rica have yet reached a high enough
point of civilisation to avail themselves of the services of this
valuable animal.

The African elephant may be domesticated and trained to the "howdah," or
castle, as easily as his Indian cousin. The trial has been made; but
that it can be done no better proof is required than that at one period
it was done, and upon a large scale. The elephants of the Carthaginian
army were of this species.

The African elephant at present inhabits the central and southern parts
of Africa. Abyssinia on the east, and Senegal on the west, are his
northern limits, and but a few years ago he roamed southward to the very
Cape of Good Hope. The activity of the Dutch ivory-hunters, with their
enormous long guns, has driven him from that quarter; and he is no
longer to be found to the south of the Orange River.

Swartboy spoke of a variety well known among the Hottentot hunters as
the "koes-cops." This kind, he said, differed from the ordinary ones by
its altogether wanting the tusks, and being of a far more vicious
disposition. Its encounter is more dreaded; but as it possesses no
trophies to make it worth the trouble and danger of killing, the hunters
usually give it a wide berth.

Such was the conversation that night around the camp-fire. Much of the
information here given was furnished by Hans, who of course had gathered
it from books; but the Bushman contributed his quota--perhaps of a far
more reliable character.

All were destined ere long to make practical acquaintance with the
haunts and habits of this huge quadruped, that to them had now become
the most interesting of all the animal creation.

CHAPTER XX.

JERKING AN ELEPHANT.

Next day was one of severe, but joyful labour. It was spent in "curing"
the elephant, not in a medical sense, but in the language of the
provision-store.

Although not equal to either beef or mutton, or even pork, the flesh of
the elephant is sufficiently palatable to be eaten. There is no reason
why it should not be, for the animal is a clean feeder, and lives
altogether on vegetable substances--the leaves and tender shoots of
trees, with several species of bulbous roots, which he well knows how to
extract from the ground with his tusks and trunk. It does not follow
from this that his beef should be well tasted--since we see that the
hog, one of the most unclean of feeders, yields most delicious "pork;"
while another of the same family (_pachydermata_)