64 HUNTING TRIPS IN NORTHERN RHODESIA. 



with a thirst such as his. There are the disappointments, too, for the hunter may 

 follow for over twenty miles, and the wind may shift, or a twig may snap as he goes 

 up to the game, and send it off. The man who sits in an easy chair at home with a 

 cigar in his mouth, and a cool whisky and soda at his elbow, would be the last to 

 decry the elephant or big-game hunter if he knew what it means to hunt here during 

 the months of September, October, and November; or to follow elephants during the 

 rainy season through swamps, mud, and swollen streams, with a tropical rain trying 

 its best to convert everything into pulp. 



But enough, for I will now try to describe a few of the main characteristics of 

 the elephant and his habits, some of which I have previously touched on. 



The elephant's strongest sense is his smell, and I believe he could smell a man 

 at a distance of at least half a mile. His hearing is fairly acute, but his sight very 

 poor indeed ; and under certain circumstances it would be quite possible to go up to 

 within a yard or two of an elephant. Elephants seem to spend the greater part of 

 the night in feeding and drinking, and they may keep this up until eight or nine 

 o'clock in the morning. In parts where they are much molested they will be off 

 before daylight to the places they intend to " stand " during the heat of the day. 

 They will travel steadily until about midday, and will likely pick some cool spot to rest. 

 Elephants usually sleep standing, but I have seen places where they have lain down. 

 My friend Mr. T. A. Barns shot one while resting in this way. He was going along 

 on the spoor of a good bull, and as he approached a big ant-heap he heard the sound 

 of snores from behind it, and on looking round he w^as surprised to see the bull 

 elephant stretched on its side asleep. My friend put up his rifle and pressed the trigger, 

 but was dismayed to hear the snap of a missfire. The sound awakened the elephant, 

 and he prepared to rise, but another cartridge was quickly pumped into the chamber, 

 and this went off all right and dropped " Jumbo." It is not every hunter that has 

 the luck to get a chance like this, and also to see the interesting sight of an elephant 

 lying down to sleep. 



As I have before mentioned, the elephants of this country often rout up the 

 ground for roots. Although this is common, the elephants feed mostly on leaves and 

 fruit, picked from the trees, and occasionally grass. 



The Indian elephant's favourite food is grass, reeds, and cane, but the African 

 elephant mainly feeds on leaves and fruits, although they are very fond of invading 

 the natives' gardens and eating the green or dried stalks of maize, millet, and other 

 cereals. 



Parts of the country will often be seen which have been completely devastated 

 by elephants, with hardly a tree left standing. A full-grown bull elephant can break 



