Chapter III

1871-1875

The influence of literature--Books on Africa--Thomas
Baines--Baldwin--Selous lands in Africa--Leaves Port
Elizabeth--Sport on the road--Arrival at Kimberley--A short
expedition into Griqualand--Starts for the north--His
companions--The first giraffe hunt--Lost in the bush--An
unenviable position--Loses his horse--Reaches safety--His first
lions--Meeting with Lobengula--The Matabele king's
humour--Cigar--Elephant hunters--Piet Jacobs--William
Finaughty--His life as an elephant hunter--Selous kills his
first elephants--Cigar's good qualities--Selous remains in
Matabeleland--Joins Wood in an elephant hunt--A great day--A
fatal accident--The Dett valley--Elephant hunting--Charged by a
cow--A narrow escape--A doubly loaded elephant gun--Further
adventures with elephants--Return to Bulawayo--Game in the Dett
valley--Selous goes north to the Zambesi--Visit to the
Chobe--Begins his collection of trophies--Adventures with
buffaloes--Abundance of game--His first lion--A savage
charge--Arrives at Tati 65

CHAPTER IV
1876-1878

Lands again at Algoa Bay--Reaches Matabeleland--Kills a fine
lion--George Westbeech--Return to the Diamond Fields--Loses a
fine lion--The comparative danger of hunting various wild
animals--Views of experienced hunters--Adventures with
buffaloes--Goes north to the Zambesi--Hunting in the Chobe
delta--Sepopo's elephant drives--A charging buffalo--Selous'
horse killed by a buffalo--Further adventures with
buffaloes--Their speed and cunning--A depressing outlook--Visit
to the Zambesi--Portuguese misrule--The Kafukwe country--An
unhealthy region--Illness of Owen and Selous--Restored to
health--Elephant hunting on the Hanyane river--Clarkson and
Wood--The death of Quabeet--A vicious cow--Nearly crushed--Kills
a lioness--Plans for the future 99

CHAPTER V
1879-1880

Intends to visit the Mashukulumbwe country--Expedition into the
northern Kalahari--The Botletlie river--Adventure with
lions--The difficulties of the Thirstland--The Mababe
flats--Oxen nearly exhausted--Finds water--Kills two lionesses
and two fine lions--Hunting on the Linyanti and Chobe--The death
of French--Sick with fever--Causes of the Zulu War--The
magnanimity of the Zulus--Selous' visit to Cetewayo--The story
of John Dunn--McLeod of McLeod--The Swazi king's
reasoning--Selous' views on the Zulu War--Sir Godfrey
Lagden--Selous again goes to Matabeleland--J. S. Jameson, some
details of his life--Expedition to Mashunaland--Return to
England--Causes of the first Boer War--Selous' first
book--Slaughter of game in South Africa--The ethics of Big Game
hunting 120

CHAPTER VI
1881-1885

Return to South Africa--Intends to be an ostrich farmer--Goes
north again--The snake-stone--Collecting specimens of big game
and butterflies--A bold lioness--Visit to Khama--Lion attacks
the camp--Death of the lion--Laer's narrow escape--Kills a
leopard--Reaches the Zambesi--Goes south and then returns to
Mashunaland--The Manyami plateau--A savage leopard--Adventure
with a lion--The hippopotamus row--A poor outlook--Visit to the
Mababe--A man-eating lion--Return to Bulawayo--The white
rhinoceros--A wonderful herd of elephants--A great day spoiled
by a sulky horse--Frequently charged by elephants--A savage
cow--Curious magnanimity to a horse--Liechtenstein's
Hartebeest--A gallant sable antelope--Havoc amongst the
dogs--Danger from wounded sable and roan antelopes 141

CHAPTER VII
1886-1889

Expedition to Mashunaland with Messrs. Jameson, Fountaine and
Cooper--A serious accident--Sets out for Barotsiland--Arrival at
Wankie's--Extortion by the Batonga chiefs--Monzi--The
Mashukulumbwe--Into the jaws of death--Attack on Selous'
camp--Selous escapes south--Pursuit by the natives--Lucky
meeting with a Wildebeest--His rifle stolen--Nearly
shot--Reaches Monzi's village--A dangerous
position--Marancinyan--Suspicious friendship--Moves south with
guides--Meets some of his men--Their adventures--Reaches
Panda-ma-tenka--Sikabenga's treachery--Crosses the Zambesi
again--Wanderings in Barotsiland--Return to Bamangwato 157