THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT 



the forests of the western Kilimanjaro such marks 

 fifteen feet from the ground. 



The natives of German East Africa, for many decades, 

 have been hunting the elephant for the sake of the 

 ivory, either on their own account or in the pay of 

 enterprising native or foreign traders. They still use 

 muzzle-kiaders. They follow the elephants into the 

 thickets, in groups of three or more, and often pursue 

 the wounded animals for days. Every hunter marks 

 the bullets he uses, so that there may be no doubt who 

 has fired the fatal shot. These hordes of native hunt- 

 ers are very superstitious. They wear charms about 

 their bodies, and, confiding in their magic power, ap- 

 proach the animals fearlessly. They take more chances 

 than any white hunter would care to assume. 



Unless the colonial governments step in in time, these 

 black hunters will, in the long run, clear East Africa 

 of elephants and other big game as effectually as the 

 natives of South Africa, armed with muskets, have done 

 in their part of the " Dark Continent " since the middle 

 of the nineteenth century. Let us, however, hope that 

 measures will generally be taken, such as have been 

 adopted by Count Goetzen, to preserve the remnants 

 of big game, such as the elephant, giraffe, rhinoceros, 

 and hippopotamus. 



The Wandorobbo and Wakamba still hunt the ele- 

 phant in the old-fashioned way — namely, with poisoned 

 arrows. They follow the wounded animals for days and 

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