Bell was mentioned in several military despatches and finished with the rank of Captain. His first military flying role was in Tanganyika.
His malaria was I understand contracted during his later war service in the Balkan region, which affected millions of servicemen.
Bell spent some yrs after the war recuperating from illness , before venturing back to Africa in 1921 for was to be his last dedicated
ivory safari conducted in west and central Africa, around the Niger and Bahr Aouck rivers.
Yup, quite the man. They sure don't make 'em like him anymore.
I think those same type of spirited & driven individuals are still out there, but the world has changed, Africa and the world is no longer what it was then,
with the loss of natural habitat and animals numbers, along with all the red tape and regulation of todays regions, which btw the effects of which were
already creeping in on Bell...He avoided Sth Africa ,because he was already aware its animals stocks had been decimated by white Europeans. In other
parts with worthwhile elephant numbers, regulation already required a fee to be paid by ivory hunters to the colonial power, and only allowed a small
quota, additional fees were required if they wanted to take more elephant...but in other regions, Bell only had to negotiate(and trade) with the native
rulers of the lands he wanted hunting access to. Along with regulated areas came of course the associated corruption of colonial rep. staff and officials.
Also, I dont know how a 13 yr old boy today in a western 1st world country from an established family name , could just run away from home and school
to join the navy...whereas it was only in 1900, that UK raised the minimum legal age of boy miners working in horrendous underground coal-mines to 13.
His family were in part correct that Africa had already been shot out of elephant and thus discouraged him from wanting to hunt African
elephant. But he was aware of other regions without that problem, and disregarded their sweeping statement.
THROUGH THE SUDD OF THE GELO RIVER
"AT the time of which I write, about 1908, the wild countries flying around the western and south-western base of the Abyssinian plateau seemed to us
to present the most favour- able field of operations. And as the boundaries had not yet been delimited between Abyssinia and the Sudan on the one
hand and Abyssinia and Uganda on the other, we felt that there would be more scope for our activities in that region than elsewhere. The object was
elephant hunting.
In order to reach this country we were obliged to cross Abyssinia. -We took steamer to Djibuti on the Red Sea, ascending thence by railway to the then railhead,
Dirre Doua, and then by horse, camel and mule to Addis Abeba, the capital. Here, the only trouble we had was from our own legation.- Our representative regar-
ded every English traveller in the light of being a potential source of trouble to him personally, and was at little pains to conceal his thoughts. -Luckily, we had
been recommended financially to the bank, and this fact smoothed our path. Apparently, in these matters the main question is whether one is the possessor of a
few hundred pounds or not. If so, zeal in helping the traveller on is forthcoming ; but if not, every obstacle is put in the way of his ever making any progress.
In one of our colonies I was once asked bluntly by the Government representative if I had any money. Of course, the poor man was merely trying to do his duty ;
but before I could think of this I had replied, " Precious little." Throughout my stay in his province he regarded me with the gravest suspicion.
Along the route from Addis Abeba to Gore in the west we were much pestered for presents by the Abyssinian military governors.
We had been warned about this and were supplied with some auto- matic pistols. They invariably turned these down and tried to get our rifles, but as invariably
accepted the pistols. These gentry have to be reckoned with, as it is within their power to hold up the traveller by simply declaring the road to be dangerous."
-W.O.A.E.H-(page 78)
