45 46 47 48 9 O.90., 50 Si Answer elsewhere on this page. LIFT FOR HANDICAPPED -This, unusual school bus with a built-in elevator, believed to be the first of its kind ever constructecj, has been placed in service in San Lorenzo, Calif., to transport handicapped children from their homes to their own special school, At left, Tommy Stokes, who has driven handicapped children for 10 years, wheels orte of his small charges onto the bus' elevator for a quick trip to the floor level. At right, the short ride into the bus bring a smile to the face of the youngster. The new bus is fitted with floor attach- ments where the wheel chairs can be anchored. TIIL-TAM FRONT J0k1atdi1, Results of the first year's test under the Record of Perform- ance for Beef Cattle have just been announced by the Canada Department of Agriculture, Ot- tawa. In a few weeks about 3,000 calves, or ten times the number recorded in the first test, will be weighed and graded to obtain the initial information required for the second year's records. Weighing and• grading will be done by officials delegated by the provincial departments of Agriculture who carry on the project in their respective pro- vinces in co-operation with the federal department, and the livestock breeders. • * In the recent test, 341 calves were entered -248. Herefords, 50 Angus and 43 Shorthorns. 01 these, 176 were males and 165 were females. The male calves made an average daily gain from birth to weaning of 1.86 ib. per day, the females 1.68 lb. * 4 • Comparison of these results was limited to six ' Hereford herds, all thathad sufficient calves entered and reared under conditions suitable to permit ef- fective comparison within' the herd. The six herds with a to- . tal of 191 calves (94 males and 97 females) indicate the aver- age daily rate of gain that can be expected in beef cattle, first from date of birth to weaning and second from weaning to the end of the winter feeding per- iod. r Average daily gain made by the 94 bull calves was 1.85 pounds per day, from birth to weaning, and by the 97 heifers L69 pounds. Thus the bull calves gained on the average 1/5 of a pound more per day than the heifers. But of greater signifi- cance is, the difference in aver- age performance, or daily gain, 2.11 lb. for the top third and 1.49 lb. for the bottom third of the calves tested. Average dif- ference between these two groups •both in the males and females amounted to about eh of a pound per day, In terms of beef production, at prices pre- vailing when these calves were weaned last fall, this would have meant $22.80 per calf to a commercial cattleman. • $ . The variation in rate of gain between individuals within some of these herds was -much greater than the average figures indi- cate. In one herd the top calf gained one and ane half pounds more than the bottom calf. The two calves had the same treat- ment under ranch conditions. The slow gaining calf was al- most two months older than the best calf but actually weighed. nearly 200 pounds less at'wean- ing, During the winter feeding period that followed the birth to weaning test, differences be- tween the performance of male and female calves in these same Hereford herds, made it neces- sary to consider them separate- ly, The low average daily gains in the heifers would indicate the possibility that they were main- tained on a considerably lower feeding level than the bulls. The bulls had an average daily gain for this period of 2.07 pounds per day. The heifers gained only 1.37 pounds.' • 9 In the bull calves records for this second period showed there was again a difference of 3s of e pound per day between the average rate of gaits for the Lop' third and the bottom third of the calves. For the full feeding period, approximately 168 days, the difference in the average weight gained was 112 pounds, or $20.15 in value on the basis of $18.00 per cwt. for commer- cial cattle. d • 4 Combining the records for both periods, calves that were within the top third at weaning and also in the top third at the end of the feeding period were worth just over $40.00 more per head than those in the bottom third for both periods. Results indicate that there were a con- siderable number of calves among those making rapid gains at both these stages in their growth. These fast gaining year- lings were worth 25 per cent more than the slower gaining yearlings on a commercial basis, Their value as potential breed- ing stock would be greater in pure bred breeders' herds. • $ • Research has shown that this valuable trait of rapid gains is inherited and can be transmit- ted to future generations. Simi- larly, studies on rate and cost per pound of gain indicate that these two factors are closely related. Calves with a high, rate of gain, in most instances, re- ' quire less feed to make a pound of gain than those with a low rate of gain. Recognition of the top performing cows, bulls and calves within a herd and devel- opment of a breeding program around these animals is the aim of Record of Performance. Freedom Doesn't Come First We listened to a philosopher the other day. He said we are putting too much emphasis on freedom. To him, the most important thing is