Chap. XXX. ELEPHANT-HUNT. 395 



CHAPTER XXX. 



Animals. — The Ue. — The Banyai. — Ordeal Muavi. — Arrival at 



Tete. 



14th. — We left Nyampungo this morning by a path which 

 wound up the Molinge, another sand-river which flows into 

 the Nake. When we got clear of the tangled jungle which 

 covered the banks of this rivulet 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, as they 

 were in want of meat, having tasted nothing but grain far 

 several days, they soon killed him. The people of Nyampungo 

 had never seen such desperadoes before. One rushed u*p, and 

 with an axe hamstrung the beast while still standing. 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 savage clance 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 the 

 only thing I had in their behalf, and the elephant soon fell." 

 Another man ran a little forward, when an opening in the 

 trees gave us a view of the chase, and uttered loud prayers 

 for success in the combat. I admired the devout belief they 

 all possessed in the existence of unseen beings, and prayed 

 that they might yet know that benignant One who views us 

 all as His own. My own people, who are rather a degraded 

 lot, remarked to me as I came up, " God gave it to us. He 

 said to the old beast, ' Go up there ; men are come who will 

 kill and eat you.' " These remarks are quoted to give the 

 reader an idea of the native mode of expression. 



In accordance with the custom of the country we sent back 

 to Nyampungo to give information of the slaughter of the 

 beast to the agent of the lord of the soil, who was himself 



