388 HUNGRY NATIVES. Chap. XIX- 



Their tarneness arises from the fact that poisoned arrows 

 have no effect on either elephant or hippopotamus. Five 

 of each were shot for food during our journey. Two 

 of the elephants were females, and had only a single 

 tusk apiece, and were each killed by the first shot. It is 

 always a case of famine or satiety, when depending on the 

 rifle for food — a glut of meat or none at all. Most frequently 

 it is scanty fare, except when game is abundant, as it is far up 

 the Zambesi. We had one morning two hippopotami and an 

 elephant, perhaps in all some eight tons of meat, and two days 

 after the last of a few sardines only for dinner. 



One morning when sailing past a pretty-thickly inhabited 

 part, we were surprised at seeing nine large bull-elephants 

 standing near the beach quietly flapping their gigantic ears. 

 Glad of an opportunity of getting some fresh meat, we 

 landed and fired into one. They all retreated into a marshy 

 piece of ground between two villages. Our men gave chase, 

 and fired into the herd. Standing on a sand hummock, we 

 could see the bleeding animals throwing showers of water 

 with their trunks over their backs. The herd was soon driven 

 back upon us, and a wounded one turned to bay. Yet neither 

 this one, nor any of the others, ever attempted to charge. 

 Having broken his legs with a rifle-ball, we fired into him 

 at forty yards as rapidly as we could load and discharge 

 the rifles. He simply shook his head at each shot, and 

 received at least sixty Enfield balls before he fell. Our 

 excellent sailor from the north of Ireland happened to fire the 

 last, and, as soon as he saw the animal fall, he turned with an 

 air of triumph to the Doctor and exclaimed, " It was my shot 

 that done it, sir ! " 



In a few minutes, upwards of a thousand natives were round 

 the prostrate king of beasts ; and, after our men had taken all 

 they wanted, an invitation was given to the villagers to take 



