THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT 



To-day the elephant is almost extinct in South Africa. 

 Besides a few specimens kept in preserves near Cape 

 Town, only a few herds, in remote, unhealthy districts 

 and in the protected forests, are left. To judge from 

 the trustworthy report of natives, East Africa also 

 was formerly alive with herds of the gigantic pachy- 

 derms. Not so many years ago large caravans used 

 to start from the coast and penetrate into the Masai 

 steppe in order to exchange many kinds of goods for 

 precious ivory. A whole year, or longer, they would 

 wander about in the land between the coast and Lake 

 Victoria to trade with the Masai and the Wandorobbo, 

 who, for a long time, were the chief elephant hunters 

 in these parts. These two native tribes were soon 

 joined by the Masai-El Morane, who also wanted to 

 profit by the ivory trade. During the night the cara- 

 vans protected themselves by thorn-fences against the 

 rapacious natives, who were anxious to get as much 

 as they could of the caravans' goods without making 

 a return. The day was spent in bargaining for ivory. 

 It often took days and weeks to obtain a few valuable - 

 teeth from the cunning natives, who knew how to drive 

 a close bargain. 



When these caravans had acquired as much ivorv 

 as they could transport, they returned to the coast to 

 deliver the tusks to the Arab or Indian traders. These 

 had fitted out the caravans and had advanced money 

 and goods to the men; they therefore claimed and 



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