CH. XXIV 
NERVES AT NTUNKWAE 
223 
known to them, and had exceptionally small feet in 
comparison with the enormous size of his tusks. 
The idea of an elephant hunt did not appeal to me 
in my low state of health as the most desirable thing 
on earth, but, persuaded by their persistent entreaties, 
I at length decided to set out in a maschilla for the 
native hunters’ camp, for I was much too weak to do 
any prolonged marching. Arriving at my destina¬ 
tion about ten o’clock, I saw the remains of their 
companion who had been killed the previous 
evening, and, as long as I live, I shall never 
forget the sight! His body was shockingly 
trampled, his head crushed to a pulp, as if it 
had been pounded under a steam hammer, and in 
his stomach there was a frightful gash inflicted by 
the animal’s tusk. To a man whose energy had 
been sapped by a month’s fever, the spectacle was 
not an encouraging preliminary to setting out on an 
elephant hunt, so, striving to forget the ghastly 
details of the affair, I took leave of the native 
hunters and, accompanied by my trackers and men, 
began my search for the murderer’s spoor. Ere 
long, we came upon his tracks, which crossed and 
recrossed in the bamboos and long jungle grass 
abounding in this part of the country, and after a 
few hours’ steady progress, knew, by the clear 
impressions of his feet, that we were drawing closer 
to our quarry. I now got out of my maschilla, and 
