XVIII NETTING GAME 375 



followed them. We stuck to the spoor until about 

 four o'clock in the afternoon, when we gave it up, 

 as, from the appearance of the leaves that they had 

 been eating, we were still as far behind them as when 

 we started. They had described a regular circle 

 round our camp, so that although we had ridden 

 many miles we were still at no great distance from 

 it, and managed to get home just before dark. The 

 following day we rode out again in the direction of 

 Lo Magondi's town, which lies amongst the hills to 

 the north of our camp ; we saw no elephant spoor, 

 but whilst returning home came across a fine old 

 eland bull, which we shot for the sake of the meat 

 and fat. 



During the next three days we rode out regularly 

 both up and down, and on the farther side of the 

 Hanyane river, but saw no more fresh elephant spoor, 

 though the country about here must have been full of 

 these animals only eight days before, when we shot 

 the five bulls. Our firing seemed to have frightened 

 them all away, so shy are elephants at the present 

 day. What may perhaps have had something to do 

 with their disappearance, too, was the presence or 

 bands of Mashunas all over the country, engaged in 

 netting game, parties of whom we came across con- 

 stantly. These nets are neatly made of cord manu- 

 factured from the 'nner bark of the machabel tree. 

 Each individual net is from fifteen to twenty yards 

 in length, and six or seven feet in breadth, and when 

 set for game a great number of them are arranged 

 upon poles in a row, so as to form a continuous line 

 of netting, several hundred yards in length. Into 

 these nets antelopes of all kinds are driven and 

 entangled, and as they are very elastic, and give 

 to their weight, it is only the very largest animals 



