Elephants! There they were, feeding peacefully in the jungle just before them. Huge and fearless they seemed, mighty rulers of the black Ituri forest. The air was filled with the exciting smell of them to the crouching Pygmies. Gripping their spears and knives tensely they inched their way noiselessly, closer, and closer.
Though this is a familiar age-old hunting game to the Pygmies living two villages away from Lolwa in Zaire, it has never lost its thrill. The little black men more than make up for their small stature by their skill and bravery. At times they creep up upon the feeding elephants, who seem to lose their sense of danger while eating. One man will dart swiftly forward and under one of them, then thrust his spear straight up into the vital part of the stomach. The elephant becomes wild with pain and fury, charging, rearing, stamping and shaking. The Pygmy hangs on with all his might until the elephant drops dead.
At other times the Pygmy will wait his chance to spring up to a feeding elephant and hamstring him by slashing the tendon in one of his back legs. The Pygmy must be swift and sure, especially in making his getaway. Trumpeting furiously, the elephant will charge in every direction to find him. Finally he will return to eating, dragging his helpless leg. Darting back the Pygmy will cut the tendon in the other leg, and the elephant will drop helplessly to the ground. Other Pygmies will quickly join the first one, and the elephant is killed by a spear thrust into the stomach. When the victorious hunters return, the whole village celebrates joyously over the great supply of fresh meat.
Today the hunters were closing in for the kill. The nearest Pygmy tensed his muscles and sprang forward to hamstring the leg of the big fellow just before him but he was not quite swift enough! A slight shift in the wind had warned the elephant. He smelled his enemy. With amazing swiftness he swung about to kill his attacker.
Upon the ground before him lay the Pygmy, apparently dead already! Swift as the elephant had been, the Pygmy had collapsed even more swiftly, and now lay "playing dead" without a quiver.
The elephant appeared puzzled. The man did not respond when he prodded him with his trunk. Picking him up he carried him through the forest for about a half a mile, then dumped him down upon the ground and walked on a short distance. The Pygmy continued to "play dead," for he knew the ways of elephants. In a few moments the elephant swung back suspiciously to see if the man had stirred. Once again he seized the limp figure in his trunk and carried him through the forest for another half mile and dropped him. Again he walked away, and returned to see if the man had moved. For the third time he carried him through the forest, but this time when he tossed him to the ground he proceeded to dig a grave to bury him in!
Crouched in the undergrowth at a safe distance away the other hunters watched with amazement as the elephant rapidly scooped out a shallow grave. When it was large and deep enough the elephant once more caught up the Pygmy. Stuffing him into the grave he shoved the dirt back into place, covering him completely—except for his head! Then, evidently feeling that he had done a thorough job of disposing of his enemy, the elephant swung off into the jungle, and this time did not return.
When the hunters were sure that the elephant was no longer pretending, but had gone on his way into the forest, they hurried to the buried man's side and dug him out. He was still very much alive, but badly bruised and torn from the elephant's tusks and rough handling, so the hunters carried him out of the forest to the missionaries' medical dispensary.
The Christian doctors and nurses were very interested in their unusual patient. For some reason God had kept the elephant from destroying the man. Was it that he might be brought to them to learn of God's love for him?
The Pygmy, with the nightmarish experience of being buried alive still fresh in his mind, listened in wonder to the story of the Savior's death, burial, and resurrection for him. Thinking back over his life of many wrong deeds he became convinced that God had allowed this experience to happen that he might realize the frightfulness of death and burial without the knowledge of his sins forgiven. Before he left the hospital he received the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior. Today he lives to thank God for his experience of being buried alive by an elephant!
Since the time of this story two of this man's brothers have had similar experiences with elephants attempting to bury them. One brother was caught by the elephant when he made an attempt to hamstring him. The elephant threw him to the ground and "spanked" him three times across the chest with his trunk, breaking his ribs. Turning a short distance away he began to dig a hole in which to bury him. The wind was in the hunters' favor, so they were able to creep up, snatch the injured Pygmy and flee with him.
Although this is a rare occurrence, elephants are known for their unusual memories concerning their enemies. For this family in particular they seem to have nothing but revenge in their hearts!