With Flashlight and Rifle ^ 



lopes appears in blurred outline against the dark background 

 of the sedge-thicket. They seem to be waterbuck, coming 

 from their hiding-places on to the open level for food, 

 and they soon disappear in the background. I begin 

 to experience a certain fatigue, but I struggle against 

 it. Nor do I permit any sleep to my companion ; the 

 inevitable snoring of the negro (for that matter, even too 

 heavy breathing) might be audible to sharp ears. 



Another hour has passed. Suddenly I perceive on niy 

 right, not tar trom me, a large dark object which I had not 

 noticed before, and which is lightly and noiselessly 

 approaching my ambush and the watering-place. Without 

 a halt the dark, mighty mass comes nearer and still nearer. 

 Now I can plainly see that there are two objects, one 

 in front of the other. They stand opposite me, not 

 more than one hundred and titty paces ot^' They are 

 rhinoceroses, full-grown ones, coming here to drink. 

 How gigantic they look by moonlight ! An old childish 

 memory suddenly comes back to me : how my father's 

 keeper, when he missed some sitting hares, apologised 

 by saying that he always saw them too big ! — as big 

 as camels ! 



Moving along obliquely to the water, they have now 

 come to a spot at most a hundred paces away, and stop 

 still once more, listening — then they go up to the brink, 

 instantly to vanish in the sedge and the marsh-vegetation. 

 For a while 1 can hear theni splashing about ; then there 

 is no further sound. It is not surprising to me. but to the 

 new-comer it would be astounding, to observe the pertect 

 silence in which these mighty pachyderms contrive to 



