Persistence Hunting & the 'Thriller in Manila'

WAXING LYRICAL (lower photo from 1990 has me sitting at front)

Now and again, we all get ‘sweet spot’ moments when ‘God is in his High Heaven and All is Right with the World’. Such Zen awakenings are rare but many of my best have occurred while running through the scrub or ‘shiggy’ in the rapidly closing Tropical Dusk - companionably.

I don’t know about you but I remember thinking several times during my youth that ‘I must remember this moment forever’ – I never did. On the other hand, I still have total recall of standing around a barbecue at Susannah Heights near Manila around 1999, with Hash mates like Squatta, Grumbles, Cahoots Cahoon, Buco and PrawnCrack – after a Great Run.

And there is nothing like waiting lost and paralyzed with fear in the jungle, as a posse of swaying flashlights moves towards you in rescue – accompanied by a raucous banter that is more than enough to see off any ill-natured cobras or kraits.

And nothing like being left there by the bastards – it that’s what they decide to do!

PERSISTENCE HUNTING [From Wikipedia]

In persistence hunting, hunters use a combination of running and tracking to pursue prey to exhaustion. Today, it's very rare and seen only in a few groups such as Kalahari bushmen and the Tarahumara or Raramuri people of Northern Mexico.

Persistence hunting requires endurance running – running many miles for extended periods of time. Among primates endurance running is only seen in humans, and persistence hunting is thought to have been one of the earliest forms of human hunting, having evolved 2 million years ago.

The persistence hunt may well have been the first form of hunting practiced by hominids. It is likely that this method of hunting evolved before humans invented projectile weapons, such as darts, spears, or slings. Since they could not kill their prey from a distance and were not fast enough to catch the animal, the only reliable way to kill it would have been to run it down over a long distance.

In this regard one has to bear in mind that, as hominids adapted to bipedalism they would have lost some speed, becoming less able to catch prey with short, fast charges. They would, however, have gained endurance and become better adapted to persistence hunting. The evolution of the distinctively human sweating apparatus and relative hairlessness would have given hunters an additional advantage by keeping their bodies cool in the midday heat.

During the persistence hunt an antelope, such as a kudu, is not shot or speared from a distance, but simply run down in the midday heat. Depending on the specific conditions, hunters of the central Kalahari will chase a kudu for about two to five hours over 25 to 35 km (16 to 22 mi) in temperatures of about 40 to 42 °C (104 to 108 °F).

The hunter chases the kudu, which then runs away out of sight. By tracking it down at a fast running pace the hunter catches up with it before it has had enough time to rest in the shade. The animal is repeatedly chased and tracked down until it is too exhausted to continue running. The hunter then kills it at close range with a spear.

The persistence hunt is still practiced by hunter-gatherers in the central Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa, and David Attenborough's documentary The Life of Mammals (program 10, "Food For Thought") showed a bushman hunting a kudu antelope until it collapsed. It is thought that the Tarahumara natives of northwestern Mexico in the Copper Canyon area may have also practiced persistence hunting.

No doubt Persistence Hunting, as practiced by our ancient ancestors, was also linked to arcane ceremonies and religious rites – with a strong element of male-bonding.

However, it is worth noting that it is still practiced, though on kudu-free, drag-hunt basis, by some 1,500-2,000 modern Hash House Harrier Clubs worldwide.

WHAT IS HASHING?

“Running through some of the most remote and exotic terrain in the world, while enjoying the satisfaction of quenching the resulting thirst by the consumption of more than adequate amounts of liquid refreshment, the Hash House Harriers have been described as "The drinking club with a running problem."

The 2 Rules:

1. The G.M. (Grand Master) is always Right
5. In the event of a dispute, see Rule 1.

The venue of the next Hash will be provided to all and sundry in the form of a list that matches dates and locations. This is called the Receding Hare-line.

'When you arrive at the Hash Site, the hashers are fairly easy to find. Just look for a group of hung-over white faces, clad in Hash running shorts and T's. If you are having difficulty locating the group, continuously shout On-On until someone walks up to you and hands you a beer.

At this point people will ask you questions like: "Who the hell are you?" and maybe "Are you a virgin?" Needless to say they are not interested in your sexual experience, at least not at this point, but in fact are asking if you have been Hashing before.

They will introduce themselves with a variety of weird names, these names are Hash names earned after some spectacular exploit which merited them being given that name. Not to worry, you will never remember all their names especially after a couple of beers.

[An imposing and statuesque young Swiss Lady on the Manila Mixed, for example, was given the totally appropriate Hash Name "Matterhorny"]

This is the point at which you should ask who is 'Hash Cash' and pay your monies for the fun about to be experienced.

Someone will then shout "Hash Circle!"...

After the shout, everyone forms a circle around the Hash Master and Religious Advisor (RA), who will summons the Hares to the front of the group. The ‘hares’ are the individuals who have laid the trail you are about to follow. Memorize their faces, as these are the people who know where the trail leads so when in doubt look for them. With the hares introduced, they will tell you about the trail, and any other "special" trail markings and signs.

