90 MR- OSWELL'S HUNTING. 



delivered it to him. All being ready for our departure, I took 

 Mrs. Livingstone about six miles from the town, that she might 

 have a peep at the broad part of the lake. Next morning we 

 had other work to do than part, for our little boy and girl were 

 seized with fever. On the day following, all our servants were 

 down too with the same complaint. As nothing is better in 

 these cases than change of place, I was forced to give up the 

 hope of seeing Sebituane that year ; so, leaving my gun as part 

 payment for guides next year, we started for the pure air of the 

 Desert. 



Some mistake had happened in the arrangement with Mr. Os- 

 well, for we met him on the Zouga on our return, and he de- 

 voted the rest of this season to elephant-hunting, at which the na- 

 tives universally declare he is the greatest adept that ever came 

 into the country. He hunted without dogs. It is remarkable 

 that this lordly animal is so completely harassed by the presence 

 of a few yelping curs as to be quite incapable of attending to 

 man. He makes awkward attempts to crush them by falling on 

 his knees ; and sometimes places his forehead against a tree ten 

 inches in diameter ; glancing on one side of the tree and then on 

 the other, he pushes it down before him, as if he thought thereby 

 to catch his enemies. The only danger the huntsman has to ap- 

 prehend is the dogs running toward him, and thereby leading the 

 elephant to their master. Mr. Oswell has been known to kill 

 four large old male elephants a day. The value of the ivory in 

 these cases would be one hundred guineas. We had reason to be 

 proud of his success, for the inhabitants conceived from it a very 

 high idea of English courage ; and when they wished to flatter me 

 would say, " If you were not a missionary you would just be 

 like Oswell ; you would not hunt with dogs either." When, in 

 1852, we came to the Cape, my black coat eleven years out of 

 fashion, and without a penny of salary to draw, we found that Mr. 

 Oswell had most generously ordered an outfit for the half-naked 

 children, which cost about £200, and presented it to us, saying he 

 thought Mrs. Livingstone had a right to the game of her own pre- 

 serves. 



Foiled in this second attempt to reach Sebituane, we returned 

 again to Kolobeng, whither we were soon followed by a number 

 of messengers from that chief himself. When he heard of our 



