TRAVELLER IN AFRICA—WONDERFUL ESCAPE OF A NATIVE FROM A LION—MOFFATT THE MISSIONARY IN JEOPARDY— BARBARITIES OF THE MATABILE -VARIOUS ADVENTURES WITH LIONS— THE PRISONERS………………………………………………...192
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XIII.
ARMS BEST SUITED FOR LION-SHOOTING—THE LION'S RAGE AT A BULLET—TENACITY OP LIFE—WOUNDS INFLICTED BY A DYING LION—SAFEGUARDS—CAPE-HORSES—REFLECTIONS ON LION- HUNTING—SIGNS OF THE LION'S WRATH—ALLEGED COWARDICE —THE ALGERINE LION…………………………………………………..215
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THE ELEPHANT.
CHAPTER I.
COUNTRIES IN WHICH THE ELEPHANT IS FOUND—TWO VARIETIES —DIFFERENCE OF THE INDIAN AND AFRICAN SPECIES—COLOUR, HEIGHT, AND WEIGHT—THE PROBOSCIS—THE TUSKS—CARE WITH WHICH THE ELEPHANT GUARDS ITS TRUNK—DENTITION—MOVE- MENTS AND PACE—WHEELING ABOUT ENORMOUS WEIGHT OF THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT—THE SPOOR………………………………...239
CHAPTER II.
VOICE OF THE ELEPHANT—SENSES—HEARING, SIGHT, AND SMELL —NATURAL DISPOSITION—MUTUAL AFFECTION—CARRYING WATER TO A WOUNDED COMRADE—SAGACITY—FLESH OF THE ELEPHANT—THE FOOT—PROBOSCIS AND FAT—HIDE AND EAR— IVORY—LONGEVITY……………………………………………………..260
CHAPTER III.
BREEDING HABITS—PERIOD OF GESTATION—THE CALF—SIZE OF THE YOUNG ELEPHANT—ITS GROWTH—MATERNAL AND FILIAL AFFECTION—TOUCHING STORY—CALF OF THE RHINOCEROS— INCAPABLE OF DOMESTICATION—PET ELEPHANTS—EMPLOY- MENT OF THE ELEPHANT IN WAR ……………………………….……..276
CONTEXTS.
CHAPTER IV.
GREGARIOUS HABITS OP THE ELEPHANT—LARGE HERBS—-HAUNTS —HABITS IMITATIVE FACULTIES—A SQUADRON OF ELEPHANTS —FOOD ON WHICH THEY SUBSIST—TREES UPROOTED BY ELE- PHANTS—NOT A RUMINATING ANIMAL—QUANTITY OF WATER DRUNK BY THE ELEPHANT—THROWING WATER OVER THE BODY —PROTECTION FROM THE SUN…………………………………...……286
CHAPTER V.
STALKING GENERALLY DESCRIBED—THE AUTHOR'S OWN EX- PERIENCES—TRACKING THE ELEPHANT—FATIGUE OF ELEPHANT- SHOOTING—QUALITIES REQUISITE IN AN ELEPHANT-HUNTER— PARTY OF OVAMBOES—SUCCESSFUL STALKING—NOTES FOR THE GUIDANCE OF ELEPHANT-HUNTERS………………………..…………..301
CHAPTER VI.
ELEPHANT-HUNTING ON HORSEBACK—HARRIS'S EXPERIENCES— ADVENTURES OF GORDON CUMMING—DANGERS TO WHICH THE MOUNTED ELEPHANT-HUNTER IS EXPOSED—DOGS HARDSHIPS ENDURED BY THE HUNTER ON HORSEBACK ……………..……………327
CHAPTER VI.
ELEPHANT SHOOTING AT NIGHT—AMBUSHING FOR GAME—THE AUTHOR'S EXPERIENCES AT THE "SCREEN" —DANGERS ATTEND- ANT ON NIGHT-SHOOTING—PERSONAL ADVENTURES—A CRITICAL POSITION—A SUCCESSFUL NIGHT'S SHOOTING—AN EVENTFUL EPOCH OF MY LIFE…………………………………………….…………339
CHAPTER VIII.
HAMSTRINGING OF ELEPHANTS BY THE CAFFRES—BRUCE'S AC- COUNT—THE PITFALL—USE OF POISONED JAVELINS—THE RHINOCEROS, THE ELEPHANT'S ENEMY—COMBATS BETWEEN MALE ELEPHANTS—-STRUCK BY LIGHTNING—THE CHASSE IN ABYSSINIA—THE AGGAJEERS—THEIR MANNER OF KILLING THE ELEPHANT—FREEMASONRY AMONG HUNTERS ……………….……...358
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IX.
CASUALTIES TO ELEPHANT-HUNTERS—DEATH OF WAHLBERG— CAREL KRIEGER'S FATAL ADVENTURE—REVENGE OF A WOUNDED ELEPHANT—REMARKABLE ESCAPE OF LIEUTENANT MOODIE— LIFE OF THE ELEPHANT-HUNTER—DANGERS AND HARDSHIPS TO WHICH HE IS EXPOSED—MAD WAGER AND ITS FATAL RESULT—ELEPHANT-HUNTING, BLOODY AND UNDESIRABLE WORK……………………………………………………………….……371
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ILLUSTRATIONS.
THE AFRICAN LION……………………………………...Frontispiece
LION ATTACKED BY DOGS ……………………………….…….163
THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT………………………………..….…..239
A FURIOUS CHARGE……………………………………………..309
THE LION.
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—PLACES WHERE THE LION IS FOUND—LION HUNTS IN AFRICA AND IN ASIA DISTINCT SPECIES—NUMEROUS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA—DESCRIPTION OF THE LION AND LIONESS— THE FACULTIES OF THESE ANIMALS—THE LION'S ROAR SIZE AND WEIGHT—IMMENSE STRENGTH COMPARED WITH THAT OF THE BENGAL TIGER—DOGS VERSUS THE LION—THE LION'S PACES.
A
LTHOUGH both in "Lake Ngami," and "The River Okavango," many of my adventures with the Lord of the African wilds are recorded, much remains to be told of his habits, modes of life, &c., some of which, perchance, may not have been noticed by other travellers and sportsmen.
The number of lions actually killed by myself have not, it is true, been very great. Neither in- clination nor circumstances permitted me to devote much time to their destruction. When leisure per- mitted, the chase of the Elephant probably the most exciting and hazardous of African sports was my favourite pursuit; I may however safely say, I never hesitated to attack the lion when he crossed my path. Still I have seen him lace to face when he has been infuriated by the anguish of mortal wounds, have felt his breath fanning my cheek in the
THE LION.
dead of the night, have assisted in depriving him of his prey when maddened with hunger, have met him in the ready swamp and in the dense jungle, have "stalked" the antelope in his company, have seen him pull down the stately giraffe, have roused him in the midst of his "children," and encountered him under many other circumstances—and without taking undue credit to myself, I therefore think I am in some degree, at least, qualified to judge of the royal beast and his habits.
The lion is found from within one hundred miles or so of the Cape of Good Hope to the shores of the Mediterranean, in short, through nearly the length and breadth of Africa. As regards the more southern portion of that continent, however, it is a very generally received opinion with both colonists and natives that there are two distinct species of this animal, viz., the so called "black-maned" and the "yellow-maned" lion; the former being de- scribed as the longest
