296 
THE ELEPHANT. 
tensive forests of evergreens, in which numerous 
herds of elephants still find food and shelter. From 
having been frequently hunted by the Boers and 
Hottentots, these animals are become so shy as 
scarcely ever to be seen during the day, except 
among the most remote and inaccessible ravines 
and jungles; but in the night time they frequently 
issue forth in large troops, and range, in search of 
food, through the inhabited farms in -the vicinity. 
And on such occasions they sometimes revenge the 
wrongs of their race upon the settlers, who have 
taken possession of their ancient haunts, by pulling 
up fruit-trees, treading down gardens and corn¬ 
fields, breaking their ploughs, waggons, and so 
forth. 
66 I do not mean, however, to affirm,” Pringle 
goes on to say, cc that the elephants really do all 
this mischief from feelings of revenge, or with the 
direct intention of annoying their human persecu¬ 
tors. They pull up the trees, probably, because 
they want to brouse on their soft roots, and they 
demolish the agricultural implements merely because 
they happen to be in the way.” 
During these nocturnal raids of the elephant on 
the domains of the settlers and others, loss of hu¬ 
man life occasionally occurs; of which an instance 
is related by Delegorgue. 
Cff A small herd of these animals, five or six in 
number, traversed, during the night, the upper 
part of the bay, and paid a visit to the property of 
the Englishman, Ogle; and having followed the 
first foot-path, entered the woods and clambered 
