Evening Star Newspaper, October 12, 1930, Page 107

] in India. This wily brute is a ; it will drag any living creature hold of into the water. SRS igg%g:a seize a hand or a foot and hold the poor doomed wretch below the surface till drowned, afterward devouring the corpse at their leisure. is only one way of shooting crocodiles, and that is to wait patiently, without mak- ing a sound until they come out for their midday bask in the sun on & sandbank or rock. Then you crawl o the water’s edge, with the utmest caution, And put a powerful bullet into the one vulnerable spot—whete the head meets 1 got one of shese murderous beasts beautifully in this manner, ‘hitting him just in the right place. He.gave a slight jump and didn’t move again, but fo make suré T gave him two more bullets. All the holes, I am proud to say, were within a circle the size of a teacup saucer. Another one I shot was hit at long range. The bullet didn't-kill him and he managed to wriggle into-the water, where he stirred up the mud with his flounderings. .Then a re- markable thing happened. There is a certain caste of Indians living along the river banks who are not afraid of “muggers.” Three of these fellows stripped off all their clothes, save for loincloths, and with one light bamboo pole between them, waded and swam into deep water, full of other crocodiles, to where they saw the blood rising to the surface from the wounded and maddened reptile. Poking about with the pole, they presently Jocated Mr. Croc. and, to my amazement, dived under the water, seized hold of this large amd dangerous creature and hauled him to the sur- face. Then they dragged him to the bank— .kicking, struggling, and snapping—rolled him ashore, and finished him off. The legend is that fhe members of this par- ticular caste have a curious smell and a crocodile won't bite them. In this case, however, ‘the tl_ma'y proved to be wrong, for one of the young féllows was actually nipped in the foot by the “mugger” and a slight wound inflicted. But they are the only people I have ever heard of who will go into a river full of crocodiles and bring one of them, still alive, out onto the banks. They may receive wounds, but I believe it is a fact that members of this caste have never been killed or even seriously injured by crocodiles. What the real reason for this curious immunity is, I don’t know. -THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, OCTOBE}! 2, 1930. I heard a terriffic bellow. My elephant gave a lurch. Then I saw that a very fine tiger had charged us. If wild boar are met with on a shoot, and the country is too rough for pursuit, they are shot; otherwise horesmen ride them with the spear. ‘The boar is an ugly customer, will charge any one or anything and can inflict terrible wounds with his tusks. If a rider is unseated—and this the boar frequently accomplishes by dodging across his pony’s legs and bringing the animal down—the only chance of life is to keep per- fectly still. The least movement and the boar is on him, and this four-legged fury can rip up & man in the twinkling of an eye. With other riders in company, of course, the boar can be driven off or speared, but it sometimes takes time for the other horsemen to come up, and absolute im- mobility is the sole hope of safety for & dis- mounted man. I was very anxious before leav- ing India to bag one of the giant sambhur. ‘These beautiful animals belong to the same family as the Scotch red deer, though they are considerably larger, with fine antlers. The sambhur lives in very mountainous and thickly- wooded country, and the only way to get a shot is by driving, the “gun” being placed in a plat- form or machine. MY first experience was particularly disap- pointing. Most deer that I have en- countered in other countries, on reaching an open space, will stand and look round before running across it, unless they have been fired at or otherwise alarmed, but these Indian sambhur proved to be different. I was placed in a machan on one side of a nullah, and the shikaris were to beat up the mountainside toward me. I had not been wait- ing more than 10 minutes before a really magnificent stag appeared on the skyline and started to trot slowly down the steep slope toward me. He came out into the bare, open, rocky nullah in front of me, but a little to the right. I covered him and waited for him to stop, as I thought he would do; when I realized that he wasn't going to stop at all, it was too late. I took a snap shot, but missed, and away he went into the undergrowth on the other side of the nullah. For all I knew to the contrary, that was the last chance I should have that day, and I felt very sick about it. However, the only thing to do was to arrange another drive which, sure enough, proved a blank. The third and last drive, however, was lucky. A very fine stag appeared, picking way over the rough stones and bushes i of me, and stopped for an instant a li 100 yards away to look round him. I had him covered, and my shot took him in the him down stone dead. His body was as big as that of a horse, with fine antlers, #nd his head is now being set up and will presently hang in my hall as a memento of an extremely interesting experience. With the exception of the wild elephant and the even rarer lion, I bagged good specimens of most of the best known varieties of Indian big game. And I am sure that every sportsman who has visited India will pay tribute to the good nature and kindly helpfulness of the vil- lagers, the nomads, the shikaris, the foresters, and all the other folks who live in the wilder districts. : I found that sport brought me into closer contact and sympathy with the people than anything else; and I did not at all regret the Indian fashion of hospitality, which takes the form of arranging shoots by way of compliment to the visiting stranger. Christopher Columbus in Works of Art in the United States Capitol. W from Tenth Page ecourt from the convent La Rabida, near Palos (the wishing panel), 3. Audience at court of Ferdinand and Isabella. -4.. Departure of Columbus from Palos on his first voyage of discovery. 5. Columbus landing on the Island of San SBalvador and claiming the new land in the name of the King of Spain, 6. Encounter with the Indians, . Columbus enters Barcelonia triumphant. 8. Columbus in chains. 