DELIVEBAKCE FROM PITFALLS. 2C9 



timely discover a pitfall, forthwith remove its cover- 

 ing, which is easily effected by means of their 

 trunks ; and to a certain extent at least, this 

 statement is confirmed by Mr. Green, who says : 



" On more than one occasion I have myself ob- 

 served the grass and sticks used to conceal the 

 recently-uncovered abyss strewed near to it on the 

 ground, and have seen the spoor of elephants about 

 the place, which left little doubt in my mind that 

 this had not been done by the hand of man, but by 

 these sagacious brutes." 



" On other occasions," my friend goes on to say, 

 " I have seen the spoor of an elephant leading di- 

 rect to a pit-fall, and traced it to the very edge, 

 where he has detected the trap; and, turning on 

 one side, he has pulled some bushes out of the fence 

 connecting the several abysses, thus opening an- 

 other pathway for himself, and continuing his course 

 to the water." 



My friend also tells me " that elephants, when 

 approaching at night waters of which they 

 entertain suspicion, will follow the spoor of others 

 that have gone before them; and should it have so 

 happened that the troop in advance has scented 

 danger and turned aside from the pool without 

 drinking, those that follow, although it may be 

 hours afterwards, will do so likewise." 



The Namaqua Hottentots affirm, moreover, that 

 the elephant can distinguish between the foot-fall of 

 civilized man and that of the natives. 



The flesh of the elephant is generally described by 

 travellers as " strong and disagreeable, partaking 



