With I'lashli-ht and KiIIl 



t> ' 



^ 



l)y rhinoceroses, and even when not ;ii such close (juartcrs 

 an encounter with ihrni is olicii dangerous aiicl exciting". 



M\' llrst cncoiMitcr with the " c'lnunx' " ol die Masai 

 l"iai)|)e'ned lowai'ds e\cninL;, in the middle ol a chari-('(i and 

 blackened plain, thai had l)e(Mi on lire that vctv daw 



Ne\(T shall 1 loi'L^ei ilic iiii|)|-ession made on m(; h\' 

 this uncouth animal mass, si.MidiiiL^ in its ru^Ll^ed clumsiness 

 in the nudst ol that ;^loom\ Landscape, illuminated \>y the 

 slanting' and uncertain im\ s ol the seitiiiL;' sun. W'idi its 

 head hi^li m the air (the monsler h.id alrea<l\ hecome 

 avvar(' ol our approach), its nnL;hl\ hoi'ns pointniL^' uj)\vards, 

 and its jj^io^antic outlme showin;.; aL^ainsi the y<-A ot the 

 ev('nine- sk)', it schemed to he merged m the Mack ground 

 on which It stood. 



My heart heat franticalK', and m\ hand was not steady 

 as, ]),arlially screened hy a thorn hush, hall ol which had 

 been sp.ired !)\ the lire, I let oil m\ elephant !_;un Iroin 

 a distance of a hundred paces. At m\' shot the " i'arii" 

 came snortiiiL;' towards me, and it w.is onK at my second 

 shot, when he was \er\' close indeed, that he turned to 

 the left, .and, snorting loudl) , look to IIil^Iu across the 

 phiiu. M\ servants seemed to haxc vanished Irom the 

 lace: ol tin: earth. 



The scene was enacted in such a short space o( time, 

 and made such a powerful imj)ressioii oii me the apparent 

 Liselessness ol m\ weapon aL;ainst the ^real animal was 

 so crushiiiL^, the swiftness and .i^ihty ih.ii he h,id displayed 

 at the last so astoiiishiiiL;- that from ih.it moment the 

 picture I had had in m\ mind ol this ainmal lor so 

 many \ears was totall)' changed. 



214 



