HABITS OF THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT. 741 



up into a cartridge, is inserted into the breech, and is ready for use without the least 

 delay. Very accurate shooting is of no great consequence in the pursuit of this giant 

 game, as the hunter can always approach within a few yards of the animal, and de- 

 liver his fire from his horse's back, sheering off if the creature endeavors to ch.; 

 The bullets employed in Elephant shooting are always hardened with a mixture of one- 

 eighth of tin or solder, and a steel-pointed bullet would probably be the most deadly 

 missile that ever was employed for the purpose. The shell-bullets might also be used 

 with terrible effect. 



The Kaffirs are persevering Elephant-hunters, and are wonderfully expert in track- 

 ing any individual by the " spoor," or track, which is made by his footsteps. The 

 foot of a male is easily to be distinguished by the roundness of its form, while that of 

 the female is more oval, and the height of the animal is also ascertained by measure- 

 ment of the foot-marks, twice the circumference of the foot being equal to the height 

 at the shoulder. The mode by which the natives follow a single Elephant through all 

 the multiplied tracks of his companions is very curious. The sole of each Elephant's 

 foot is marked with certain wrinkles, which are never precisely alike in any two in- 

 dividuals, and may be compared to the minute depressions which are found on the 

 human thumb, and which in more primitive times were employed as an expeditious 

 mode of affixing a sign-manual by being rubbed with ink and impressed upon the docu- 

 ment. The black hunter, therefore, taking a piece of soft clay or earth, works it be- 

 tween his hands into a firm and smooth mass, resembling the footmark in shape, and 

 with the point of a thorn traces upon it a chart of the lines which are found on the 

 Elephant's foot. If he should become bewildered amid the multiplicity of footmarks, 

 he has only to refer to his clay chart, and is guided against the possibility of mistak- 

 ing one individual for another. 



The death of a large Elephant is great matter of congratulation among the natives, 

 who rejoice at the abundant supply of food which will fall to their share. Almost every 

 portion of the animal is used by the Kaffirs, whose strong jaws are not to be daunted 

 by the toughest meat, and whose accommodating palates are satisfied with various por- 

 tions which would be rejected by any civilized being. Indeed, it seems to be a genera! 

 rule among savages, that every part of an animal which is most repulsive to civilized tastes, 

 is considered by the savage as a luxury, and in many cases thought too good to be spoiled 

 by cooking. The flesh of the Elephant is dried in order to be formed into " biltongue," 

 or jerked meat, and the fat is jealously preserved, being used in the decoration of the 

 person and rubbed copiously over the head and body. Even the skin is of service to the 

 natives, for beneath the hard, leather-like hide, there lies a tough inner skin, which is 

 carefully removed in large sheets, and is made into vessels for the conveyance of water. 



Some portions of the Elephant are, however, grateful even to European palates, and 

 the foot, when baked, is really delicious. This part of the animal is cooked by being 

 laid in a hole in the earth, over which a large fire has been suffered to burn itself out, 

 and then covered over with the hot earth. Another fire is then built on the spot, and 

 permitted to burn itself out as before, and when the place is thoroughly cool, the foot 

 is properly cooked. The flesh of the boiled foot is quite soft and gelatinous, some- 

 thing resembling calf's head, and is so tender that it can be scooped away with a spoon. 

 The trunk and the skin around the eye are also enumerated as delicacies, but have been 

 compared by one who has had practical experience, as bearing a close resemblance to 

 shoe-leather both in toughness and evil flavor. 



The African Elephant is a most suspicious and wary animal, being very keen of scent 

 and acute of hearing. So sensitive are the animal's olfactory faculties, that it can track 

 a native by the scent of his footsteps, although perhaps it might find a difficulty in 

 following the spoor of a shod and cleanly European. However close the Elephant may 

 be, the pursued hunter is always safe if he can only climb a tree, for the animal 

 never thinks of looking elsewhere than on the ground for its foe, and neither by 

 scent nor vision directs its attention to the trees. While employed in thus trailing 

 their enemies, it writhes the trunk into the most singular contortions, fully justifying 

 the epithet of anguimawts, or snake-hand, which has so aptly been applied to that 

 member. 



