The Elephant 13 



shoulders ; and I have sometimes seen them, when their water-supply was 

 exhausted, pick up sand and blow it over themselves. If the proportion of 

 charges to the number of animals shot is any criterion, my own experience 

 is that the African elephant is a more vicious animal when tormented 

 than the African buffalo. Fortunately, however, a charging elephant 

 can almost always be turned by a shot as he is coming on, no matter 

 where the bullet strikes him. I used indeed to consider myself pretty safe 

 as long as I had a loaded gun in my hand, and I have never yet failed 

 to stop a charge. Except on one particular occasion, when a badly 

 wounded bull elephant which was charging, and came on screaming 

 loudly with every appearance of meaning business, ceased screaming 

 and swerved off immediately he was struck in the chest by a bullet 

 from a 450 -bore rifle, I have always fired at charging elephants with 

 very heavily loaded 4- bore guns, which must have given them a 

 considerable shock, no matter where they were hit. The Swedish 

 naturalist, Professor Wahlberg, who was unfortunately killed by an 

 elephant many years ago in the Mababi country, is known to have held the 

 belief, born of a good deal of experience, that a charging elephant could 

 always be stopped by a bullet in the head or chest. One of these animals, 

 however, upset his theory by coming right on after having been struck, and 

 killing him. During a charge African elephants usually keep up a quick 

 succession of short sharp screams of rage. Sometimes, however, they are 

 perfectly silent. 



During the rainy season elephants become excessively fat, and if 

 not much hunted the cows often keep in very good condition all the 

 year round. The meat of the elephant, though very coarse-grained, is 

 well flavoured, and every portion of the animal, except the skin and 

 intestines, is utilised for food by the natives. The skin of the stomach is 

 made into a blanket, and the leg bones, which contain no marrow, when 

 chopped up and boiled yield a lot of fat, which is distributed through 



