31/32 He knew me again, and made a desperate effort to get at me, but I am glad to say that the peat held him fast. Owing to the support given by the soil, few of the dead elephants had fallen: there they stood as though they were asleep. Then began the work of cutting out the elephants' tusks; it took over a week, and for obvious reasons was a disgusting task. Indeed, had it not been for the help of some wandering bushmen, who took their pay in elephant meat, I do not think we could ever have managed it. The ivory was far too cumbersome for us to carry, so we buried it, having first got rid of our bushmen allies. |