62 THE WILDERNESS AND JUNGLE 



an elephant at large is a dreadful fellow, for, 

 like the house cat that takes to poaching in the 

 woods at home, it is far more cunning than its 

 wild cousins and is moreover indifferent to man, 

 since in this case familiarity seems to have bred 

 contempt. The only cure for such is a rifle 

 bullet through the brain. As to the making of 

 " rogue " elephants, no one knows exactly how 

 this comes about, though many causes have 

 been suggested. My own idea, which I offer 

 only for what it may be worth, is that bad 

 shooting may have had something to do with 

 it. This theory may, at first sight, look 

 rather far-fetched, but let me explain my 

 meaning. We know, from accounts furnished 

 by former travellers on the White Nile and 

 other inland waters, both river and lake, of 

 Central Africa, that the hippopotamus was in 

 those days a more peaceful, fearless and frolic- 

 some creature than it is nowadays, when 

 trippers have invaded those regions and have 

 taken to the curious pastime of pumping lead 

 into every hippopotamus that comes to the 

 surface to breathe within range of their guns. 

 This is a disgraceful practice and one that 

 should be severely dealt with. Unfortunately, 

 these holiday " sportsmen " regard the wilder- 

 ness as their own, and, not satisfied with 

 desecrating its sanctuary with their uncouth 

 presence, they must needs slaughter every 



