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The Index-Journal from Greenwood, South Carolina • Page 14

Publication:
The Index-Journali
Location:
Greenwood, South Carolina
Issue Date:
Page:
14
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

THE INDEX-JOURNAL, GREENWOOD, S. TAGS BIX mm "7 J. tax 77 i 1 fc'- Sill) 0 One of Captain Cook'e former pete; a black tear feamtd Toga, ia ahowa taking an apple from bia maatat'a Seven-Year-Old Boy Visions Adventures and Then Sees TV iPi Every One of Them Fulfilled in Far-Avf Places of the World IMLlTif it1 ri IV I' I I V1' raisiCR i retired rC'Jlr jlv. Hjffll 'ILI. txcltlng adventun there was the By Carol Elrd Y.I --tlr-, S-VV-fi I began (o think hov fine it would be to have ocean races In small boats.

"Perhaps my greatest adventure began when my mother waa killed In an accident. I' received the newt by cable when 1 in Africa and 'went to 1 lost my nerve So I decided to go Into the unexplored Jungle and there either get killed or restore my nervous system, and regain my pluck. One night in the Jungle effected a cure. "On this African trip, which lasted six and a half months, I covered more than 3000 mile on foot without a safari. I shot forty-eight leopards one while was on top of me.

and after he had clawed my leg and chest I had one native boy to carry ammunition, but no guide. I went through Kahmaaland as far as Portuguese West Africa." DURING his African adventures. Captain Cook learned to speak Zulu and Kaffir, and this helped him in his en-counters with natives. Also, he had cul- tlvated a certain philosophy that stood turn in good stead. "I he said, "that the white man was actually tha trespasser in this wild country.

So I wis always careful not to shoot any of the native. Most white people, getting Into a close place, sjart shooting and spear and piiyuj rtur voung tnon were ot having don th deed 80 the witch doctor prepared a bowl ul poison; and th suspect, bad 'drinl some of It. 1 warned th chief that any of the suspected lads died I wouW shoot him, for this once I felt obliged Interfere In native customs. "IT IS up to th chief to decld wnetbet to brew a strong or a weak poisonous potion. Ordinarily, in a tr'al by poison, as soon as th suspected person get dixxy, wavers and topples over, he la killed, for he 1 then supposed to have revealed his guilt of whichever crime wa accused.

In. this! case, however, each youth drink some of th brew, wavered a little, but managed to keep ta his feet and did not fall, So they war absolved of th crime and native of another tribe cam under th cloud of suspicion. About this time In bis career. Captain Cook witnessed the only known Jungi fight between a Hon and two leopard. In which the Hon killed both of th othef beast.

"It wa a very remarkable sight." said the captain describing It "It happened on a full-moon night and while I sat out on a branch of a tree Th whole thing occurred because a femala leopard killed i gazelle. The lion cam along and the leopard flew at him. Another leopard came to her assistance and landed on tha Uon'a back, i Th only way the Jungle king could dUlodg him waa to roll over and over on htm. with hi 600 pounds. Soon both leopard were "Then.

In 1913, 1 married. When th World War came I volunteered and served a lieutenant in th nary on an' American ahlp hi foreign water. Back In America, I returned to my animal and bird and friend. Jck London waa one of my pal and tha cruise of th IT IS one of the Ironies ot U(e that turn an being seldom "make their dreams xute true." They rarely ever reach their "Castles in Spain." The things one plana to do in youth have a way of flszllng out to maturity. tut there is one man who, at 58 ml) I he has realized all the personal adventures by land; sea and air which be wanted at the age of 7 to achieve.

He Is Captain Percy A. Cook, ot Scotch Plains, N. nd Cook Island, of! the coast of Florida. He has, apparently, followed the exact course he charted boyhood. When tie was 7 year ot age and living In ClUalehurst.

England, his father said to- him on day: "Sonny what do you wunt to ba oi do when you grow up?" Perhaps oecause he had been (easting his mind on adventure yarns: or mayhap because, possessed of a vivid Imagination, he had spun exciting plana at play, trie lad promptly replied: "I want to bt a sailor, ah officer at I want to chase pirates slavers and fight 'in wars. I want to live in the- United Suites of America! sail lll I- I jxml Cpli Cook with Bok CrUr I xX 4 the tropical Uland he wBt I around tha world in a sailing ship and a my own yacht, want to have birds from aU over the I want the Urne when ha was charged an African lion for a pet. and babootvs mof tna" to on(klU-and monkeys, too. I want aTeollectlon him. Be ha engaged in plgmv ",1 n'lmmlnc UIITICU IIUIllrB AUQ I1C OH UCCU UI UW ot paintings of ship and a Jgnark waa hatched up In my dining room.

companies cam to take picture when they required Jungla setting. At the Scotch Plain bout Captain Cook- ha a trophy room filled with reminder ot hi far-flung Journey around the world, and be also has a fin collection of marina painting thus fulfilling still another part of tha 7-year-old Percy' dream of a grand Ufa, CAPTAIN COOK wa asked to "stax at the 'beginning" of hi colorful existence, so that one could get the events In logical sequence. began unfolding the tapestry: "I was bom In 1883 In -Chlslehurst, England. I ised to spend ray summers on a small brigantln around the English coast'. Later waa trained for the British Nary, and was a seagoing officer at 17, While still at school 1 enjoyed thrills, tor I went out to wrecks at 11 as a member of tha crew i on lifeboats.

