Hunter's Bill of Fare 215 



Bertrand nor De Borely had a passion for exotic 

 cooking. Willingly would they eat meats, but they 

 were by no means enthusiastic over white ants, small 

 rats roasted en brochette, spinach of the region, and a 

 host of other dishes of the same kind. 



For my part, I can only repeat what I have already 

 said elsewhere : l if we made a list of everything used 

 for food in various parts of the world, vegetables 

 apart, we should come to the conclusion that every- 

 thing living which nature has placed on the earth is 

 eatable, and that people fond of it may be found. 

 Was it not with this object that animals were created, 

 like an interminable bill of fare, from which man is 

 free to choose what pleases him ? 



All these considerations have made me forget the 

 giraffes : so I return to them. 



Seeing that I was wasting my time and trouble in 

 pursuing them, I decided to change the kind of game 

 and again search for elephants. So, leaving the 

 countries of the plain with their sparse vegetation 

 for hilly ground covered with thick thickets and grass 

 which promised to be tall, I came to other parts. I 

 was fortunate enough to kill nine elephants there, 

 most of them females. The majority of these hunts, 

 however, were not marked by any abnormal incidents. 

 Naturally, we were charged several times ; but there 

 were no accidents. 



I now reach a day on which we came across four 

 female elephants and their small families. The 

 pursuit having been long, we overtake them at the 



1 See Le Dahomey, p. 151. 



