Elephants 



patience I could muster. Half an hour having gone by in 

 this way, my friend Lewis turned up, and explained that, 

 as he had returned to camp early and met my boy, who told 

 him what had happened, he had followed me up, after ordering 

 the canoe round. Soon after, the craft arrived, and we put 

 across the river. 



On reaching the far side, we discovered that the recent 

 floods from the Muchinga mountains had inundated the 

 Mopani* fiats on this side of the valley, and the country as 

 far as the eye could reach was ankle deep in water. This fact, 

 together with the wounds two of the elephants had received, 

 no doubt accounted for our reaching the troop soon after we 

 left the river bank. We came up to them standing huddled 

 together. The biggest, carrying a magnificent pair of tusks, 

 being broadside on to us, at once received several bullets in 

 the shoulder from both Lewis and myself, and then placing 

 several other shots into the fast-retreating animals we tore 

 after them through the water, the state of our waterlogged 

 boots, however, soon bringing us to a standstill. 



Taking a rest to talk over the situation, we decided that 

 Lewis should return to the village, bring our camp-gear across 

 the river, and that he should pitch the tents at the spot where 

 we sat. I was to follow up the big bull, which, judging by 

 its spoor had now left its companions, and evidently badly 

 wounded, had gone off on its own. 



* Mopani. The native name given to a handsome tree of erect growth, 

 resembling the maiden-hair tree, with shiny leaves of a like shape to the fern 

 of that name. This hard-wood tree is only found at low elevations and will 

 only grow on waterlogged clay flats, where few other plants can survive the alter- 

 nating baking by the sun and flooding by the rains. The seed exudes a resinous 

 gum, smelling strongly of turpentine. The crushed leaves when steeped in 

 boiling water form a reliable remedy for dysentery. The wood is white-ant 

 proof. 



