Man Called Lion

nimrod375 · #1 10-31-2009, 09:25 PM

Just finished reading "A Man called Lion" by Capstick, biography of John 'Pondoro' Taylor. To say I'm disillusioned would be an understatment. Not that there's anything really wrong with the book, but I was surprised to find out that Taylor was a gay Irish muslim, and a self confessed poacher who was deported from Nyasaland and not allowed back into british africa. Without calling him an outright liar, Capstick alludes to the fact that many of the things Taylor wrote about aren't probable at all, considering the era in which he hunted and his circumstances etc. I haven't read African rifles and cartridges, or his other works, but I am familiar with some of his ballistic theories in particular Tayler Knock Out.

He claimed to have killed over 1500 elephants, four fifths of which he poached, and used over sixty different types of sporting rifles during his career. Capstick points out that even Bell didn't kill that many elephants, and as Taylor was pereptually broke and always out bush he would have had a lot of trouble getting hold of all those rifles. He also claimed to have killed seven eland with one 300gr solid from his .375 H&H.

Apparantly, he fired at one standing on the edge of the bush and when he walked up to claim it, found five others laying dead behind it scattered through the bush and another with a broken spine. The bullet then went completely through the trunk of a tree 5" in diameter before sailing off into the bush. (Where it probably went on to kill scores of other animals before circling the equator... but I need some of those for my .375 I think!)
In his later years back in London he firmly believed he could transport himself back to Africa with the power of his mind to see his adopted son over there. He told a friend that he had teleported to the village and was standing outside a native hut, and had to quickly dematerialize as a kid was running toward him and would have passed through his image and hit the hut...
That surely would be a useful skill for a jumbo hunter.

I think I'm still in shock after finishing this book today and though it was an interesting read, from now on I would have to take Taylor's writings with a big grain of salt. Brilliant hunter, complete fraud or just a strange and confused man? I'm not quite sure what to think of Pondoro now.

William Iorg · #2 11-01-2009, 07:47 AM

We’ve had part of this discussion before, right after the book came out. The sexual preference part was a surprise to me.
As to his beliefs, it is quite understandable that having “gone native” his thoughts became more and more like those he associated with.

Taylor’s books are good and display a knowledge of hunting and game which can only be acquired by having been there. Are some of the stories “embellished?” Perhaps.

The first Taylor book you should read should be: Big Game and Big Game Rifles. This is an interesting book.
Taylor’s American Rifleman articles are good too.

Whether we like it or not poaching was and is a way of life throughout Africa, just as smuggling was and is a way of life on the Northern and Southern borders of the United States. Because of African politics, hunting rules and regulations never made sense and it was quite difficult to move between the various Colonies as a hunter.

Both Capstick and O’Connor wrote in disparaging terms of Taylor as the internet and a few books have shown us.
Two books of interest to you may be the Gun Notes books, a compilation of Elmer Keith’s Gun Notes column from Guns & Ammo magazine. Each volume has a section of letters in the back from Keith, O’Connor and others who were close friends and associates.
As you look around you will find there was always great competition in the outdoor writing field and while many of the hunters liked one another there were groups and cliques. There was discussion between writers about what would sell and how to make books more interesting and marketable. Dennis Lyell’s book: African Adventure, Letters From Big Games Hunters will bring some of this into perspective.

For what it is worth I am not a big Capstick fan. His writing in general is not very interesting to me.
The best Capstick magazine article I have seen is from Guns and Ammo when Capstick was living in Florida and is about air rifles and hunting in his back yard. Capstick’s proposed eulogy is some of the best of his writing from any period.

“Airgun hunting is perhaps the microcosm of big-game stalking and shooting, perhaps even more demanding of the rifleman considering the cunning of the prey and the absolute precision of shooting required for humane, instantaneous death.
Perhaps the late and magnificent Jack O’Connor put it best in a long ago piece he wrote about the African lion in which, in the custom of the Great Lords of the Middle East of thousands of years back, it became traditional to identify the titles of the potentate, followed by the inscription, “HE HUNTED THE LION”.
Perhaps, one dark day they will say of Capstick, the Great White Hunter: “HE STALKED THE STARLING AND SAVAGED THE SPARROW; HE MET THE RAT IN THE DARLNESS”.
I also suspect a smaller inscription subscribed to those who hunted with me: “We however, have only his word for such deeds as it was well known he was half Irish.”

