Chap. X. hungry natives. 273 



the lake itself. Their tameness arises from the fact that 

 poisoned arrows have no effect on either elephant or hippo- 

 potamus. 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-in- 

 habited 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 re- 

 treated 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 



T 



