304 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



region. In these parts the natives, the Bandas chiefly, 

 have a barbarously cruel method of killing them. 



AVhen a herd is located in the dry grass, all the villages 

 turn out with guns and spears and fire the grass round the 

 herd. The poor beasts make frantic attempts to break 

 through the ring of fire, and are to be seen rushing madly to 

 and fro, in their agony rooting up trees and throwing grass 

 and earth over their scorched backs. 



Near Kemmo Gosling met with several herds where the 

 numerous " marigots," or forest streams, offer attractive 

 locaUties. Here they come to bathe and wallow in the mud, 

 and dust themselves with the red sand which they dig out 

 from the banks with their tusks. 



Along the Ubangui as far as Yakoma the elephant is not 

 common owing to the country being so thickly populated, 

 but they are sometimes found on wooded islands like Luma, 

 and again become plentifid in the forest country south-west 

 of Banzyville. In the Welle region the best ground lies 

 to the north of the river between the Werre-Bili and Guruba 

 rivers. In the true forest south of the Welle the animal is 

 not common. 



Goshng describes how when hunting the okapi near Angu 

 he waited hstening to an elephant that was breaking young 

 trees and branches in the forest close by. Presently his 

 Mobatti hunter, who had gone forward to look for the animal, 

 gave a squeal and came back with only the shaft of his 

 poisoned spear which he had been unable to resist burying 

 in the elephant. Gosling goes on to say that he had to 

 reprove the man, as he did not want the forest disturbed 

 by the whole village coming after the meat. 