kdub · #3 11-01-2009, 10:16 AM

Working on one of Capstick's last books (in fact, his wife had to finish it after he died) called "Warrior" - the life and times of Richard Meinertzhagen. Sort of a Montague of tales beginning with India and later Africa service in the British army. Capstick mixes personal experiences and those of others while telling the story of Meinertzhagen, so its a bit hard to keep in context. Interesting reading, though.

nimrod375 · #4 11-01-2009, 01:14 PM

Apparantly Brian Marsh believed Taylor was the real deal from their conversations, and others who had hunted with him said he knew what he was doing in the bush.

Just strange and a little sad I guess that someone who obviously could hunt, did hunt and probably had some amazing true stories to tell would 'embellish' the truth to the point of absurdity.

Taylor knock out makes a lot of sense until you use the formula to compare the same weight projectile at roughly the same speed in two vastly different calibre cartridges, ie the 300gn weight in the .375 H&H compared to the .458 Win Mag loaded with the same weight pill. Obviously, sectional density being what it is that weight bullet in .375" will outperform the the fatter one by a large margin, 300gr .458's being medium game projectiles. (Taylor KO awards the .458 a higher value based purely on diameter)

But Taylor himself commented on this in a Game and Gun article, "Rhino in thick Bush", saying a smaller heavier bullet usually hits harder than a large lighter one.

I think he knew what he was talking about with a lot of this stuff, and Taylor KO is an alright formula for judging the effectiveness of a bullet. (I believe there is no formula that can be developed to really sort out stopping power - too many variables).

But for me he just embellished the truth a bit too much, as cited in man Called Lion.

If I can get a copy of african rifles and cartridges, I'll give it a go. I like Capstick, he has a candid and humourous writing style which reminds me of Rouarke.

Carpe Diem · #5 11-01-2009, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Taylor KO is an alright formula for judging the effectiveness of a bullet....

Uh, no it isn't - not the way most folks think it is. Here is what Taylor actually wrote:

"I do not pretend that they [TKOs] represent "killing power"; but they do give an excellent basis from which any two rifles may be compared from the point of view of the actual knock-down blow, or punch, inflicted by the bullet on massive, heavy-boned animals such as elephant, rhino and buffalo". (African Rifles and Cartridges, pg. xii)

Taylor stipulated that kinetic energy probably gives a surer indication of killing power - when expanding bullets on soft-skinned game are concerned - than other "formulas" try to do.

.

nimrod375 · #6 11-01-2009, 10:15 PM

This is getting off the subject, but foot pounds of energy of a given load, are fairly useless in determining the effectiveness of anything. It's the damage caused to vital organs by the passage of a bullet, not the energy imparted by that projectile, that kills an animal so the ft/lbs themselves are meaningless. If ft/lbs are the surest indication of killing power in expanding bullets on soft skinned game, then a .30/30 with 150gn soft points and a .22/250 with 50gr soft points should work in a similar fashion on body hits on large hogs - the energy levels are similar. The cartridges however, are worlds apart and the energy figures do not show this.

I believe Taylor was trying to get around this problem by incorporating bullet diameter into the equation. Unfortunately, he neglected the flip side to that equation, sectional density. Taylor admitted himself that some cartridges that worked very well in the field, such as his .375 H&H, did fare so well under his Knock Out system, and he wasn't sure why. Had he found a way to include sectional density relative to bullet diameters, this might have been different.

Not sure how de distinguishes a difference between killing power and knock down or punch, since no bullet made that can be fired from a hand held rifle has enough energy to 'knock' an animal over, and all animals that fall do so ultimately because of damage done to something that they needed to stand, like a shoulder or a brain.

Anyway getting back on subject, does anybody else reckon his other works are worth reading? I'm not sure now having read man called lion.

Kragman71 · #7 11-02-2009, 04:58 AM

I have Taylor's book "Pondoro" Last of the Ivory Hunters
It is well worth reading;even with his 'going native' and 'anti English' aspects.
I got no hint of any 'gay'qualities that he may have had.
I too,am not a big fan of Capstick.
Frank

William Iorg · #8 11-02-2009, 04:59 AM

I’ll get it started with a few specifics and then let someone else describe the books.

