I WALK A RACE WITH TSCHUKOORROO 281 
from his bare body with the tip, they compelled him in despair 
to rush for the tree, then caught by the thorns they belaboured 
the poor brute until he fell into a dead faint, when they dragged 
him out of the tree and let him lie until it was time to 
start again. A few strokes of the sjambok revived him when 
he was wanted to go on, and he took his place amongst the 
others and proceeded on the journey. 
While talking of shooting, Tschukoorroo, who rather fancied 
himself as a shot, challenged me to a three-round competition 
provided that I should supply the cartridges. Of course he 
did not win, but he took his defeat smilingly, and faithfully 
paid me the goat we had arranged should be the stake, 
later on. 
For some reason he decided to remain with our party during 
one march, when we, to reach water some distance ahead, 
required to walk at night. He divested himself of all his 
clothing but a shirt, and, taking a stick, requested me to 
walk with him. We waited till after the others had all gone 
ahead, when he told me to come along; the first half-mile he 
went but slowly in the dark, dancing the elephant dance, 
and singing the elephant song, of which I was sorry not to be 
able to understand more, or see the main features, as the song 
consisted of a quiet chant like all Kaffir melodies, with an 
acme point of shouts in which the word ‘ Materebetzi ’ was 
conspicuous, accompanied by many whirling leaps into the 
air. It seems that Tschukoorroo, the doughty little hunter, 
had distinguished himself conspicuously during the killing of 
the elephants, and now found it necessary to evaporate his 
accumulated joy or vanity in this by no means unusual 
manner. 
When he had finished his dance he buckled to, and gave 
me a lead for ten miles at a pace that he thought would knock 
me up, passing all the others on the line of march till we were 
far ahead. I managed to keep up to him all right without 
much difficulty, at which he appeared disappointed, and asked 
if I was not tired, a fact leading me to believe that he intended 
