7^ Hunting trips in northern Rhodesia. 



himself. Leaving him occupied with picking leaves from the trees, we retreated 

 without him having become aware of our presence. 



Going back to the original spoor, we followed it until 3 p.m., when I saw 

 three elephants going off. 



Between us was a gully or steep bed of a dry watercourse. 1 had to get 

 across this, which took a little time, and when I emerged on the top of the 

 opposite bank the elephants had gone for good, and I was too tired, and so 

 were the men, to follow further. 



On the way back to camp we ran almost into a herd of cow elephants with two 

 calves. It was an interesting sight seeing these huge animals walking along one after 

 the other, a small calf trotting behind. There was a cow among them with a peculiar 

 pair of tusks ; one of these was almost straight and the other almost described a circle. 

 As I was only about sixty yards from the beasts I had a fine view of them crossing an 

 open patch. 



The tusks of the cow referred to would have weighed about i61b. each, I 

 think. This was likely the same herd I saw early in the morning, although I had not 

 been able to identify the cow with the malformed ivory. 



Reaching camp about 8.30 p.m., by moonlight, I was quite ready for the meal I 

 found awaiting me. This day's work did not improve my bad foot, which was numb 

 with pain when I reached the tent. After dinner I went to sleep in a deck-chair with 

 the injured limb in a basin of corrosive sublimate, which I believe to be the best 

 medicine for wounds of all kinds. 



The Awemba race are the best for bush work, for they seldom complain as do the 

 Angoni, who are the petted race of this country. The Angoni are descended from the 

 Zulus, who settled in this country about the middle of the nineteenth century ; 

 but they have become much intermixed with other tribes, such as the Achewa, 

 Achikunda, Asenga, Achipeta, etc, and the boasted bravery and manliness of their 

 Zulu blood is little noticeable, for they have been spoilt by the Government and 

 by themselves. 



On the 9th I shot a nice male kudu, which I hit in the lungs, it ran for about 

 fifty yards before coming down. Next day I shot two very fine bull kudus, an account 

 of which I have given in my chapter on " Hunting the Kudu and Sable," so I need 

 not refer to the incidents again. Hearing there were elephants near Kapienzi's 

 village, I went there, taking my tent and things, but I did not meet with any success, 

 as all the spoor I found was made by cows or very young bulls. The country about 

 here was covered with great patches of bamboo jungle. Elephants and other game 

 are very fond of eating the fresh green shoots when they burst out at the beginning of 



