THE ELEPHANT 21 



numbers. The west coast territories are also said to be, 

 some of them, still fairly well stocked, and most of the 

 shooting is there done by natives armed with trade guns. 



Elephants present a curious mixture of timidity and 

 aggressiveness. Though the slightest odour of human 

 beings is sometimes sufficient to scare them away from 

 the neighbourhood, and cause them to travel many miles, 

 on the other hand they will on occasion, and unlike most 

 other animals, attack in an entirely unprovoked manner. 

 Stories are current of the Knysna and Addo Bush elephants 

 occasionally chasing wayfarers, scattering working parties, 

 and so on. At Gondokoro in the Nile Province of 

 Uganda exists a herd of several hundred animals, com- 

 posed entirely of cows and young animals, which have 

 become such a terror to wayfarers, that the post road 

 from the Kit River is shunned as much as possible by 

 native travellers. Gondokoro was, until a few years ago, 

 a military station, and at that time the herd was con- 

 tinually receiving the attentions of sportsmen, until all 

 the bulls carrying ivory of any size had been shot out. 

 Although for some time past almost entirely left alone, 

 they still seem to cherish the memory of former grievances, 

 and instead of running away on the approach of human 

 beings, usually adopt precisely the opposite course. 

 Half a day's march north, at Lake Birika, the local 

 elephants show an entirely different disposition, and 

 betray no signs of truculence. 



It seems to be agreed, that as a rule, cows and young 

 bulls are more aggressive and vindictive than are the 

 large males. Sportsmen getting into a herd of elephants 

 have often more to fear from animals standing concealed, 

 which charge down upon them from unexpected direc- 

 tions, than from their intended quarry. A young officer 

 lost his life in Nyasaland two or three years ago in this 