Taylor has empathy for the African that is not shared or well expressed by many of the hunters who wrote of their experiences.
Taylor shared their life and found time to help them with problem animals – maneaters, hippos and crocs. Taylor and Jim Corbett have a lot in common here.

Big Game and Big Game Rifles, African rifles and Cartridges and Maneaters and Marauders are very descriptive with regard to animals and everyday life in the bush, written by a man who was there.
Taylor’s description of buffalo curiosity in Big Game and Big Game Rifles is worth the price of the book.
Throughout African Rifles and Cartridges Taylor describes animal behavior and the life in Africa in a way that few before him were able to convey. Taylor was interested in rifles and cartridges and tried all that he could get a hold of and discussed the others with those who had used them. Taylor not only knew what worked, he was able to describe the successes and failures to his readers in a way that was informative and entertaining. The drawings of the cartridges and the pictures in this book are worth its purchase price.
Maneaters and Marauders brings Taylor to life as a human being who respected others, regardless of their circumstances in life.

There are a few books about Africa which describe the skill of the native bushman and tracker in a way that lifts him off the page and makes him real. Taylor succeeds as he relates the skills of the bushman/hunter.
Frederick Burnham in his two books: Taking chances and Scouting on Two continents does not have Taylor’s skill but he gets the message across.
Denis Lyell in his book Hunting & Spoor of Central African Game writes with skill equal to Taylor. Lyell was a hunter, tracker, rifleman and amateur ballistician too, all of this shows in his writing.

You’ve seen Taylor’s warts in A Man Called Lion; now take a look at the good side.

nimrod375 · #9 11-03-2009, 01:36 AM

Thanks for that. I might have to put my preconceptions aside and give his other works a chance by the sound of it. I wonder if Safari Press or any other publishing firm still has any of these in print?

William Iorg · #10 11-03-2009, 04:55 AM

Safari Press has all three in print.
Ask your Library for an interlibrary loan and preview them first.
Don’t overlook Advanced Book Exchange (abe) for used copies.

William Iorg · #11 11-03-2009, 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kragman71

I too,am not a big fan of Capstick.
Frank

We may get lynched!

Carpe Diem · #12 11-03-2009, 05:33 PM

Quote:

I believe Taylor was trying to get around this problem by incorporating bullet diameter into the equation.....Taylor admitted himself that some cartridges that worked very well in the field, such as his .375 H&H, did fare so well under his Knock Out system,...Not sure how de distinguishes a difference between killing power and knock down or punch...

If you actually bothered to read what he wrote instead of quoting what some other writers wanted him to mean, you would not ask such questions. He clearly did not intend the 'KO' values to mean anything other than what I quoted above. Taylor missquote abound - plenty of that's been going around for decades to prove someone else's pet theory.

/

kdub · #13 11-03-2009, 05:56 PM

Keep it nice or the thread gets closed. Disagreements are to be made in a gentlemanly manner.

Kragman71 · #14 11-04-2009, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Iorg

We may get lynched!

Fear Not.
Armchair hunters love to read his exciting tales.
Hunters with dirty boots and tired legs don't appreciate him,as much.
Frank

nimrod375 · #15 11-07-2009, 06:48 PM

Each to their own, but I've always enjoyed reading Capstick. He's probably told a few lies in his time, but then it's obvious Taylor and probably scores of other gun writers have thrown in their own embellishments to liven up stories. I enjoy Capstick's humerous and candid writing style and I think most of his ballistic observations are accurate.

Now I don't get agitated, after all this is just an online forum, but I love a good debate so Carpe Diem, let's leave the "other gun writers" and their opinions out of this, because what I said was what I believed Taylor was driving at with kis KO values. My belief, not some gun writer trying to prove his pet theory.

If you can explain to me how you and Mr Taylor can define a "knock down punch, or blow delivered by the bullet to massive animals", seperate from references to 'killing power', then please do because I don't understand.
Bear in mind it's a physical impossibility to knock a massive game animal, weighing perhaps several tonnes, off its feet with the force a bullet which might be about half inch diameter and may weigh one or two ounces. The only way that I can see that bullet making a big jumbo or rhino fall down is by injuring it seriously so it can't stand, or killing it outright, both of which outcomes reflect killing power.