Many
bleached skulls, that do not require one to have the science of
Professor Owen to know that they were once tenanted by a spirit
recognised in this world as a white man, might tell what was the result
of carelessness, and underrating the enemy, and perhaps a little
overrating one's own skill.

We joined the party which we had met in the bush, and together followed
the spoor. I now witnessed one of the rare cases of downright cowardice
in a Kaffir. One of this English lad's Kaffirs was a very good hand
after buck, but did not aspire to anything more. As we neared the
elephants, and heard their rumbling, this black cur shook as though he
had an ague, and said he would not go any farther. The English boy told
him if he went away he would only have one shot at him, but that he
generally drove a bullet pretty straight. This argument the Kaffir
seemed to consider a very convincing one, as he kept on with us. The
elephants were on the move when we came upon them, and a young bull was
quietly walking up a path directly towards us, with a branch held in his
trunk. My white companion recommended me not to fire; but, seeing the
elephant's shoulder, I sent my two-ounce bullet into it. I turned and
ran, but found, after a dozen yards, that the coward Kaffir was in my
way. He did not know exactly what to do, and was not moving at that
rapid pace which I always considered advisable after wounding an
elephant in this dense forest. A bundle of charmed woods was hung round
this Kaffir's neck, thick enough to have saved the whole Zulu nation for
evermore from savage elephants or hungry lions. Feeling indisposed to
jog on behind him, I caught hold of this necklace, which was the only
article of attire that he wore, and dragged him back, at the same time
slipping in front of him. As I passed him, he turned round with horror
depicted in his face, and wildness in his eyes. He just called out,
"_Bulula, bulula_!" (Shoot, shoot!) and then came after me: he thought
my hand had been the elephant's trunk, and that he was nearly a gone
Kaffir. I managed to get a long thorn deep into my knee during my run,
which caused such pain that I could not proceed on the spoor. I went a
little way, and saw plenty of blood, but gave up the search to the
English lad and his two Kaffirs, whilst I with difficulty reached home.
I never heard what was the result of the pursuit,--whether they found
and killed, or lost. I was lame for nearly thre