( 142 ) 



afterwards met a party of twenty Kakhyens tracking up the herd ; 

 we joined them by invitation. After about two hours I got a shot 

 at a fine young tusker, and lodged a ball behind his ear — this 

 brought him on his knees ; and immediately a volley was fired by 

 the whole party, which finally disposed of the huge brute. The 

 Kakhyens were wild with excitement, and we all joined hands and 

 danced round our victim, shouting and capering like savages. A 

 portion of the flesh was brought away for an evening meal, but I 

 confess I had not the pluck to taste the stew, much to the surprise 

 of my Burmans, who assured me it was capital, and that the trunk 

 and feet were the greatest delicacy imaginable. There was no time 

 to wait for the tusks to be cut out, nor was there a spare hand to 

 carry them ; my guide, however, promised that they should be made 

 over to me on our return to Talo, as the whole party were relations 

 of his, and he could vouch for their honesty. We hurried on, and 

 en route I bagged a few snipe, a bittern, and a Grus antigone : the 

 disposal of the first established my fame as a marksman, and 

 raised me immensely in the estimation of the Kakhyens, who looked 

 with wonderment at the rise and fall of the birds. But a short 

 distance from the foot of the hills, — which I roughly estimate to be 

 seven miles from Talo, — we diverged a point leaving the trade route 

 to our right. The ascent was commenced about sun-set, and by 8 

 p.m., after a stiff climb, the highest peak of the first step of this 

 range or spur was reached, and glad enough were we all. Here we 

 rested for the night. 



247. The first thing I was conducted to the Tswabwa's house, 

 and received a hearty welcome. He apologized for the smallness of 

 his abode, which necessitated some of my party being accom- 

 modated under a seperate roof. The unfinished state of the houses 

 was accounted for, by the whole village having recently been burnt 

 down, during an engagement with a neighbouring tribe, who had 

 been repulsed with great loss. Trespass was the origin of the 

 engagement — people of this Tswabwaship having shot an elephant 

 out of bounds, and refused to conform to the established law in 

 such cases ; now the quarrel had taken the form of a blood-feud, 

 and animosity will continue to smoulder until opportunity offers 

 a good opening for revenge, or the ransom demanded is paid.* 



* The sporting laws of these people are peculiar, though not altogether unreasonable. The 

 exact limits of each estate or holding, though but defined by natural boundaries, are universally 

 known to the Kakhyens. Game shot beyond bounds is the entire property of the proprietor on 

 whose land the criminal happens to be killed, and the poacher has to pay a fine of one female buffalo. 

 Animals wounded within bounds and killed beyond, are equally divided between the sportsman 

 and owner of the holding where the animal finally falls. The law chiefly relates to large game, 

 though trespassers are very summarily dealt with, if they cannot give a satisfactory account of 

 themselves. 