The trails will be laid using any combination of chalk, shredded paper, and flour, depending on where the run takes places. In most cases the trails will consists of arrows and other markings in chalk. These signs mean that you are on the trail and that you should keep running / walking to the next mark, shouting "On-On" as you pass the mark.

Eventually, you will see the words "On-In"/"On-beer"/"On-home"/ whatever. in the medium the hares choose to use on the tail. This means the end of the tail in near, but most importantly, the beer is at hand. When you arrive at the finish please lend a hand in getting the beer and water organized. No one gets paid for this and a little assistance is always appreciated.

During this short interval the runners catch their breath and take a few minutes to put on any new items of clothing and wait for any laggards. After this brief rest (rehydration) period the Hash Master and Religious Advisor will issue a call to assemble the "Hash Circle".

There are many crimes which are punished by the Hash Master or Religious Advisor after the run. During this session of the "Circle" the Hash Master and Religious Advisor proceed to punish all transgressors of the run and welcome the new folks (Hash virgins).

The Hash Master and Religious Advisor can invent new transgressions whenever they like, but few of the common ones are:

• Wearing new running shoes
• Racing to get home First
• Shopping on the Hash
• Smoking on the Hash
• Mobile Phone usage
• Short Cutting the Trail
• Being Late for the Start of the Run
• Getting Lost.

These infringements will be penalised by ‘Down Downs’ during which the offender downs a beer or a substitute without pausing for breath, accompanied by songs from the assembled Hash Choir (‘He’s the meanest .... he’s a horse’s arse etc.’)'.

The Circle will then receive instructions about ‘Next Week’s Run’ and any forthcoming events. Drinks will continue to be consumed.

The Hash will then retire to a restaurant or open air local bar to be served fried chicken or more elaborate oriental meals. Drinks will continue to be consumed. Jokes will be told. Old stories and Hash lore will be recalled.

The hardy will move on to such nightclubs and bars as will accept them in their muddy and inebriated state. Drinks will continue to be consumed.

GENEALOGY OF MODERN PERSISTANCE HUNTING OR ‘HASHING’

Alberto Stephano Ignatius Gispert was born in Greenwich, London, England, as the youngest of seven children. When he became an accountant in 1928, he sought employment overseas and was sent to Singapore, then a state of what is now Malaysia. He signed a four-year contract with Evatt & Co. (later a member firm of Price Waterhouse).

In 1934, Gispert was sent to meet Ronald Torch Bennett (nicknamed for his red hair and who later became a founding member of the Hash House Harriers) when Bennett arrived as a new member of the firm. They quickly became good friends. Torch was transferred to Kuala Lumpur in 1936 and Gispert was transfered as branch manager in Malacca in 1937.

Gispert found the Springgit Harriers in Malacca and ran with them. The group was mixed, composed mostly of men, with a few women. G introduced Torch to these hare and hounds paper chases early in 1938. Gispert was transferred later in the year as manager of the Kuala Lumpur office. He missed the harriers’ runs.

Gisbert had heard about the early aborted Kuala Lumpur Harriers from Cecil Lee and thought that they should revive it. Torch gave support for the idea, as did Frederick Tommy Thomson (later nicknamed Horse). Later in 1938 on a Friday evening, he finally persuaded his friends to go out and run his inaugural paper trail.

Charter members included: Frederick Thomson, Cecil H. Lee, Eric Galvin, M.C. Hay, Arthur Westrop, Morris Edgar, John Barrett, Harry Doig and a few others. Torch missed the first run, having been on his first leave at the time. By his estimate, it was held in late 1938, probably in September.

The name was chosen from the Selangor Club Chambers nickname, ‘Hash House’, where much of the discussion concerning creating the hash developed, it thus being dubbed the Hash House Harriers. G originally took on duties as the On- Sec, convincing Cecil H. Lee and Frederick "Horse" Thompson to become the first Joint Masters. The first runs averaged a dozen, although attendance could sometimes be counted on one hand.

Hash trails were laid by two hares. They used 4 inch square paper cuttings from the Malay Mail supplied by Eric Gavin. Checks were simply a loss of scent (the paper would run out). "Check!" would be called and runners would then go in all directions in search of more scent (which we now refer to as 'hash', or the paper cuttings of that day).

On sighting hash, the runners would cry "On!", or "On here!” ("On On!" is used nowadays). False trails were introduced to confuse the pack of hounds. They allowed the slow runners to catch up with the leaders (termed Front Running Bastards today). There were no markings for checks, arrows, ON IN's, etc., all of these would come as the sport developed in later years.

[The sport is very similar to the Hares and Hounds or the Paper Chase runs described in “Tom Brown's School Days” by Thomas Hughes published in 1857. The book depicts a meet by the Big-Side Hare and Hounds. Students busily tore up old newspapers, copybooks and magazines into small pieces to fill four large canvas bags with the paper scent.

Forty or fifty boys gathered for the run and two good runners were chosen as hares. They donned the bags and started across the fields laying trail. There was a pre-arranged turnaround point at a church to discourage shortcutting, as the finish was known.]

