I 4 6 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



kindness, he sent a fat ox, and, ' "Would you believe it ? they 

 returned it, saying they didn't eat ox." " Then what do you 

 eat ? " I asked ; " we like beef better than anything." " We 

 eat men" said they. I had never heard of this before. But 

 they were very pressing, so at last I sent them two slaves of 

 Macobas the river people who, as you know, are very dark 

 in colour, but they brought them back, saying they did not 

 like black men, but preferred the redder variety, and as that 

 meant sending my own fighting men, I told them they might go 

 without altogether.' This was the only intimation we ever had 

 that cannibalism existed in our part of Africa. 



This chief afterwards died close to our waggons from pneu- 

 monia set up by the irritation of some old spear wounds in his 

 chest. He was beloved by the Makoloio, was the fastest runner 

 and best fighter among them ; just, though stern, with wonder- 

 ful power of attaching men to him. He was a gentleman in 

 thought and manner, well disposed to Europeans, and very 

 proud of their visiting him. Had he not died he might have 

 been of the greatest use in civilising and missionary work. 

 His kingdom has, I am afraid, melted away. The sceptre de- 

 scended to his daughter, who thought, as man took a plurality 

 of wives, a queen might allow herself like liberty in the way 

 of husbands. Bickering and strife arose, and though the rule 

 went to her brother after her resignation, he was not of the 

 same calibre as his father, and disintegration of the heterogene- 

 ous elements of the carefully put together and wisely ruled 

 kingdom soon set in. The nation lost its unity, and resolved itself 

 into its separate nationalities in the course, I believe, of a very 

 few years. Such has been the fate of all African kingdoms ; 

 one great man has made and held them together, and at his 

 death they have returned to the several petty tribal royalties out 

 of which they were welded. 



And now, having had my say on Big Game, one word on 

 the 'biggest beasts ' of Africa the slave traders ^and one on 

 the country, and I have done. It was on the Chobe that we 

 first came across the slaver's work. We had travelled all night 



