76 /;/<; ('.AMI-: SHOOTING 



way, and a great hand at combination. He wishes to feed on 

 the top of a tree, finds it too strong for him alone, calls on a 

 friend or two, and, with an all-together swing, they bring it to 

 the ground. When at bay, he has a fancy for pushing down a 

 tree on your head and charging through the branches. His 

 friend tumbles into a pitfall by the way, males very seldom 

 do, for, fearing no other animal, they carry their trunks down ; 

 the sensitiveness of that organ warns them of the danger, and 

 they will walk securely amongst a nest of these traps and 

 neatly uncover them, throwing the reeds and grass into the 

 air with scorn. The cows, however, are frequently taken, 

 for, anxious about their calves which are often attacked 

 by lions they carry their trunks in the air, feeling for a 

 chance scent of the enemy. The Kafirs sometimes lie in 

 wait by the water near to which the pits are dug, and after 

 the elephants or other game have drunk, raise a shout, and 

 in the hurry of the retreat the living graves reap their harvest. 

 These pitfalls are 10 feet long by about 9 deep and 4 wide 

 at the top, narrowing as they deepen, so that a large beast 

 gets jammed in them ; they are made larger specially for 

 elephants, and are most skilfully covered with reeds, grass, 

 and a few handfuls of sand. I have ridden into them 

 horse and all, and I have walked into them ; in the first in- 

 stance, I shook my feet out of the stirrups in time to prevent 

 my legs being crushed, and managed to scramble out from the 

 horse's back. In the second, walking on the high bank of the 

 Zouga River, I was rating one of my drivers in the river-bed 

 below for punishing his oxen, when I suddenly felt the 

 ground give way beneath me, and amidst a shower of dust and 

 broken reeds thought I could catch the sound of laughter from 

 the waggon let us hope I was mistaken. Luckily this one 

 had no stake at the bottom, as many have. But we have left 

 our elephant in the trap too long ; let us return to him. His 

 friends at first run off panic-stricken, but often come back 

 affected by his piteous calls for help ; and, swinging their 

 heavy forefeet, strike the sandy soil with the front part, 



