76 MR. OSWELL'S HUNTING. Chap. IV. 



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. 

 Oswell, for we met him on the Zouga on our return, and he 

 devoted the rest of tin's season to elephant-hunting, at which the 

 natives universally declare he is the greatest adept that ever 

 came into the country. He hunted without dogs. It is remark- 

 able that tins lordly animal is so completely harassed by the 

 presence of a few yelping curs as to be quite incapable of attend- 

 ing to man. He makes awkward attempts to crush them by 

 falling on Ins 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 apprehend is the dogs running towards 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 Ins success, for the inhabitants conceived from it a 

 very high idea of English courage, and when they wished to 

 natter 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 2007., and presented it to us, 

 saying he thought Mrs. Livingstone had a right to the game of 

 her own preserves. 



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 