9. Death bed of Columbus. The great admiral died at Vallacolid May 20, 1506, at the age of 70 years. His last words were, “Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.” Thirty years after his death his re- the cathedral of San that name. In 1796, control of the island, the remains of Columbus were removed¢ to Havana. The recent hurricane, which almost devastated the island of San Domingo, did not harm the ancient church where the bones of Columbus had lain, Between each scenic panel of the door is a head representing an historian of the voyage of Columbus and his followers. Among these 10 heads we find our own Washington Irving and W. H. Prescott, Randolph Rogers, the sculptor of this mar- velous work of art, was an American anc self- taught. He was born in New York in 1825 and died in Rome in 1892, He was a young man, hardly 30 years old, when he went to Rome to model and design the door for the United States Capitol, and he was engaged in the execution of this work only four years. The famous doors were cast in bronze in Munich at the Royal Bavarian Foundry in 1860 by Ferdinand von Miller, a founder of world-wide reputation. The Rogers original models are stll in the possession of the Royal Bavarian Foundry. A duplicate set, however, was presented by the sculptor to the University of .Michigan at Ann Arbor, the artist's boy- hood.- home. These. models were injured by troops. quartered..at the university curing .the World War, and casts were made from the door of the Capitol in order to repair the dam- aged. models, After the door was cast in Munich it was put together and packed in one huge box. The erated Coor was 8o large that it could not pass through the various gates on the road to the were then shipped ted States, where Inwmlydnsmmnmundedlwme Capitol were exhibited throughout the Na- tion. Following this practice the Governo? of Indiana requested the Rogers door for exhi- his State. His plea was denled be- the great weight and size of the . It was also feared that the deli- eate designs might become injured by fre- quent shipments and unskilled handling. 3 After the visitor passes through the elegant Columbus doors he is confronted by the eight This picture, like the Discovery group, has been severely criticized. Vandcilyn has been accused of employing French artists to paint the picture. But such stories have been cir- culated about most of the great artists, and it is known that Vanderlyn signed the paint- ing and was paid $10,000 for it. Although it is a thin, somewhat flashy painting it still stands in the minds of the American public as a great work of art, In the foreground is Columbus, his plumed hat flung on the ground; his sword un- sheathed, holding in his left hand the Spanish flag as he takes possession of the new land in the name of Ferdinand, King of Spain. The two adventurous hbrothers, Martin and Vincert Pinzon, each carry a pennant on which is the green cross—the admiral's de- vicee Even the flags in this picture have been subjected to criticism because they blow in different directions. Some unobserving critics have thought that the artist painted them contrarywise for artistic effect, but Van- derlyn was right, as any one may determine for himself by watching groups of flags or similar objects waving in the breeze. Just behind Columbus is a friar bearing a crucifix, and even at the moment of this solemn cere- mony the artist pictures members of the crew groveling in the sand for gold. John Vanderlyn, the artist, was born in Kingston, N. Y., in 1776, and he died there in 1852. He was a pupil of Gilbert Stuart and a protege of Aaron Burr. He painted many distinguished men of his time. With them were Washington, Monroe, Madison and Calhoun. His best work is a painting en- titled “Marius Among the Ruins of Carthage.” This picture was greatly admired by Napoleon, but the artist refused to sell it to the French government because he desired his best work to remain in America. Despite his brilliant career as an artist and his popularity in the prime of life, Vander- lyn’s last days were unhappy and unfortunate; he died penniless and alone in a hotel in his native town in New York. “The Landing of Columbus” was installed in the rotunda of the Capitol in 1846, six years before the tragic death of the artist. ‘HE next commemoration in the Capitol of the intrepid navigator is Heaton's great painting, “The Recall of Columbus.” It hangs on the gallery floor of the Senate lobby op- posite the painting “The Battle of Lake Erie.” ‘The artist, Augustus George Heaton, was an American and a Washingtonian. He sold this picture to the United States Government in 1884 for $3,000. “The Recall of Columbus,” which depicts the turning point in the life of the explorer, was painted in Paris in 1882, after studies made by the artist at the scene of the event, which occurred near Granada, Spain. Columbis was 60 years old at the time, he had made his lat appeal for financial aid to Ferdinand and Isabella, and he had been refused. - Discourged, but not defeated, he then started on his way to seek help from the King of France. After the departure of Columbus from the Spanish court some of his friends begged Isabella to . sanction the expedition. She yielded to their persuasions and determined, if necessary, to sacrifice her jewels to finance this unprecedented adventure. In her zeal she sent a mounted messenger in haste after Columbus, who was overtaken on the bridge of Pinos, midway between Santa Fe - and Granada. The picture shows the . delivery:of- the message—the recall to the court of Queen Isabella—and all the world knows the rest of the story. i Columbus rides a friendly white mule, har- nessed in red, while the dismounted messen- ger stands courteously beside his spirited black Andulasian steed. With Columbdl§ is & muleteer, impatient by the delayed journey, and a credulous mounted companion. Beside the road an old gypsy gazes curiously upon the scene, while a little child shrinks from the messenger’s restive steed. The face of Co- lumbus was copied from an authentic painting ered the greater of the two pictures. This vivid painting is one of the most inspiring works of art in the Capitol. It tells its story- simply—the story of hope after failure—of a friendly hand to a dreamer of dreams—of the rosy dawn ‘of success after a lifetime of de- feat and despair—from this caldron of de- termination and confidence, is it any wonder that new worlds were discovered? (Copyright. 1930.) Industry’s Toll. carelessness that seems to surround most industries resulted in the death in the quarries of the country last year of 126 work-- men and injury to 9,810 others. As there were . only slightly more than 85,000 employed in this work, the figures indicate that practically oneé in eight so engaged were victims of accidemt during the year. Limestone workers seemed %0 have suffered most, with cement: rock and j granite workems mext in 'line. '‘The’greater-plit of the~injuries’ octurted it ‘the’ quarries them<™! selves through slides and falls. -