284. MAMMALIA—ELEPHANT. 
caparisoned, and covered with the richest stuffs. On comparing the rela- 
uons of travellers and historians, it appears that elephants are more 
numerous in Africa than in Asia; they are there also less mistrustful, not 
so wild, and, as if they knew the unskilfulness and the little power of the 
men with whom they have to deal in this part of the world, come every 
day without fear to their habitations. 
. The following extracts are furnished by Major Denham: ‘ While I was 
thus employed, Maramy came galloping up, saying that he had found three 
very large elephants, grazing to the south-east, close to the water ; when he 
came within a few hundred yards of them, all the persons on foot, and my 
servant on a mule, were ordered to halt, while four of us, who were mount- 
ed, rode up to these stupendous animals. ; 
“The Shiekh’s people began screeching violently ; and although, at first, 
the elephants appeared to treat our approach with contempt, yet they soon 
moved off, erecting their ears, and giving a roar that shook the ground 
under us. One was an immense fellow, I should suppose sixteen feet high; 
the other two were females, and moved away rataer quickly, while the 
male kept in the rear, as if to guard their retreat. We wheeled swiftly 
round him; and Maramy casting a spear at him, which struck him just un- 
der the tail, and seemed to give him about as much pain as when we prick 
our finger with a pin the huge beast threw up his proboscis in the air with 
a loud roar, and from it cast such a volume of sand, that, unprepared as J 
was for such an event, nearly blinded me. The elephant will sometimes 
rush upon a man and horse, and after choking them with dust, will destroy — 
them in an instant. 
“As we had cut him off from following his companions, he took the 
direction leading to where we had left the mule and the footmen; they 
quickly fled in all directions, and my man Columbus was so alarmed, that 
he did not get the better of it for the whole day. We pressed the elephant 
now very close, riding before, behind, and on each side of him; and his 
look sometimes, as he turned* his head, had the effect of instantly checking 
the speed of my horse; his pace never exceeded a clumsy rolling walk, but 
was suflicient to keep our horses in a short gallop. I gave him a ball from 
each barrel of my gun, at about fifty yards distance; but the first, which 
struck him on the body, failed in making the least impression. After giving 
him another spear, which flew off his tough hide without exciting the least 
sensation, we left him to his fate. 
““News was soon brought us that eight elephants were at no great dis- 
tance, and coming towards us; it was thought prudent to chase them away, 
and we all mounted for that purpose. They appeared unwilling to go, and 
did not even turn their backs till we were quite close, and had thrown 
several spears at them; the flashes from the pan of the gun, however, seem- 
ed to alarm them more than any thing; they retreated very majestically, 
first throwing out as before, a quantity of sand. A number of the birds here 
