ELEPHANT MARSH. 



373 



its agony it plunged back into the river, to die in a few hours, 

 and afterwards furnished a feast for the natives. The poison on 

 the spear-head does not affect the meat, except the part around 

 the wound, and that is thrown away. In some places the de- 

 scending beam is weighted with heavy stones, but here the hard, 

 heavy wood is sufficient. 



A few miles above Mboma they came to the village of the 

 chief of the country through which they had been passing. 

 Tingane was an elderly man with gray hair, tall and well 

 made. The excited demeanor which was natural on his first 

 acquaintance with white people wore away with his observation 

 of his new friends, until in the later visits he could be recorded 

 among the hospitable and open-hearted men of the continent. 

 Some miles to the right from this village could be seen Mount 

 Clarendon looming up in conspicuous grandeur, and further to 

 the northwest the Milange range, which send forth from their 

 shadows the river Rue, which flows into the Shire just above the 

 village. Only a short distance above the confluence of the Rue 

 came Elephant Marsh, with its fabulous herds of this royal 

 beast. Eight hundred were counted in a single herd. This 

 was truly a wonderful scene, besides the enormous herds of large 

 animals everywhere to be seen. 



"The Shire marshes support prodigious numbers of many 

 kinds of water-fowl. An hour at the mast-head unfolded novel 

 views of life in an African marsh. Near the edge, and on the 

 branches of some favorite tree, rest scores of plotuses and cor- 

 morants, which stretch their snake-like necks and in mute amaze- 

 ment turn one eye and then another towards the approaching 

 monster. By and by the timid ones begin to fly off, or take 

 ' headers ' into the stream ; but a few of the bolder, or more com- 

 posed, remain, only taking the precaution to spread their wings 

 ready for instant flight. The pretty ardetta (Herodias bubulcus), 

 of a light yellow color when at rest, but seemingly of a pure 

 white when flying, takes wing, and sweeps across the green 

 grass in large numbers, often showing where buffaloes and ele- 

 phants are by perching on their backs. Flocks of ducks, of 

 which the kind called ' Soriri ' (Dendrocygna personata) is most 

 abundant, being night feeders, meditate quietly by the small 

 lagoons, until startled by the noise of the steam machinery. 



