The Elephant 27 



the report of a gun does not disturb them where they are unaccustomed 

 to it. My Ndorobo friends used to say that elephants cannot keep silent 

 for long. Cows and calves are particularly noisy, a loud cry (made by the 

 young, I fancy) often coming from their herds. 



The hunter on his part must listen intently for any sound betraying the 

 position of his quarry, such as a blowing through the trunk and especially 

 the frequent intestinal rumblings. 



I will not presume to lay down any rule as to the kind of rifle best 

 suited for elephant shooting ; opinions differ widely. I will only mention 

 the fact that I have killed many (among them several of my biggest bulls) 

 with a service Lee-Metford and common military cartridge (solid bullet), 

 and say that, in my opinion, penetration is the most important qualification 

 in arms and ammunition. 1 



The brain is most easily reached by a side shot in front of the orifice 

 of the ear ; and, if successfully carried out, this is instantly fatal. The 

 heart is, however, a surer mark, though the effect is not so sudden. 



The Ndorobo hunters kill elephants (chiefly for the sake of the meat) 

 with a harpoon thrown from the hand at close quarters, of which the 

 poisoned dart with barbed head remains in the animal, the handle falling 

 off on contact with the branches ; and also by setting traps consisting of a 

 similar weapon in a heavy shaft suspended over a path. The Wakamba 

 organise large hunting expeditions for the acquisition of ivory, which they 

 are now venturing to prosecute farther and farther afield in the almost 

 uninhabited region north of their own country ; these people are most 

 destructive, using small poisoned arrows, shot from weak bows, with which 

 numbers of elephants are wounded which they never get, and some may 

 linger on for weeks, perhaps to die far away, or eventually to recover, as the 

 case may be. 



It is often asserted that there is some mystery as to what becomes of 



1 Smokeless powder is an immense advantage. 



