Chap. XXX. ELEPHANT-HUNT. 607 



CHAPTER XXX. 



An elephant-hunt — Offering and prayers to the Barimo for success — Native 

 mode of expression — Working of game-laws — A feast — Laughing 

 hya?nas — Numerous insects — Curious notes of birds of song — Cater- 

 pillars — Butterflies — Silica — The fruit Mokoronga and elephants — 

 Rhinoceros adventure — Korwe bird — Its nest — A real confinement — 

 Honey and bees'-wax — -Superstitious reverence for the lion — Slow tra- 

 velling — Grapes — The Ue — Mon in a's village — Native names — Govern- 

 ment of the Banyai — Electing a chief — Youths instructed in " Bonyai " 

 — Suspected of falsehood — War-dance — Insanity and disappearance of 

 Monahin — Fruitless search — Monina's sympathy — The sand-river 

 Tangwe — The ordeal Muavi : its victims — An unreasonable man — 

 "Woman's rights" — Presents — Temperature — A winding course to 

 shun villages — Banyai complexion and hair — Mushrooms — The tubers, 

 Mokuri — The tree Shekabakadzi — Face of the country — Pot-holes — 

 Pursued by a party of natives — Unpleasant threat — Aroused by a 

 company of soldiers — A civilised breakfast — Arrival at Tete. 



l±th. — We left Nyampungo this morning. The path wound 

 up the Molinge, another sand-river which flows into the Nake. 

 When we got clear of the tangled jungle which covers the banks 

 of these rivulets, we entered the Mopane country, where we could 

 walk with comfort. When we had gone on a few hours, my men 

 espied an elephant, and were soon in full pursuit. They were in 

 want of meat, having tasted nothing but grain for several days. 

 The desire for animal food made them all eager to slay him, and, 

 though an old bull, he was soon killed. The people of Nyam- 

 pungo had never seen such desperadoes before. One rushed up 

 and hamstrung the beast while still standing, by a blow with an 

 axe. Some Banyai elephant-hunters happened to be present 

 when my men were fighting with him. One of them took out 

 his snuff-box, and poured out all its contents at the root of a 

 tree, as an offering to the Barimo for success. As soon as the 

 animal fell, the whole of my party engaged in a wild savage 

 dance round the body, which quite frightened the Banyai, and 

 he who made the offering said to me, " I see you are travelling 

 with people who don't know how to pray: I therefore offered 



