2 1 8 After Big Game in Central Africa 



mouth and nose, stretched on the ground. After 

 bringing him round I feel him all over, and find that, 

 in addition to serious bruises, he has two ribs and an 

 arm broken. As well as he is able, he explains to us 

 that the elephant gave him a kick. He does not 

 know himself how that happened. I believe that he 

 must have been dashed against a tree by the 

 elephant's trunk, or else, in trying to walk over him, 

 it was carried forward by its inertia, and gave him a 

 kick which sent him several yards away. My men 

 carry the poor fellow to the camp, where I bandage 

 him up, postponing until the following day the search 

 for the wounded female, which, owing to my bullet 

 having struck home, cannot have gone far. 



In these countries it is common for a native to be 

 caught by an elephant. Msiambiri knew two of his 

 father's comrades, and I can mention three or four 

 men of coolness and courage, all elephant hunters, 

 who were killed in this way between 1891 and 1897. 

 This often arises from the fact that blacks get too 

 near the animal ; having confidence neither in the 

 range or the precision nor in the penetrative power 

 of their weapon, they fire almost point - blank, so 

 that they have not always time to avoid a charge if 

 it is made immediately. 



The following is a list of similar accidents which 

 happened, to my knowledge, to members of my expedi- 

 tion, or else to neighbouring natives, during the last 

 seven years in the course of my hunts or "battues" : 



1891. Kapoche. One man killed by a buffalo. Two men 

 killed by elephants, one of them on the spot. 



