Chap. XXX. 
ELEPHANT-HUNT. 
607 
CHAPTEE XXX. 
An elephant-hunt — Offering and prayers to the Barimo for success — Native 
mode of expression — Working of game-laws — A feast — Laughing 
hysenas — Numerous insects — Curious notes of birds of song — Cater¬ 
pillars — Butterflies — Silica — The fruit Mokoronga and elephants — 
Khinoceros adventure — Korwe bird — Its nest — A real confinement—■ 
Honey and bees’-wax — Superstitious reverence for the lion — Slow tra¬ 
velling— Grrapes — The Ue — Monma’s village—Native names — Govern¬ 
ment of the Banyai — Electing a chief—Youths instructed in “Bonyai ” 
— Suspected of falsehood — War-dance — Insanity and disappearance of 
Monahin — Fruitless search — Monina’s sympathy — The sand-river 
Tangwe — The ordeal ..Muavi: its victims — An unreasonable man — 
“Woman’s rights” — Presents—^Temperature — A winding course to 
shun villages — Banyai complexion and hair — Mushrooms — The tubers, 
Mokuri — The tree Shekabakadzi — Face of the country — Pot-holes — 
Pursued by a party of natives — Unpleasant threat — Aroused by a 
company of soldiers ~ A civilised breakfast — Arrival at Tete. 
14^A.—We left Nyampungo this morning. The path wound 
up the Molinge, another sand-river which flows into the Make. 
When we got clear of the tangled jungle which covers the banks 
of these rivulets, we entered the Mopane country, where we could 
walk with comfort. When we had gone on a few hours, my men 
espied an elephant, and were soon in full pursuit. They were in 
want of meat, having tasted nothing but gTain for several days. 
The desire for animal food made them all eager to slay him, and, 
though an old bull, he was soon killed. The people of Nyam- 
pungo had never seen such desperadoes before. One rushed up 
and hamstrung the beast while still standing, by a blow with an 
axe. Some Banyai elephant-hunters happened to be present 
when my men were fighting with him. One of them took out 
his snuff-box, and poured out all its contents at the root of a 
tree, as an offering to the Barimo for success. As soon as the 
animal fell, the whole of my party engaged hi a wild savage 
dance round the body, which quite frightened the Banyai, and 
he who made the offering said to me, “ I see you are travelling 
with people who don’t know how to pray: I therefore offered 
