Hunting 
tion of one of these great constrictors is a very dis¬ 
concerting thing. It might not have hurt me, but 
I learned not to put too much confidence in any¬ 
thing here in its native wilds. There is no tell¬ 
ing what humor may have possession of it when 
we happen to meet. 
For ordinary shooting in this part of Africa, one 
need not be a walking arsenal. My gun was of 
laminated steel and was made to carry either 
shot or ball. I used the best rifle powder and 
often brought down game with heavy shot at 
most astonishing distances. This gun was of 
English manufacture and cost about sixty dollars 
in London. It would shoot a ball with wonder¬ 
ful accuracy and force, and I believe it would 
have killed an elephant at short range, but 1 am 
thankful to say that 1 was never called upon to 
test the matter. The way in which the profes¬ 
sional native hunters kill the elephant does not 
require a specially good gun. They approach 
them stealthily by paths known only to their 
fraternity and shoot them with guns charged 
with poisoned darts or bolts. This poison 
coagulates the blood without injuring the flesh. 
After making many struggling efforts to retain its 
feet (in which it is assisted by its friends in the 
herd), the wounded elephant at last succumbs 
