ELEPHANT AND RHINOCEROS. 3G9 



fall on its body a heavy-weighted and poisoned 

 assegai, which soon does its deadly work. 



From the- enormous bulk and power of the ele- 

 phant, and the consequent fear that its presence 

 creates amongst lesser animals, it cannot be said to 

 have many enemies besides man. Even the lion 

 himself slinks away from its presence, though its 

 young, when straying somewhat away from the 

 dam, occasionally fall a prey, as elsewhere said, to 

 the ferocious beast. 



With the rhinoceros it has also occasional con- 

 flicts, which no doubt at times end fatally. When 

 at Omenbomle, we were told by the natives that a 

 short time before our arrival a furious fight had 

 taken place between the two animals. The rhino- 

 ceros made a desperate charge at the elephant, 

 striking its long sharp horn into the belly of the 

 latter with such force as to be unable to extricate; 

 the weapon, and the elephant, in its fall, crushed its 

 antagonist to death. 



JMajor Lally stated to the author of " Oriental 

 Sports," moreover, that he himself once witnessed 

 from a distant hill a most furious combat between 

 a large male elephant and a rhinoceros, in which 

 the former was worsted and fled. 



At times, also, the elephant succumbs to the 

 elements. Whilst a party of Bushmen were follow- 

 ing up the spoor of one of these animals that. I had 

 wounded on the preceding day, they came upon tin- 

 carcase of a female who had been struck dead bv 

 lightning. This was the first instance 1 had known 

 of these huge creatures being destroyed by the 



B 15 



