APPENDICES 447 



who make a good living and lay by money, who hunt 

 professionally in these lands. Within British East Africa 

 the herds have been much harried. Till three years ago 

 many elephants were killed by so-called sportsmen, whose 

 licence limited them to two bulls. There was no pro- 

 hibition against trading ivory from the natives, so two of 

 the largest bulls killed were taken on licence, and 

 declaration was untruthfully made that all the rest were 

 traded from natives. In this way men would collect, 

 often with little trouble, 1,000 worth or more of ivory, 

 and so pay all sefari expenses and have a margin of 

 profit left over. 



The law is now strictly enforced, and makes such a pro- 

 ceeding impossible. No trading with natives is per- 

 mitted, and unless the hunter is unscrupulous enough to 

 smuggle illicit ivory over the German border, he must 

 content himself with his two bulls. 



The natives harry the herds perpetually and on the 

 long and unwatched frontiers of the Protectorate, ivory 

 running is easy. Unscrupulous Somali and Swahili come 

 round from time to time. The natives bury the ivory they 

 kill and wait for the coming of the trader. 



I am convinced that the present policy of the Protec- 

 torate authorities is a great mistake. If they would but 

 authorize certain men of well-known good character, men 

 who should pay a heavy licence fee, binding them to 

 handle no small tusks or cow ivory, to trade with the 

 natives for ivory, a considerable revenue would accrue 

 to the government, and the elephants would be more 

 really protected. 



Owing to constant pursuit, the British elephant has 

 learned to take good care of himself. He is also much more 

 likely to turn on his persecutors than his cousin of the Congo. 

 Accidents from elephants are very common. The very 

 thick cover he loves, such as bamboo, or the quite open 