fra- ternity. Christians use the word brotherhood. Freedom, of course, is still de- sirable, but we must acknow- ledge that our society is semi- free. And it must remain so. About 15 years ago, we were SINGING NELSON - Ricky Nel- son, 21 -year-old sort of radio and TV's "Ozzie and Harriet", continues his recently started singing career at the Ohio State Fair.. Nelson, whose "l'm Watkin'" record sold a million copies, is a new teen-age fad. He's slated for an appearance on the Perry Como television show. using two terms - free com- petition and private enterprise. Then the National Association of Manufacturers picked out one word from each of these expres- sions and gave us "free enter- prise". The members of N.A.M. spent millions in advertising free enterprise, and they have just about succeeded in making the American people think that free enterprise and democracy are synonymous. They are not, Years ago, we had more eco- nomic freedom than -we do now. Anyone could start a bank -even if it was doomed to failure. Secret rebates were given by railroads and insiders by that thousands got free passes, leav- ing the public to make up the difference. A giant oil company used to erect a filling station next door to small competitors and cut prices until the com- petitor went out of business. Enterprising pharmaceutical houses sold harmful nostrums with false claims, Fruit cover- ed with arsenic (applied for in- sects) was marketed, Life insur- ance companies preyed on the public. Grandpa - in your history book - could tell you about the good old days of free enterprise. Now, we have only as much freedom as can be used without stepping on the next fellow's toes. There are regulatory bodies to watch for your interest in communications, transportation, public health, aviation, utility rates, automobile traffic, and scores of other fields. All of the regulatory agencies are cutting in on someone's free- dom, Yet, which of these agen- cies would you suggest giving up? The only area m which it 18 not necessary to place a curb Is the freedom of expression and religion. It is clear, then, that we live in a semi -free society. Our phil- osopher friend is probably right in his emphasis on fraternity, For the Brotherhood of Man crosses racial, religious, and na- tional lines, It is the highest concept that man has ever held, and if we remember rightly it was Jesus who first shook the world with such an idealistic notion. -Littleton (Colo.) Independent (14 MAY LESSON Sy Rev. R. ,Barclay Warren B.A., B.D. The Problem,of Christian'' Freedom 1 Corinthians, chapter 8 Memory Selection: There hath n0 temptation taken you but melt as is common to man: but God Is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the tempta- tion also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13. Flow free are we, in this land of freedom? Laws, municipal, provincial and federal, govern our behaviour. If we belong to an organization of those of simi- lar occupation there are more laws. Membership in a club or church add more laws. Most people are uncomplaining about these laws because they feel that they are made for the 6 elfaro of the group and society in gen- eral. The man who roars his car down the wrong side of a street to assert his freedom ignores the rights of others and endangers his own life. How free is a Christian? Ha loves his neighbour as himself. he will, therefore, abide by the laws a the land unless he be- lieves them to be in direct con- flict with the laws of God. This situation arises in countries where God is openly denied as under Communism. A Christian is free from the bondage of sin. When he repent- ed of his sins and believed on Jesus Christ a new power came into his life. Ile is no longer .a slave of evil habits. He Is free. "IAF the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8:36,) A married man who over a period of years had been committing adultery with another woman asked in tears, "Can T find strength to live right?" We reminded him of the woman whom Jesus forgave and to whom He said, "Go, and sin no more." (John 8:1L) Jesus didn't command the impossible. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are be- come new," (2 Corinthians 5:17. "He breaks the power of can- celled sin, He sets the prisoner free." The Christian is free to din right. He abhors the evil. He AI sensitive to the interests od others. He will set an example worthy of imitation. He has the spirit of Paul: "If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat ne flesh while the world standetlt, lest I make my brother to ;of- fend." es Upsidedown to Prevent Peeking 1:111© ©©CIO WDi7V ©0U ®omEo0A©e' ©0610100 121111131 rx U©11113 •< atop 1110E ©©©©: ©©E1 0111©E3 0®0 ©00©d00 0o x©Ooo©O 1 " aV ©00©©00,.,©C]C vv° 00013 C313 ©©®011D UIUM G naram Daum El ISSUE 43 - 1957 GETS HIS GOAT -Deputy Sheriff Bill Soileau solves a mysterious, rash of broken gloss . doors in the St. Landry Parish, near Opelousas, La. Investigating the fifth such incident in recent weeks, Soileau noticed a few short white hairs at the scene and later apprehended this goat. It seems the animal's re- flection in the glass would cause him to 'charge the door. The case is closed.