The one-tree hill known as "Tem" appeared a little to the north
of west: to the north-east we could see a river-fork, but none
knew its name.
Our return was enlivened by the inspection of an elephant-kraal,
where a herd had been trapped, drugged, and shot during the last
season. As the walls were very flimsy, I asked why the animals
did not break loose; the answer was that the Ngan (Mganga or
Fetishman) ran a line of poison vine along its crest, and that
the beasts, however wild, would not attempt to pass through it.
The natives showed me the liana which they described, still lying
on the poles of the broken corral. Mr. Preston, of the Gaboon
Mission, who first noticed it, and Mr. Wilson, who gives an
illustration of the scene (p. 363), declares that the creeper is
drawn around the herd when browsing; that as long as the animals
are unmolested they will not dash through the magic circle, and
that the fence of uprights is constructed outside it. The same
tale is told of all the wild elephant-hunters in the interior,
the Bati the Okana, the Yefa, and the Sensoba.
Arrived at Tippet-town, I gave my "dashes," chiefly brass and
copper rods, bade an affectionate farewell, and then dropped down
stream without further ceremony.
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