CIVILIZED AND BARBAROUS SPORTSMEN. 1 53 



present form of civilization does not necessarily produce 

 effeminacy, though it unquestionably increases the beauty, 

 courage, and physical powers of the race. When at 

 Kolobeng I took notes of the different numbers of elephants 

 killed in the course of the season by the various parties 

 which went past our dwelling, in order to form an idea of 

 the probable annual destruction of this noble animal. 

 There were parties of Griquas, Bechuanas, Boers, and 

 Englishmen. All were eager to distinguish themselves, 

 and success depended mainly on the courage which leads 

 the huntsman to go close to the animal, and not waste 

 the force of his shot on the air. It was noticeable that 

 the average for the natives was under one per man, for 

 the Griquas one per man, for the Boers two, and for the 

 English officers twenty each. This was the more remark- 

 able, as the Griquas, Boers, and Bechuanas employed 

 both dogs and natives to assist them, while the English 

 hunters generally had no assistance from either. They 

 approached to within thirty yards of the animal, while 

 the others stood at a distance of a hundred yards, or even 

 more, and of course spent all the force of their bullets on 

 the air. One elephant was found by Mr. Oswell with quite 

 a crowd of bullets in his side, all evidently fired in this 

 style, and they had not gone near the vital parts. 



It would thus appear that our more barbarous neigh- 

 bours do not possess half the courage of the civilized 

 sportsman. And it is probable that in this respect, as 

 well as in physical development, we are superior to our 

 ancestors. The coats of mail and greaves of the Knights 

 of Malta, and the armour from the Tower exhibited at 

 the Eglinton tournament, may be considered decisive as 

 to the greater size attained by modern civilized men. 



At Maila we spent a Sunday with Kaisa, the head man 

 of a village of Mashona, who had fled from the iron sway 

 of Mosilikatse, whose country lies east of this. I wished 

 him to take charge of a packet of letters for England, to 

 be forwarded when, as is the custom of the Bamangwato, 

 the Bechuanas come hither in search of skins and food 

 among the Bushmen ; but he could not be made to com- 

 prehend that there was no danger in the consignment. 

 He feared the responsibility and guilt if anything should 

 happen to them ; so I had to bid adieu to all hope of 

 letting my family hear of my welfare till I should reach 

 the west coast. 



