THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 167 



him again ; another shot brought the elephant to his knees, but 

 he rallied quickly, and lifting his great trunk and screaming with 

 rage, he rushed after Baker, whose horse was now badly jaded. 

 The race this time was more exciting than before, for, instead of 

 stopping after a short run, the elephant kept its swift pace and 

 followed for more than a mile, all the w r hile gradually gaining, 

 until the distance between pursued and pursuer was not more 

 than ten yards, while the horse was nearly ready to fall from 

 exhaustion. The cowardly servants, who were also mounted on 

 horses, were so mindful of their own safety that they made no 

 effort to divert the attention of the elephant, but ran as swiftly 

 and as far away as possible. Baker was almost upon the point of 

 despair ; he knew that the climax must soon be reached, which 

 would be hastened should his horse fall. In a moment of desper- 

 ation he turned his horse aside, like a hare doubling on the dogs, 

 just in time to feel the swish of the elephant's trunk as it grazed 

 him, but the momentum of the great brute carried him by. 

 Seeing his enemy now running in a new direction, the elephant 

 broke off up hill, and on the following morning was found dead 

 in a jungle not far distant from where he had abandoned the 

 pursuit. 



ELEPHANT PITS AND NATIVE HUNTERS. 



ELEPHANT flesh is very poor eating to white men, but it is 

 highly esteemed by the black races of Africa, notwithstanding its 

 leathery consistency and strong taste ; the fat is prized above the 

 meat, however, as it is used both for food and to grease their 

 bodies. 



The more common method used by the natives to capture ele- 

 phants is by pit-falls ; these are dug near some drinking place, 

 and trees are so felled that they leave only a pathway in which 

 the pit-falls are placed. These pits are usually three feet broad, 

 twelve feet long and nine feet deep, tapering toward the bottom ; 

 they are concealed by straw and sticks over which elephant dung 

 is scattered to complete the deception. When an animal falls 

 into the pit his two feet are jammed together in the narrow 



