chap. iv. ELEPHANT. 215 



coming their repugnance to a sea voyage. From Lorenco 

 Marquis, a fortnight's journey inland through the low 

 swampy districts inhabited by the Amatonga tribes in 

 dependence uponUmzila, will bring you to Manjobo's, his 

 commander-in-chief, who rules over a vast tract of table- 

 land abounding in every kind of game except elephant ; 

 indeed, during the whole journey there is splendid shoot- 

 ing. After leaving here it will take about three weeks 

 more to reach the king's, though the absolute distance is 

 not very great ; a fortnight of which is spent hi passing 

 through an uninhabited country, where delays are inevit- 

 able from having to provide game for the large party of 

 at least a hundred men, which it is necessary to take. 



Once on the ground you find yourself in a healthy 

 country, too elevated for much fever, heavily wooded, and 

 much broken; and here, after leave has been obtained 

 from the king by a valuable present — valuable at least to 

 him, and from the distance it has to be carried, — you will 

 have as fine elephant-shooting as can probably be found in 

 any part of the world. With a good staff of hunters two 

 hundred are sometimes killed in two or three months. 

 Uzmila, however, is fully aware of the value of his pro- 

 perty, and will only grant permission for a limited time 

 to shoot in, or for a certain number to be killed. Men 

 on foot — elephants, in my opinion, should always be 

 shot on foot ; there can be no excitement if one can 

 gallop away whenever they get angry and begin to charge, 

 and here, as horses would not live, there is no alternative 

 — have been known to kill ten and twelve, and rumour 

 says even more, in a single day, and to my personal 

 knowledge eight have been brought to bag ; and those 



