The Last Ivory Hunter
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Product Description
A chance meeting around a safari campfire on the banks of the Mupamadazi River leads to the grand tale of African adventure by Peter Capstick, the foremost hunting author of our time. Wally Johnson spent half a century in Mozambique hunting white gold--ivory. Most men died at this hazardous trade. He's the last one able to tell his story.
In hours of conversations by mopane fired in the African bush, Wally described his career--how he survived the massive bite of a Gaboon viper, buffalo gorings, floods, disease, and most dangerous of all, gold fever. He bluffed down 200 armed poachers almost single-handedly, and survived rocket attacks from communist revolutionaries during Mozambique's plunge into chaos in 1975. In Botswana, at age 63, Wally continued his career. Though the great tuskers have largely gone and most of Wally's colleagues are dead, Wally has survived. His words are rugged testimony to an Africa that is now a distant dream.
Spotlight Customer Reviews:
Summary:
Good book that certainly entertains from start to finish
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Comment:
This should stand as one of Capstick's better offerings as a researcher and author. Without question, this is a good book from start to finish. The man who inspired the project, Walter Johnson, was a seventy-year throwback from the golden days of African hunting when survival was a daily struggle. The adventures and accomplishments of his life could have easily been lost with the passage of time were it not for the literary stage provided by Peter Capstick. In these pages, Walter was able to tell his story and by the time he was finished, everyone had profited. When I wonder about the truly great and inspiring lives that never get a written record in history I am truly glad that these two men managed to meet in the middle of Africa back in 1987. I am unable to give a full review of this novel without giving away some of it's secrets but I will say that each chapter describes a period in Walter's life in a very entertaining way. The subjects covered read like an adventures almanac, life and death, rags to riches, trophy's won ,friends lost and the political strife that ultimately cost him a lifetimes worth of possessions. With Capstick's assistance Walter puts it all together in this small but significant piece of Africana. When it comes to learning the hard lessons of life in a hard place on the globe, this one is a keeper.
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Summary:
I thoroughly liked this book!
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Comment:
This is a great book. Peter Capstick is a great writer and Wally Johnson represented what and how Ivory Hunting was. He didn't carry a fancy overpriced double, but instead carried whatever he could get his hands on. You can't go wrong with this book, buy it!
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Summary:
A collection of delightful although far-fetched stories from a remarkable man
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Comment:
The format of "The Last Ivory Hunter" is very good. Peter Capstick has blended the words of Wally Johnson and his own comments into a very interesting story. Wally's words are in block letters throughout the text and Capstick's are in itallics. This is very important because many times with the text alone it would be nearly impossible to tell who the speaker is.
This was one of Capstick's most delightful works. I know! I've heard all of the comments about how far fetched many of the events in this book are and I couldn't agree more. I didn't say that it was Capstick's finest work, only that it was delightful.
There were many parts of the story such as when Wally claims to have made a driveshaft for his Land Rover from the branch of a mopane tree and drilling the holes to mount it with steel-jacketed solids that are, well ... a bit difficult to believe. Then there was the time that he patched a hole in the crankcase of an engine with an animal hide and drove more than a hundred miles on five cylinders. But let's put the story in perspective.
This is not a biography, but the remininiscence of an old man who was relaying events from his life to a writer who recorded them. This is the story of a remarkable man who despite exaggerations and embellishments lived an extraordinary life in Mozambique during an era that is gone forever.
There was no need to build up the true story. But as is so often the case, from the viewpoint of the story teller the truth would sound a bit bland. Spicing the story up more than a little bit seems to be an art that old men use to hold the listener's attention. Wally told these stories with his own brand of spice and Capstick undoubtedly added a bit of poetic license at times. There were times while reading Capstick's comments that I had the feeling that he was having problems believing some of the far fetched tales himself. To his credit as the man who chronicled the stories, he wrote them as Wally told them, to allow the reader to filter out fact from fiction.
I can picture Wally telling these stories to me. Sitting in a rocker on a wooden porch telling another stretcher with a twinkle in his eye. He would watch me very closely, wondering how far he could take this one before I caught on. In respect for the old man I would listen until it just became too much to accept and I would finally ask, "Do you expect me to believe that one Wally?"
He'd stop, take a long pull on his pipe and narrow his brow. Then look me straight in the eye with the gritty response. "You weren't there dammit!"
Read "The Last Ivory Hunter" with this mindset. Understanding that it is likely the only written record of the life of a truly remarkable man. Forgive him the obvious embellishments, such as having killed more than 1300 elephants and standing off two-hundred armed poachers virtually unarmed and you will find it to be a delightful story.
I gave it a five star rating because I found it to be an enjoyable and entertaining read when taken in perspective.
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Summary:
The Last Ivory Hunter
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Comment:
I thought the last Ivory Hunter was a great book. This book is filled with short stories that are filled with adventure. The stories are easy to read and exciting. Your attention is never lost. Another thing that makes this book interesting is the fact that it is based off true and authentic stories. This book showcases the life and times of one of the greatest hunters of the world Wally Johnson. In the book Wally is faced with impossible odds witch he must overcome to survive time in time again. He must overcome the harsh environment of Africa as well as himself. This book is also very to relate with. Wally seems like the typical ,"guys guy," but he is forced into becoming much more than just a man. Wally not only struggles to maintain his life but the life of his fellow hunters, and friends. I'm also a hunter myself so I can relate to the thrill of hunting game. This book also contains fascinating pictures that go along with his tales. For example Wally has a picture of a man eating lion witch he killed on a hunt in central Africa. This book is a very fast read. Its hard to put down. If you like animals this is the book for you. In every chapter Wally hunts a new species of animal. He hunts anything from deer to the coveted jumbo elephant. In the book he tells stories of bring down elephants with tusks that weigh nearly 200 pounds each. If you have any interested in big game or hunting this book is a god fit for you. Its hard to imagine hunting animals 3 times the size of cars. As you begin to read the book you realize that Wally is not always the one doing the hunting.
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Summary:
Capstick and Johnson - Two Peas in a Pod.
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Comment:
Approach this book with more caution than you would a wounded cape buffalo in the jess. An accomplished hunter, I have read extensively on the subject of elephant hunting. I have completed all elephant hunting works written in the English language by the great elephant hunters of yesteryear including those written by Walter Bell, James Sutherland, Arthur Neumann, William Finaughty, Jose Pardal, and Dennis Lyell. Furthermore, I have completed all works written in English by the contemporary elephant hunters Tony Sanchez-Arino, Sten Cedergren, Richard Harland and the late Harry Manners and Ian Nyschens.
Peter Capstick's "The Last Ivory Hunter" is the story of the late ivory hunter Wally Johnson and his many adventures in the African Bush. Although these tales are written by Capstick, they appear in Mr. Johnson's own words. The problem with this, however, is that Mr. Johnson, like Capstick, has a tendency to exaggerate; and therefore, many of Mr. Johnson's exploits are impossible to believe. For example, Mr. Johnson claims to have shot more elephants than Walter "Karamojo" Bell, whose total was precisely 983 specimens. This, however, is factually inaccurate for Tony Sanchez-Arino, in his monumental "Elephant Hunters, Men of Legend," reports Mr. Johnson's true total of only "several hundred."
There are many more improbable exploits, many of which are outrageous and some even make me laugh like fisi himself. However, I have chosen to give the work two stars instead of one. The book does contain several black and white photographs of Robert Ruark that are in themselves worth the purchase price as I had never seen them before the publishing of this work. Perhaps this explains why my copy is still in my collection and not presently listed on eBay as I loathe being lied to.
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