I2O MAN: PAST AND PRESENT. [CHAP. 



bows and arrows, and each carried an elephant-spear, which they 

 called bonati. This spear is six feet in length, thick at either end, 

 and narrowed where grasped by the hand. In one end is bored 

 a hole, into which is fitted an arrow two feet long, as thick as 

 one's thumb, and with a head two inches broad. Their method 

 of killing elephants is to creep cautiously up to the beast, and 

 drive a spear into its loin. A quick twist separates the spear 

 from the arrow, and they make off as fast and silently as possible. 

 In all cases the arrows are poisoned ; and if they are well intro- 

 duced into the animal's body, the elephant does not go far 1 ." 



From some of the peculiarities of the Achua (Wochua) 

 Negritoes met by Junker south of the Welle one 

 Mimics. can understand why these little people were such 

 favourites with the old Egyptian kings. These 

 were " distinguished by sharp powers of observation, amazing 

 talent for mimicry, and a good memory. A striking proof of this 

 was afforded by an Achua whom I had seen and measured four 

 years previously in Rumbek, and now again met at Gambari's. 

 His comic ways and quick nimble movements made this little 

 fellow the clown of our society. He imitated with marvellous 

 fidelity the peculiarities of persons whom he had once seen ; for 

 instance, the gestures and facial expressions of Jussuf Pasha esh- 

 Shelahis and of Haj Halil at their devotions, as well as the address 

 and movements of Emin Pasha, ' with the four eyes ' (spectacles). 

 His imitation of Hawash Effendi in a towering rage, storming and 

 abusing everybody, was a great success ; and now he took me off 

 to the life, rehearsing after four years, down to the minutest 

 details, and with surprising accuracy, my anthropometric perform- 

 ance when measuring his body at Rumbek 2 ." 



A somewhat similar account is given by Dr Ludwig Wolf of 

 the Batwa pygmies visited by him and Herr Wissmann in the 

 Kassai region. Here are whole villages in the forest-glades 

 inhabited by little people with an average height of about 4 feet 

 3 inches. They are nomads, occupied exclusively with hunting and 

 the preparation of palm-wine, and are regarded by their Bakubu 

 neighbours as benevolent little people, whose special mission is 



1 Through Jungle and Desert, 1896, p. 358 Q. 

 - Travels, in. p. 86. 



