desirous of purchasing these animals, but the Negroes
refused to sell them. (17)
The elephants are taken by shooting with arrows pointed
w'ith a metal like steel, about a foot long, and exceedingly
sharp. These arrows are steeped in a liquid of a black
colour; and when the animal is wounded they let him go,
but keep him in sight for three or four days, at the end of
which he expires from the effects of the wound. Adams
never saw more than one killed, which was at the distance
of about two miles from the town. He was one evening
speaking to a Negro, when they heard a whistling noise at
a distance: as soon as it was heard, the Negro said it was
an elephant, and next morning at day-light he set off with
his bow and arrows in pursuit of him. Adams, the Portuguese
boy, and many of the town’s people accompanied
him, until they came within about three quarters of a mile
of the elephant, but were afraid to go any nearer on account
of his prodigious size. The Negro being mounted on
a heirie, went close to him, riding at speed past his head:
as he passed him he discharged an arrow, which struck the
elephant near the shoulder, which instantly started, and
went in pursuit of the man, striking his trunk against the
ground with violence, and making' a most tremendous
roaring, which “ might have been heard three miles off.”
Owing to the fleetness of the heirie, which ran the faster
from fear, the elephant was soon left at a distance; and
three days afterwards was found lying on the ground in a
dying state, about a mile from the spot where it was shot.
According to the best of Adams’s recollection, it was at least
twenty feet high ; and though of such an immense size, the
natives said it was a young one. The legs were as thick as
Adams’s body. (18> The first operation of the Negroes was
to take out the four tusks, the two largest of which were
about five feet long. They then cut off the legs, and pieces
of lean from the hinder parts of the body, and carried them
home; where they skinned the flesh, and then exposed it to
dry in the sun for two days. It was afterwards boiled, but
proved to Adams’s taste very coarse food, the grain of the
meat being as thick as a straw, and of a very strong flavour.
The only thing eaten with it was salt, which is procured
from a place called Tudenny wells, which will be spoken of
hereafter. Upon the occasion of the elephant being killed,
the Negroes were greatly delighted : and Adams frequently
laughed with them, at the recollection of their appearance
as they stood round the dead carcase, all laughing and
shewing their white teeth at once, which formed a ridiculous
contrast with their black faces.
The other wild animals which Adams saw were foxes,