Ojiap. XXVIII. ELEPHANTS' TENACITY OF LIFE. 379 



inhabited islands beyond Meya makaba, seeming a 

 number of prisoners and much ivory. On his return the 

 different chiefs united in an attack upon the party and killed 

 Simoens while trying to escape on foot. Selole imagined that 

 I was another Italian, or, as he expressed it, " Siriatomba 

 risen from the dead." 



Before we reached Mburuma my men, being much in 

 need of meat, went to attack a troop of elephants, one of 

 which fell into a hole, and before he could extricate himself 

 an opportunity was afforded for the men, seventy or eighty 

 in number, to discharge their spears at him. When he r : se 

 he was like a huge porcupine; and as they had no more 

 spears, they sent for me to finish him. I went within twenty 

 yards of him, and, resting my gun upon an anthill, so as to 

 take a steady aim, fired twelve 2-ounce bullets into different 

 parts of his body without killing him. As it was becoming 

 dark, I advised my men to let him stand, being sure of 

 finding him dead in the morning ; but though we searched all 

 the next day, we never saw him again. As I had now ex- 

 pended all my bullets, I received a hint from some of my 

 men that I had better melt down my plate. I had two pewter 

 plates and a piece of zinc, which I accordingly turned into 

 bullets. I also spent the remainder of my handkerchiefs 

 in buying spears for them. My men frequently surrounded 

 herds of buffaloes and killed numbers of the calves. I, too, 

 exerted myself greatly ; but as I was now obliged to shoot 

 with the left arm, I was very unsuccessful. 



On reaching Mburuma's village his brother came to meet 

 us, and said, in reference to our ill success in hunting the day 

 before, " The man at whose village you remained was in fault 

 in allowing you to want meat, for had he only run across to 

 Mburuma he would have given him a little meal, and, having 

 sprinkled that on the ground as an offering to the gods, you 

 would have found your elephant." The chiefs in these pails 

 take upon themselves an office somewhat like the priesthood, 

 and the people imagine that they can propitiate the Deity 

 through them. In illustration of their ideas it may be 

 mentioned that, when we were among the tribes west of 

 Semalembue, several of the people introduced themselves — 

 one as a hunter of elephants, another as a hunter of hiopopo- 



