86 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



rivers, and keep the peace, though on what pact I know not, 

 for the young of the former would be sucking-pig to the latter ; 

 I suppose there is a mutual agreement of bear and forbear. 

 The hippopotamus looks more like a retired publican than a 

 fighter, but whether he can bite or not, ask the canoes. The 

 little calves stand on the broad backs of their mothers as the 

 school moves from one feeding ground to another, and this 

 may be a precautionary measure, for I fear ' Brer ' Crocodile is 

 not a very honourable fellow. I may mention as a curious 

 fact that once or twice I found his armoured skeleton fifteen 

 feet up in the trees by the river's bank. The Kafirs assured 

 me that it was thrown there by an elephant who had come 

 down to drink, and on whose trunk the crocodile had fastened, 

 whereupon the elephant in his fright and fury had kneaded him 

 to death and then, with a toss from his tusks, treed him. I 

 could see, and can suggest, no better explanation of his position 

 high above even flood mark. 



Next morning our now plump Bakaa came as a deputation, 

 assured us we had made their hearts quite white, and requested 

 leave to return to their kraals. It was granted, of course, and 

 a few days later, after drying their strips of meat and making 

 it up into large faggots, having requisitioned as carriers a 

 number of Ba-Lala a kind of poor Kafirs who hang on the out- 

 skirts of the more powerful tribes like pariahs or mean whites, 

 and whose position I could never exactly make out they set 

 out for their villages, each man, woman, and child staggering 

 under as much meat as he or she could possibly stand up 

 under. This one day's shooting of elephants and hippos had 

 given them over 60,000 Ibs. They had large stores beside, 

 and every few days had sent back men with loads to their 

 chief throughout the whole time of their being with me. They 

 all went to their homes. Out of the 600 not one was missing > 

 sick or feeble. 



We shot down the river for a month or five weeks. On 

 one of the last days, Murray and I rode out together. We 

 usually took our separate beats, and this is, as a rule, by far 

 the best plan, for men get jealous shooting against one another 



