284 
NATIVE HUNTING. 
[chap. VII. 
elephants thus miserably sacrificed, and they fall 
under countless spears. This destructive method of 
hunting, ruins the game of that part of Africa, and 
so scarce are the antelopes, that, in a days journey, 
a dozen head are seldom seen in the open prairie. 
The next method of hunting is perfectly legitimate. 
Should many elephants be in the neighbourhood, the 
natives post about a hundred men in as many large 
trees ; these men are armed with heavy lances specially 
adapted to the sport, with blades about eighteen inches 
long and three inches broad. The elephants are driven 
by a great number of men towards the trees in which 
the spearmen are posted, and those that pass sufficiently 
near are speared between the shoulders. The spear 
being driven deep into the animal, creates a frightful 
wound, as the tough handle, striking against the in¬ 
tervening branches of trees acts as a lever, and works 
the long blade of the spear within the elephant, 
cutting to such an extent that he soon drops from 
exhaustion. 
The best and only really great elephant-hunters of 
the White Nile are the Bagara Arabs, on about the 
13° N. lat. These men hunt on horseback, and kill 
the elephant in fair fight with their spears. 
The lance is about fourteen feet long, of male 
bamboo; the blade is about fourteen inches long by 
