439. The elephant and Rita have done so well at shooting birds for the American, that their father says they are now ready to go with him on the long-promised elephant hunt. Four other families join them for the trip. They go a day's journey into the forest and find the tracks of an elephant. For another day they carefully follow the tracks, and at last hear the elephant breaking branches from the trees as he feeds on tender leaves. Little by little, the hunters creep up in front of the huge beast. Suddenly they let go a shower of arrows into his face, putting out both his eyes.
When they see that they have blinded the elephant, they shout with delight, for they know that he cannot get away. The poor beast runs wildly about against the trees. The natives easily dodge him, awaiting their chance to drive a spear into his heart. When he falls dead they shout and jump and dance. They walk over his big body and slide down his sides. After a while, they cut off the feet and cook them for their supper. Elephant's foot is a great delicacy.
440. The next morning, they go back to the village. All are carry ing heavy burdens of elephant tusks and elephant meat, enough for the whole vil lage. That night they have a hunting feast. A big fire is built in the center of the village. Everyone dresses up in his best strips of bark cloth, some of which are dyed red and some gray. They put on hats of feathers and plumes, and stick flowers through holes they have made in their lips and ears. They eat elephant meat and dance around the fire, keeping time to the tapping of arrows against the bows. For hours, they dance and dance.
441. Trading with white is the life that still goes on in some of the African forest villages. Some of these villages have no trade with white men, but most of them get our cotton cloth, knives, beads, and wire, and in return send us ivory, rubber, and skins. If the people live near the steamboat lines or railroads, they also send us palm nuts. These nuts contain oil that can be pressed out of them just as olive oil is pressed from olives. Like olive oil and butter, it is good to eat.
During the World War, many shiploads of these palm nuts went to Europe to feed the war workers and soldiers. Steamers from England and Belgium call at many places along the coast of the Gulf of Guinea.
442. David Livingstone.—Central Afrka is the part of the continent of which the least is known. Here the great, dense
forest extends many days' journey to the north and to the south of the equator. It is not easy for white men to travel here.
The first white man to visit this country was David Livingstone, a Scotch mission ary. He traveled for a long time through this unknown forest. He was loved by all the natives who met him. He finally died there of African fever. It is a splendid story of loyalty and heroism. These black men loved him so much that they carried the dead body of their friend through the forest for many months, until at last they reached the coast. This they did in order that Livingstone might be carried back to his own home country in the British Isles for burial.
443. The at the rainfall map and you will see that the forest coun try of Central Africa has much rain, but that north of it and south of it are lands of little or no rain. These lands to the north and south are the deserts. Between the forest and these deserts, both north and south, are wide belts of country where during a part of the year it rains, and during a part of the year it is dry. When it rains, the grass grows; but the dry season lasts so long that no trees can live through it. This grass belt between the forest and the Sahara is called the Sudan. It reaches from the Atlantic to the Nile. How do people live in a grass country? They keep flocks of grass-eating animals. Through out the long Sudan are many tribes of strong black people who keep herds of cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys, and some times camels. Some of the people culti vate fields of a grain called millet, which they make into bread much like our corn bread.
These tribes are a long way from the coast. While England and France claim most of the Sudan, the natives as yet see very few Englishmen or Frenchmen. The chiefs rule the tribes as they have always done.
444. East Central Africa.—The physical map of Africa (Fig. 400) shows you that in the east a plateau extends from Abyssinia southward to the equator, and beyond. Some mountain peaks rise so high from this plateau that even in this hot land their tops are covered with snow and ice. On the Central African plateaus as in the Sudan, there is a rainy and a dry season. It is therefore also a grass country. Many antelopes, deer, and other grass-eating animals live there, as well as the lions that prey upon them. Here Mr. Roosevelt