Hornaday, W. T. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1877-06-11)

Transcription

Ootacamund, Neilgherry Hills, Saturday June 18th 1877

Dear Prof. Ward:

Well, I am back from my trip to Muddi Mullai Forest that I expected would turn out so well, and I am sorry to say it was almost a failure. We had a hard time getting there, and when we did get there found the natives very unkind & disobliging.

My companion, Scott, soon turned out to be a regular dead beat in every respect, brought no money with him, and as it proved, precious little provisions, he and his man expecting to live on me, as they did the other time. He was too lazy to do anything, and so under the above circumstances I soon made it so hot for him that he picked up and came home, leaving me alone in my glory. We built a sort of [??] to live in of nights, as we could not get even a roof to shelter us when it rained from the miserable natives, and there were no Europeans in the country. Well, every day I took a native & went out hunting, and killed 2 gaur and 1 [male] Rusa Aristotelus. Took a skin & skel of the former, skin of latter. It rained *every* day I believe, and it was a *dead drag* right along. I got on good terms with the natives at last

and then they assisted me a little more. I had just my Madras servant with me only. I got 1 Cervulus Aureus. [male] skin, 1 Rusa Aristotelus, [male] skin. 2 Gavatus Gaurus, [male], 1 skin, 1 skel. 3 Presbytis priamus, 1 skin, 2 skels. 3 Sciurus Malabaricus, skins and 1 Pteroniys petaurista, skin. It was an unhealthy place, and the natives warned us to get out. Though not at all satisfied I prepared to get out-- after a stay of 13 days-- and while we were packing our things the fever caught me. I tried my best to fight it off but the way it took the life out of me from the first was something fearful.

Well, by desperate work my servant & I reached Ooty at the end of the 2nd day, the subscriber feeling more dead than alive. But we left the bullock cart behind 12 miles., at the foot of the Ghant to get on as fast as possible. As soon as we arrived my servant dropped down, also sick with fever. I came up the Ghant on a gentleman's horse. Capt Campbell came along, found me lying loosely at the roadside with no way to get on, so he kindly dismounted & put me on his horse,

and so brought me to my hotel. Then I had a Dr., and in three days he told me the fever was gone from me, for good and all. This morning I started out regularly for business, but am very weak & light headed. I never was so fearfully weakened in so short a time. The fever itself did not amount to anything, it was the weakness. Yesterday my servant prayed me in the name of my God, to send him home to Madras, or else he would die of the fever here. This morning he came at me again, and when I gave him his R.R. fare and told him to git out lively, the heathen actually went down on his marrow-bones to thank me.

Well, the man with the cart & our things was delayed on the road, got sick, and the evening of the 4th day from the time we left him he fetched up here, nearly dead with *Cholera*. The load had been rained on and soaking wet nearly all that time, and the big Gaur skin-- that was killed only 2 days before we started home-- was totally ruined. Before starting I dosed it heavily with salt & alum, and it was in beautiful condition, but the steady wetting it got ruined it.

If I had been well, it would have been saved, that's *certain*. I regret it very much, but could not have helped it, to have saved my own skin. The rest are saved in good order, having been dry before starting. The skin with the hair all coming off I have sold to a tanner here, together with another skin from a young [female] gaur too young for either skin or skel. (I kept the skulls of both).

I had planned a return trip to Muddi Mullai Forest especially for Elephants, immediately after this, but the fever has spoiled it all, and the Dr. tells me I must not go back there. While hunting there I one day saw *2 herds of elephants*, and stalked an old tusker to within *thirty feet*. There were 2 [male], 3 [female], adult, and 2 young ones in the herd. I at one time was within fifteen yards of the entire herd., the elephants feeding quietly in a semicircle round me. Oh! What a temptation! What an *aggravation*! I had no license to kill an elephant, and the fine is Ro 250 for each one. How *easily* I could

[page number:] 2

have put a couple of big balls into one of those broad foreheads. I stalked that old *tusker* six or eight times with perfect success, to within 8 or 10 yards, I could *easily* have gone up & caught hold his tail. Well, I planned to go back there & bring back his skeleton and one other so cheaply that you would be astonished. But alas! for us both, the fever caught me. The Dr. said it was fortunate for me my constitution is so good, or I would not get rid of it for a long time. I took *every care* of myself down there that I could think of, & felt *jolly* until the fever came. It was the awful water, of which I *had* to drink some.

