Chap. XXVIII. 
ELEPHANT-HUNTme. 
561 
game. Finding a buffalo l 3 dng down^ I went to secure him for 
our food. Three balls did not kill him^ and^ as he turned round 
as if for a charge, we ran for the shelter of some rocks. Before 
we gained them, we found that three elephants, probably attracted 
by the strange noise, had cut off our retreat on that side: they, 
however, turned short off, and allowed us to gain the rocks. We 
then saw that the buffalo was moving off quite briskly, and in 
order not to be entirely balked, I tried a long shot at the last of 
the elephants, and, to the great joy of my people, broke his fore¬ 
leg. The young men soon brought him to a stand, and one shot 
in the brain despatched him. I was right glad to see the joy 
manifested at such an abundant supply of meat. 
On the following day, while my men were cutting up the 
elephant, great numbers of the villagers came to enjoy the feast. 
We were on the side of a fine green valley, studded here and 
there with trees, and cut by numerous rivulets. I had retired 
from the noise, to take an observation among some rocks of 
laminated grit, when I beheld an elephant and her calf at the 
end of the valley, about two miles distant. The calf was rolling 
in the mud, and the dam was standing fanning herself with her 
great ears. As I looked at them through my glass, I saw a long 
string of my own men appearing on the other side of them, 
and Sekwebu came and told me that these had gone off, saying, 
Our father will see to-day what sort of men he has got.” I 
then went higher up the side of the valley, in order to have a dis¬ 
tinct view of their mode of hunting. The goodly beast, totally 
unconscious of the approach of an enemy, stood for some time 
suckling her young one, which seemed about two years old; they 
then went into a pit containing mud, and smeared themselves 
all over with it, the little one frisking about his dam, flapping his 
ears and tossing his trunk incessantly, in elephantine fashion. 
She kept flapping her ears and wagging her tail, as if in the 
height of enjoyment. Then began the piping of her enemies, 
which was performed by blowing into a tube, or the hands closed 
together, as boys do into a key. They call out to attract the 
animars attention-— 
0 chief! chief! we have come to kill you. 
0 chief 1 chief! many more will die besides you, &c. 
The gods have said it,” &c. &c.‘ 
