"Dr. Saxton Pope...relates how...he invaded Africa and the haunts of the lion-the first long-bowmen to do so...many of the lions they shot...interestingly told." -Daily Telegraph, Sept. 21, 1926
"Rousing personal narrative of two American archers in Africa who attacked big game in Africa without fire-arms, using only the bow and arrow." -Hartford Courant, June 27, 1926
"Archery enthusiasts Saxton Pope, Arthur Young, and Stewart Edward White journeyed to British East Africa for the purpose of demonstrating the effectiveness of the bow and arrow upon the larger species of wild animals, lions being especially desired...they frequently had to...save themselves from extermination by attacking beasts." -Book Review Digest (1927)
"Together with his companion, Stewart Edward White and Arthur Young, the author has proved by his hunting adventures in Africa, that lions may be killed with a bow and arrow." -Books for All (1926)
His companion being mauled by a leopard, how did the godfather of modern archery, Saxton Pope, manage to survive charging lions, armed only with bow and arrow, during his archery big game expedition in East Africa?
In 1926, Saxton Temple Pope (1875 -1926) would publish a narrative of his exciting East African archery safari that was focused primarily on lions and rhinos. It is this book of 200 pages that has been republished here for the convenience of the interested reader.
In introducing his book, Pope writes:
"Since the epoch of the Crusades, no archers shooting the English long bow and the broadhead arrow have...ever loosed a flying shaft in that continent of mighty beasts. It was therefore with a profound feeling of the romantic significance of the event that we planned to carry the legend of the long bow into the jungles of Africa. We were to journey to the last stronghold of big game; we were to make a holy pilgrimage to the Mecca of all mighty hunters; we had set ourselves the task of vindicating the honor of the arms of our English forefathers with the yew long bow and the broadhead arrow."
About the author:
Saxton Temple Pope (1875 - 1926) was an American doctor, teacher, author and outdoorsman. He is most famous as the father of modern bow hunting, and for his close relationship with Ishi, the last member of the Yahi tribe and the last known American Indian to be raised largely isolated from Western culture. He authored the book "Hunting with the Bow & Arrow."