Well, I don't know how you feel about it Prof, but I'm pretty nigh disheartened over the last months operations and expenses. I enclose my expense a/c for May, and the total is simply terrific, especially since there is nothing to show for it. I feel like I ought to explain something, but I don't know what. I've been as economical as I know *how* to be without going to extremes, and I've been hard at work all the time. Those two trips off hunting both disappointed me, and yet I

am told I did *very well* on this last one. Well now the question is, *what next*? I have a letter from Theobald, who is in the Annamallies. He says come to him, that his locality is the best in all Southern India for game, i.e. for a collector. Kindly offers me every assistance, & says he will promise to get permission for me to shoot 2 elephants in the adjoining Rajalis territory, as he *knows* the Madras Gov't will not give me permission to shoot elephants in the Gov't Forests. *But*, he says I will run the risk of catching the jungle fever if I go now. Now if the fever were out of the question my mind would be made up in ten minutes as to "what next." I have consulted my physician on the subject-- who is appointed here by Gov't, & draws Ro 2000 per month salary-- and he says "You must not go into any of the low forests now. The Annamallies are feverish just now, but in three weeks, or a month they will not be, owing to the Monsoon. I think you can go down there in safety in three weeks or a month." That's the Dr. on it.

He says I had better stick to the hills like other people for at least 3 wks more, as its at its hottest on the plains below. Now, I will write again to Theobald, and ask him if it is true that there is no (or little) fever there a month from this date. It is curious but there are times when the deadliest forests are clear of fever for a few months at a time. [Climate?] changes.

I am *very* anxious to go to the Annamallies, mainly because I have failed here, because it costs almost nothing to go there from the Coimbatore; because Theobald says it is the best place; and that I can do my work there cheaper than anywhere else; and especially do I want to go there to get out 2 elephant skeletons for you *cheap*. I *know* that if I went & kept my health I could bring out 2 skels at figures that would surprise you. I should make them a specialty & care little if I got nothing else. I feel it is my *duty* to get you those skels, myself, and not leave it for some one ot do here after at a high profit on you. How would you like to have *2* at Madras for £30-- one a tusker? Well, I could do just that provided I kept my health. Is it not worth the trial? Your letter

saying the Maley skeleton cost £50 makes me feverish to try my hand at them. From studying the ground I am sure it will be vastly easier to get at them here than in Ceylon. Well, we will see. In the meantime I will stop here, and busy myself with Black Monkeys, Porcupines, Ribfaced Deer, Jackal, &c &c. I *must* keep to the hills for a time, and will try to make good use of it. Am now sending out native hunters all over the hills, and they are sure to keep me supplied with work when they get fairly started.

Don't talk of Singapore yet. I have my hands full to work out of this part of India without making a total failure of it. But I will do it if I can get elephants in the Annamallies. But I know I will not be able to reach Singapore "with several $100", bad luck to me.

Well, we will see. Another letter from Theobald may cause me to throw up the sponge & go to Ceylon right off.

I will leave a correspondence for you here.-- Mr. G. A. R. Dawson, Naturalist & Taxidermist, who says he can send you anything. But I'll tell you all about him in my next.

[page number:] 3

I have your letter written from Moville. Am always eagerly anxious for letters from you, for each letter never fails to settle some important points in my mind. For instance, you said "You *may* be able to get Elephants on the Neilgherries," also "You are now in the Neilgherries"-- which convinces me that I did right in coming here &c &c.

In my last letter I wrote about the matter of my writing too much. It occurs to me now that I may have put it too strong, as I wrote about as I felt. But you must remember that according to the terms of our agreement I am running a great risk in this enterprise as well as yourself. If I get badly sick it is simply my ruination financially, even supposing I get well in the course of time. A very little sickness would knock my years work into nothing or even less. This time I lost four days from my work, and will count off four Sundays on which I worked against it, which I think is fair. I would never leave counted the Sundays except for that.

[Crossed off: I enclose a letter from Don Alfredo Dally Costa.]

Thanks for the nice photo of the Mammoth. it is very interesting. I will make up all my notes in shape & send you soon.

This letter has spun out to great length, but I can't talk sensibly and condense much. I believe I wrote you to please pay Mr. Lucas $25 plus interest for me.

With best wishes for the success of the Establishment I remain

Yours very sincerely

Wm T. Hornaday

Affiliation

Ward's Natural Science Establishment

Place sent from

Udagamandalam, Nilgiri Mountains, India

Ootacamund, Neilgherry Hills, India

Place sent to

Rochester, New York, United States of America

Tags

Hornaday, William T.

Collection

AW23 Ward (Henry Augustus) Papers (Rare Books, Special Collections and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester)

Citation

Hornaday, William T. (William Temple), 1854-1937, "Hornaday, W. T. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1877-06-11).", AW23 Ward (Henry Augustus) Papers (Rare Books, Special Collections and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester), Ward Project, accessed November 23rd, 2024, https://wardproject.org/items/show/2944

Transcribe This Item