"My school daya were Ilka tale out of Dickens. While at aea I wa surrounded by animal pets, and alway had monkeys and baboon aboard the ship. At noma I had a' regular menagerie, too. At 17 I signed on aa a naval officer In the Boer War. Coming back from tha front I left and Joined the South African light Horse, and waa a captain at 18 Wounded.

I was sent back to the ship. When 1 got back to England signed at an officer 6q a uuar-rigged tailing hip. going around the world. It was laid up In Australia, ao I Joined an ex ri-: -r-" V'if i i i i' iw i' mobile and yacht race and piloted planes. "Perhaps my adventurou lf-or my yearning for It can be traced to.

the tact that 1 am a direct descendant of tha famous circumnavigator, Captain James Cook, who discovered Australia. New Zealand and the Hawaiian Island, and wa killed and eaten there by native la 1T7V said Captain Cook, at hi Summer home in Scotch Plains. N. J. It ImM UiU home that Captain Cook fulfilled some of his boyhood plant.

Here tie hat installed a big swimming pool And here be has had "a full-grown African lion" for a pet. as per h)s boyish dream. "But I've also had a lot of other pets a sort of menagerie and also avtariea tilled with strange bird." said tha captain. "On of my hobble ha been to get wild animal and train them. Tha African lion I bought from a circus.

.1 bad my arm ripped open tha first day, but' that was because I didnt understand nun then. Later got to be great friend. "Ha used to tab a piece of meat out of my mouth. I also had a couple of leopards, about fifteen bear, baboons, monkeys, ape, orang-utan and chlm--pantees, kangaroo, wolves of all kinds, ant-eater. An ocelot, an, Australian wallaby, a New Guinea one-wattle cassowary that had killed a Chinaman by pool of my own.

I want to own a epical island. Co where no white man ha ever been before. And I want to tf In the air" (there were no airplanes. Urn. only balloons).

t. V- 1 i TODAY Captain Cook lks hack upon so adventurous, a career that, his ex-periences sound like tales, from Baron Munchausen He has fulfilled, he says, tli dreams of the adventiire-greedy little boy. tie la an adventurer, an -plorcr. sailor, author, naturalist lecturer, radio speaker. He has bad thrill-tng adventures In unexplored Africa and tea experiences In many parts ot the world.

Including thrills on an expedition to the 'Solomon or Cannibal He 1 an ex-officer In the Dnlted Bute and BrlUsh Navies, and. ha had active service in the World and Boer Wars, i-fte Is a member of the 'Adventurers Club of New York. He bas made a 3000-mile trek on foot, which lasted sis and a half months, through Africa without provisions camp equipment or safari. He bas been charged Id the open by Ulna baffalo; has shot forty-eight -leopards, many of them attacking and ana landing on top of him. ba shot a lion on top of a native.

He ha been treed all night by mora than 100 hy-enas. A fight between a lion and two 1 feopards was watched by tha captain who was hidden a few feet away. Once he witnessed a fight between two teopards and forty baboon. He has Men on native lion bunt. And once la aaw a witch doctor "trial by oolson." I "Shortly after the World War began to think about that tropical Island bad.

at T. yearned to own. especially one' where pirates one had roamed. Well I bought such an Island and own It now. rva picked up flintlock pistol and cannon ball there.

living there. 1 get away from economic concerns and civilisation. People in cities art ilk timid mica, scurrying her and there. 1 do what 1 plea on my Island, I Ilk to for one thing. nerr wear sock I hst They merely spell lack of personality.

People ought to be atrong enough to do a they please, provided they do no WTong. "ON THE Island I flan a great dtal hoot my flsb with bow and arrow. Just aa tha FIJI Wanders do. shot a forty-nine-pound fish that way. hare done a lot of harpooning, learning that from throwing spears in Africa with th natives, Somewhere, in between all this, took up aviation and automobile racing.

So, you sea, IT mad all tha dream coma true except for tailing around the world In my own boat and perhapa IH do that yet." 8o get busy on your own unfuLlaed dreams I you can make at least om of them coma true IT you are courageous enough and banish fear. "Fear, say Captain Cook, "i man's greatest enemy. Conquer that and you cava the by tha taiir Captain Cook fcera hold aa of hi Bio Orpington cocka valued at $1000 pedition on a tcnooner to in canruoai disemboweling him on the ship coming or Solomon Island. I had numerous 1 killing; and then trouble begins. preferred to tax the native sfent One tha captain had the rar ex-, perlenc of witnessing! a witch doctor "trial by poison." He said ot it: "This was something rarely seen by a whit man.

Th trial by poison wa conducted by a witch doctor, in order to adventure there: seven of our crew were half day In a thlrty-ilx-foot boat alone in tha Indian Ocean. had no food except a pair of leather aea boot, which I at. "I sailed mora than 800 miles. As a result of that hazardous experience t-riglnated the race that goe semiannually to Bermuda, After being through a terrific gala In that small boat my Imagination became active, and over. And pheasants, cranes, duck and other fowl.

"My place looked Dke a Jungle I had banana trees and palms growing In profusion. Thousands of sightseer used to cm out here, and motlon-plctur killed by th native!" Following hi experiences at tea camr land adventure, and these war thriller-year, too, for the captain. Bald he. rr living, tn mixiory, aoma of the hah find tha person guilty of a crime. chiefs broth, had beea wound i.

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About The Index-Journal Archive

Pages Available:
672,283
Years Available:
1919-2024