-^ Catching a Young Rhinoceros 



its short, thick horn. He must not tcm|:)t us away. 

 Luckily he scents us and takes to thi^ht. Breathless and 

 perspiring, we return to the tracks of the cow, which often 

 intermingle with those of other rhinoceroses that must 

 have passed this way in the night, and which are 

 therefore by no means easy to follow. 



The suspense grows with every moment. The vege- 

 tation would aftord us no protection against the onrush 



ONE OF THE BULL RHINOCEROSES 



of a rhinoceros, nor would it impede him in any way — 

 the branches would break before him like matchwood. 



Now it is midday and the heat has reached its worst, 

 and still we keep up our chase, making all the pace we 

 can. Taught by experience, my hands grasp my rifle — 

 ready to shoot at any moment. Hour after hour goes by 

 without a break in our advance. 



Little hope remains ot catching up with our coveted 

 prey, when we come to a pool of rain-water, in which 

 clearly she must have just been wallowing and freshening 



. 249 



