116 
THE NEW AFRICA 
The natives relate, amongst their tales of game lore, that there 
was a long dispute between the elephant and the rhinoceros for 
this privilege, and as they could not agree, it was at last decided 
to settle the question by mortal combat between two picked 
champions. The fight was fierce and long, and for a time 
appeared to be in favour of the elephant, who thrashed his 
adversary unmercifully with his trunk, always facing him, so 
that the rhinoceros, who rushed fiercely with his horn at the 
elephant’s chest, was pushed aside by his front legs and tusks, 
and therefore could not get a fair dig at his opponent. Both 
combatants screamed in their rage till the forest shook, and 
neither would yield; the fierce rhinoceros only growing fiercer 
from the terrible punishment the elephant inflicted upon him. 
At last the rhinoceros in his fury rushed madly past the 
elephant’s front legs with a dodging movement, and buried his 
horn deeply in the belly of his opponent, who, mortally wounded, 
threw up his trunk and screamed in agony that for evermore 
the rhinoceros should alone have the sole right to defile the 
forest in the peculiar manner related, and then rolled over dead. 
On the second day of our march we were overtaken by two 
men in a canoe, who were messengers from Moheni to apprise 
Matambanja of our advent. We gave them some meat and a 
present to Matambanja, consisting of a splendid blanket, some 
beads, and other trifles, to show our friendly feeling towards 
him. They told us that they would reach the chief in three 
days’ paddling, but that it would take as many more days to 
accomplish the journey on foot. 
We came across the carcase of a koodoo buck fresh killed by 
lions who had fled on our approach. It strikes a novice as very 
peculiar that, although constantly coming across evidences of 
lions in the Veldt, and while often being disturbed by their 
roaring at night, one seldom has the pleasure of a personal 
meeting in daylight. The most wary of game, gifted with a keen 
scent and marvellous instinct for hiding, the lion avoids meeting 
mankind by day, and, unless driven by hunger, will seldom 
approach him even at night. There are lions, however, who 
