192 
NATIVE HUNTING. 
[chap. VII. 
men advance with the fire, which rages to the height 
of twenty or thirty feet. At length the elephants, 
alarmed by the volumes of smoke and the roaring of 
the flames, mingled with the shouts of the hunters, 
attempt an escape. They are hemmed in on every 
side—wherever they rush, they are met by an im¬ 
passable barrier of flames and smoke, so stifling, that 
they are forced to retreat. Meanwhile the fatal circle 
is decreasing; buffaloes and antelopes, likewise doomed 
to a horrible fate, crowd panic-stricken to the centre 
of the encircled ring, and the raging fire sweeps over 
all. Burnt, and blinded by fire and smoke, the 
animals are now attacked by the savage crowd of 
hunters, excited by the helplessness of the unfortunate 
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 
