>From "Rain Forest Memories" by Adam Redford, about his recent trip to >the Congo, from the December 1999 issue of Bow Hunter magazine. The Pygmies butcher their wild game in a manner that is guaranteed to shock American hunters They chop the animal to pieces on the ground without gutting or skinning first. Liquids from the internal organs get all over the meat, as do the flies, bees and beetles. Wild Pork is not cooked well-done before they partake. Meat is kept two to three days un-refrigerated. I refused to eat meat any way they prepared it, except when boiled on the day of the kill. With all the restrictions I placed on myself, I ended up losing 15 pounds on a frame that held no fat at the beginning of the safari. In the end, though, it's the little things that really challenge you. No shower or decent bath for three weeks. Every little scratch gets infected. Nothing but purified water to drink, Speaking a foreign language you're not very good at, and no English for the entire time. The insects and parasites that all want a piece of you (which includes the two-legged variety). The humidity that can cause your shoes to rot, your clothes to mildew and metal parts to rust. All of this leads one to ask, "Why do this?" Good question. Part of the answer is you can hunt big-game animals, some of which have never been taken by a modern archer -- like forest sitatunga, bongo, giant forest hog, red river hog, dwarf red buffalo and a wide variety of duikers. I managed to take one of these duikers -- a bay duiker -- by calling him in. This is a fascinating, and at times, hilarious way to hunt. There are about 10 different species ranging from a full-grown weight of 10 to 150 pounds. The Py mies make a sound similar to the wounded rabbit call we use to call predators in America -- except it is more nasal and it is mixed with grunting. Some duikers come sprinting in and often come extremely close. On more than one occasion, they actually leaped over the Pygmies who were sitting quietly, causing great confusion. The target may be close, but they are usually moving and the brush is very thick. Many innocent trees were wounded in the cross-fire. In addition to the huntable species in the Congo, you will interact with large, potentially dangerous animals rather than simply observe them in a zoo. The rapidly vanishing culture of the Pygmies remains intriguing -- from their songs to their intimate knowledge of wild edibles. There are still large sections of uncut, old-growth rain forest with huge trees and all the fascinating flora and fauna that dwell there. An encounter with the legendary dinosaur Mokele Mbembe is possible, or so a few civilized men who claim to have sighted him believe. You will be on your own, completely self-reliant, with your life on the line. If, as Peter Capstick once said, "An African safari is the greatest adventure modern man can indulge in legally," then a trip into the Congo is the greatest of the great. -- [log in to unmask] (Liza May)