carer. vr.1 THE FIRST ELEPHANT, to3
of these beads, which were carefully made, tapered gradually down, from nearly the size of billiard-balls to that of hazel-nuts. lie would not sell his cherished ornament, though he very kindly offered to lend it to me for a day or two, if I wished to wear it.
Aj5ril r717/.-We arrived at Okamabuti, where the werft of the principal chief of these parts, Chapupa, was then lying. We were assured that there were elephants about, who drank regularly at some neighbouring fountains, and we found the spoors of five. One was said to be a savage, single-tusked, old bull, and we made a long but unsuccessful runt after him ; as he walked faster than we could, a whole day's severe labour was on that occasion unrewarded. Some time later, the Damaras went out in a large body to attack him with assegais, for he had come close up to their werft. They surrounded the animal in that daring way in which African savages are used to attack them ; but although several arrows were shot and assegais thrown, no serious harm was done to him. A dog belonging to one of the natives ran in upon the elephant, and while the owner was trying to get the dog back, the elephant caught the man with his trunk and threw him violently to the ground. All his ribs seemed to be broken, and he soon died. There were no guns on the spot at the time of the occurrence. The elephant went away for a few days, but returned again, and came close up to the waggons. He received seven bullets, but the two last were unnecessary, for he was evidently dying after receiving the fifth. The Damaras had a grand feed off him.
I did not wish to waste time in Damaraland, and tried to persuade Chapupa to give me a guide to the Ovampo, but after many excuses he flatly refused. Okamabuti is on the Damara frontier, and a Bushman tract of considerable breadth separates the two countries. I had heard every imaginable account of the distance hence to Nangoro's place, but settled in my own mind that it must be somewhere between a five and a twenty days' journey. I therefore made ready to treck on to one of the fountains that the elephants frequented, and to stay there for a little until I could bribe a guide to show me the way on. There were a great many things to be done which required at least a fortnight's rest; the waggon sails, which were torn in shreds, had to be well mended, ox hides had to be dressed and then cut up into reims; saddle-bags were wanting, the men's shoes were worn out ; more rideand pack-oxen had to be broken in, and I had a great deal of country to map up and several observations to work out.
