-^ A Dying Race of Giants 



for what were giraffes, buffaloes, and rhinoceroses to them, 

 and what interest could they have in such worthless 

 creatures! The whole mind of the natives has been for 

 many years past directed by us Europeans upon ivory. 

 Native hunters in scantily populated districts dream and 

 think only of "jumbe" — ivory, and always more ivory, as 

 the Esquimaux yearns for seal blubber and oil and the 

 European for gold, gold, gold! In these parts giraffes 

 and rhinoceroses count for nothing in comparison with the 

 elephant — the native thinks no more of them than one of 

 our own mountaineers would think of a rabbit or a hare. 

 Only those who have seen this for themselves can realise 

 how quickly one gets accustomed to the point of view ! In 

 the gameless and populous coast districts the appearance of 

 a dwarf antelope or of a bustard counts for a good deal, and 

 holds out promise to the sportsman of other such game — 

 waterbuck, perhaps. I have read in one of the coast 

 newspapers the interesting news that Mr. So and So was 

 fortunate enough to kill a bustard and an antelope. That 

 certainly was quite good luck, for you may search long in 

 populous districts and find nothing. As you penetrate 

 into the wilder districts conditions change rapidly, and 

 after weeks and months of marching in the interior you 

 get accustomed to expecting only the biggest of big game. 

 The other animals become so numerous that the sight of 

 them no longer quickens the pulse. 



I have already remarked that elephants are much less 

 cautious by night than by day. The very early morning 

 hours are the best for sighting elephants, before they 

 retire into their forest fastnesses to escape the burning 



529 