Frank Woodward has provided the following reminiscences of the early days of the modern ancestor Hash in Malaya:

"In those good old days, most of us Hash House members had Malay car drivers or ‘syces’. The procedure on the weekly run days was for the two 'hares' to go in a car with the haversacks full of torn-up paper and the boot of their car loaded up with a large galvanised tin bath packed with ice, bottle beer and ginger beer, to a pre-arranged starting point and then set off to lay the paper trails.

The Tiger beer and ginger beer were provided by the 'hares' each week at their own expense. The club never had any funds as such and administration was minimal.

"Then the 'hares' set off, their driver waited until the 'hounds' arrived in their cars and, when all had started, the 'hares' driver led the other Malay drivers in their cars to the finishing point of the run, of which he had previously been informed by the 'hares'.

After numerous false trails had been investigated the 'hounds' eventually arrived at the finishing point where the 'hares' would have already started on the Tiger and ginger beer. Shandies (beer / ginger beer mixes) were often found to be more refreshing than beer itself.

"The trails ran through rubber plantations, tin tailings and rough country, very rarely on roads."

The group flourished and they celebrated their 100th run on Friday, 15 August 1941.

At that time, the Joint Masters were M.C. Hay and Torch Bennett. M.C. Hay and E.A. Ross hared the event and the circular announcing this run read:

"From information received we understand that the run will not be too long (perhaps), there will be no rivers to swim (maybe), we will not have to cope with any precipices (possibly), but it should be obvious by now that there is a catch somewhere, hounds are advised to keep an eye open for scenic views.

"Now those hounds who remember the last time; this advice was given will know what to expect, (if they survived), to the rest - poor innocents - we can only say 'BEWARE!"

This relatively peaceful tradition was cut short with the advent of the Japanese invasion, of which several hashers distinguished themselves.

Captain Gispert, who had been a captain in the reserves, was field promoted to the active rank of captain in the war and died in the Battle of Singapore.

Torch Bennett re-established the hash on Mondays after the war. He found a bank balance - and also successfully sought war reparations for 24 enamel mugs, an old galvanized tin bath and two old bags.

Today, hashes around the world remember G with an Annual Gispert Memorial Hash on or near the anniversary of the day he died, February 11th, 1942.

In a regimental history quoted by Brigadier I. Stewart the action is described as follows:

"About 0400 hrs (11 Feb) a considerable force of Japanese from track junction 751150 moved up the track for 200 yards to within ten yards of Battalion H. Q. and halted. They surprised and silently caught Captain Gispert, the mortar officer, and three men and killed them."

Cecil Lee later states, "So perished a gallant, kindly, happy soul whose memory the years do not efface. He would be pleased, and I think amused, to know how the HHH have persisted and spread."

MY HASH – MANILA MEN’S HASH HOUSE HARRIERS (MH3) – ‘MANILA’S FINEST’

Mottos: 1. MH3 pharts: too old, too phat, too slow, too bloody good, 2. "We don't give one, but we know where to get one"

Genealogy: MH3 (Philippines) appears to have been born in 1973 to Founding Father James 'Ratcatcher' Howard Out of Jakarta H3 as Hash Mother. Midwives: Paul Bono, Fred Smoot, Paul Simons & Jules Guerassimoff.

This means Manila H3 is a grand-daughter of Kuala Lumpur H3 [1938] Through Jakarta H3 [1971].

A cursory review of the genealogical spread-sheet reveals that MH3 has at least seven daughter hashes:

Angeles City H3 [1978], Manila Harriet's [1980 - Deceased -1982], Lima 1 H3 [1980 - deceased?], Manila Mixed H3 [1982], Hyderabad [1990], Zululand H3 [1994] Yangon Full Moon [1998].

Of the above daughter hashes, Angeles City H3 has at least nine daughter hashes and Hyderabad H3 at least seven.

MH3 hosted the "1990 Interhash" or ‘Thriller in Manila” (see photo) of which many tales are better left untold.

Indded, I wish that I could repeat in full some of Squatta’s inimitable Hash Trashes in which he has been recalling in his annals the exploits of MH3 for the last 20 or so years. Alas they are for a lingo-familiar and very broad-minded readership only!

A Brief Extract though from his recent tract, which shows that you meet the most interesting people on the Hash and keep in touch across the globe - and that Alberto Stephano Ignatius Gispert would still be at home:

"Railroad Bill reports via cyberspace that former mh3 hound Alan Huckle continues to use what he learned while with us back in the 1980s: grovelling to the GM & other superior authority, general mishmanagement, beer pouring and swilling, dealing with coup d'etats etc. All essential ingredients in his bag of tricks to maintain the reach of a faded British Empire in some far-flung spots.

He’s now colonial administrator (aka Gov’nor) of the Falklands Islands, concurrently lording it over the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. He wears an anachronistic plumed topper to display his impotence, although by all accounts he’s a benign despot. At least he’s available to his constituents 365 days a year, unlike our absentee GM, who is frequently 'off-island'."

[See top photo of Alan with his 'dead chook on his head']