550 FOOD OF THE ELEPHANT. Chap. XXVII. 



feigned, but had not much inclination to go near the battle-axe 

 again. There was, however, a flow of perspiration, and the ex- 

 citement continued fully half an hour, then gradually ceased. 

 This paroxysm is the direct opposite of hypnotism, and it is sin- 

 gular that it has not been tried in Europe as well as clairvoyance. 

 This second batch of visitors took no pains to conceal their 

 contempt for our small party, saying to each other in a tone of 

 triumph, "They are quite a God-send!" literally, "God has 

 apportioned them to us." " They are lost among the tribes ! " 

 " They have wandered in order to be destroyed, and what can they 

 do without shields among so many?" Some of them asked if 

 there were no other parties. Sekeletu had ordered my men not to 

 take their shields, as in the case of my first company. We were 

 looked upon as unarmed, and an easy prey. We prepared against 

 a night attack by discharging and reloading our guns, which were 

 exactly the same in number (five) as on the former occasion, as I 

 allowed my late companions to retain those which I purchased at 

 Loanda. We were not molested, but some of the enemy tried to lead 

 us towards the Bashukulompo, who are considered to be the fiercest 

 race in this quarter. As we knew our direction to the confluence 

 of the Kafue and Zambesi, we declined then; guidance, and the 

 civil head-man of the evening before, then came along 'with us. 

 Crowds of natives hovered round us in the forest ; but he ran for- 

 ward and explained, and we were not molested. That night we 

 slept by a little village under a low range of lulls, which are called 

 Chizamena. The country here is more woody than on the high 

 lands we had left, but the trees are not in general large. Great 

 numbers of them have been broken off by elephants, a foot or two 

 from the ground : they thus seem pollarded from that point. This 

 animal never seriously lessens the number of trees ; indeed I have 

 often been struck by the very little damage he does in a forest. 

 His food consists more of bulbs, tubers, roots, and branches, than 

 anything else. Where they have been feeding, great numbers of 

 trees, as thick as a man's body, are seen twisted down or broken 

 off, in order that they may feed on the tender shoots at the tops. 

 They are said sometimes to unite in wrenching down large trees. 

 The natives in the interior believe that, the elephant never touches 

 grass, and I never saw evidence of Ins having grazed until we came 

 near to Tete, and then he had fed on grass in seed only ; this 



