182 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



varieties the African hunter must make up his mind; 

 they are mere occurrences of every day. 



I saddled up at an early hour, and went in quest of 

 elephants with Seleka's men. We crossed the Limpo- 

 po, and then held east through the forest for the strong 

 fountain called Seboono. I was unlucky here, however, 

 as I also was next day, although we hunted by a splen- 

 did fountain in a more southerly direction. When 

 under the mountains I met with the famous fly call- 

 ed " tsetse," whose bite is certain death to oxen and 

 horses. This " hunter's scourge" is similar to a fly 

 in Scotland called "kleg," but a little smaller; they 

 are very quick and active, and storm a horse like a 

 swarm of bees, alighting on him in hundreds and 

 drinking his blood. The animal thus bitten pines away 

 and dies at periods varying from a week to three months, 

 according to the extent to which he has been bitten. 



On the 10th the chief Pocoolway arrived with a large 

 retinue: he was a short, stout man, of a prepossessing 

 expression, and both in appearance and manner much 

 reminded me of a certain Scottish earl. 



After three or four days' unsuccessful hunting, I re- 

 solved on the 14th, there being good moonlight, to try 

 what might be done with the elephants by night-shoot- 

 ing at the fountains, and I determined to make Carey 

 shoot with me, he using the big rifle of six to the pound, 

 and I my single-barreled two-grooved of eight to tho 

 pound. In the forenoon we were occupied making very 

 hard bullets and sorting our ammunition, &c., &c., for 

 a week's expedition, and at mid-day we started, follow- 

 ed by about sixty natives. We crossed the Limpopo, 

 and held about east, right away through the forest, for 

 the fountain which I had visited on the 8th. On our 

 line of march we found no fresh spoor : the day was ex. 



