Chap. XXVIII. DEVICES FOR KILLING GAME. 377 



many of the latter are killed by the people in the following 

 manner. They erect stages on high trees overhanging the 

 paths by which the elephants ccme, and then strike the 

 animal, as it passes beneath, with a large spear, four or five 

 feet long, with a handle nearly as thick as a man's wrist, and 

 a blade at least twenty inches long by two broad, which, 

 sinking deeply into the animal's back, and being worked 

 backwards and forwards by knocking against the trees, makes 

 frightful gashes within, and soon causes death. They kill 

 them also by means of a spear inserted in a beam of wood, 

 which is suspended by a cord passing over the branch of a 

 tree and attached at its other extremity to a latch fastened 

 in the path ; the latch being struck by the animal's foot in 

 passing leads to the fall of the beam, and the spear, being 

 poisoned, causes death in a few hours. 



We were detained at this island by continuous rains for 

 several days. We were struck by the fact that the rains felt 

 warm, the thermometer at sunrise standing at from 82° to 8G C ; 

 at midday, in the coolest shade, at 96° to 98° ; and at sunset 

 at 86°. This is different from anything we experienced in the 

 interior, for there rain always brings down tho mercury to 

 72° or even 68°. Considerable cloudiness prevailed, but the 

 sun often burst through with scorching intensity. All ex- 

 claimed against it, "0 the sun ! that is as bad as the rain." It 

 was worth noticing that my companions never complained of 

 the heat while on the highlands, but here, and also when wo 

 descended into the lowlands of Angola, they began to fret 

 on account of it. I myself felt an oppressive steaminess in 

 the atmosphere, which I had not experienced on the higher 

 lands. 



As soon as we could move, Tomba Nyama, the head-man 

 of the island, volunteered the loan of a canoe to cross a small 

 river called the Chongwe, which we found to be about fifty 

 or sixty yards broad and flooded. Not many years since the 

 inhabitants of this district possessed abundance of cattle, and 

 there were no tsetse. The existence of the insect now shows 

 that it may return in company with the larger game. The 

 vegetation along the bank was exceedingly rank, and tho 

 bushes so tangled that it was difficult to get on. We usually 

 followed the footpaths of the wild animals, for the river is 



