tion to a certain
person who had been left there by the real owner of this district to
watch over his property, the owner himself living near the Zambesi. The
side upon which the elephant fell had a short, broken tusk; the upper
one, which was ours, was large and thick. The Banyai remarked on our
good luck. The men sent to give notice came back late in the afternoon
of the following day. They brought a basket of corn, a fowl, and a few
strings of handsome beads, as a sort of thank-offering for our having
killed it on their land, and said they had thanked the Barimo besides
for our success, adding, "There it is; eat it and be glad." Had we begun
to cut it up before we got this permission, we should have lost the
whole. They had brought a large party to eat their half, and they
divided it with us in a friendly way. My men were delighted with the
feast, though, by lying unopened a whole day, the carcass was pretty far
gone. An astonishing number of hyaenas collected round, and kept up a
loud laughter for two whole nights. Some of them do make a very good
imitation of a laugh. I asked my men what the hyaenas were laughing at,
as they usually give animals credit for a share of intelligence. They
said that they were laughing because we could not take the whole, and
that they would have plenty to eat as well as we.

On coming to the part where the elephant was slain, we passed through
grass so tall that it reminded me of that in the valley of Cassange.
Insects are very numerous after the rains commence. While waiting by
the elephant, I observed a great number of insects, like grains of fine
sand, moving on my boxes. On examination with a glass, four species were
apparent; one of green and gold preening its wings, which glanced in the
sun with metallic lustre; another clear as crystal; a third of the color
of vermilion; and a fourth black. These are probably some of those which
consume the seeds of every plant that grows. Almost every kind has its
own peculiar insect, and when the rains are over very few seeds remain
untouched. The rankest poisons, as the Kongwhane and Euphorbia, are soon
devoured; the former has a scarlet insect; and even the fiery bird's-eye
pepper, which will keep off many others from their own seeds, is itself
devoured by a maggot. I observed here, what I had often seen before,
that certain districts abound in centipedes. Here they have light
reddish bodies and blue legs; great myriapedes are seen crawling