220 ADVENTURES OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER ch 
immediately sent my men to scour the long grass in 
search of him. But all they discovered was Maka- 
buli’s tracks leading straight back to camp, and, as I 
could not spare men to send in pursuit of him at 
such an awkward 
time, we continued the 
bag a couple of the 
herd. 
Next day, we 
turned our steps 
homeward, and, on 
arriving at our des¬ 
tination, learned that 
Makabuli had 
reached camp on the 
previous evening. 
Still brooding over 
the little incident of 
the charging elephant, 
he had gone in search 
of his wives, and had 
found one of them actually drinking pombe (beer) 
and flirting with one of my men. Burning with 
jealousy, Makabuli was more convinced than ever 
that his suspicions were not utterly groundless, 
so, taking his wife to his hut, he belaboured her 
soundly, burning her hands and tearing all her 
hunt and managed to 
