THE AFRICAN RHINOCEROS 



gun bearers, who begged me to shoot, that I would wait 

 until the rhino had reached the anthill, to see if he would 

 not change his mind before that. It seemed almost as if 

 the rhino had been a mind-reader, for, having reached 

 the outer edge of the hill, he suddenly stopped, snorted and 

 puffed, and threw up the red clay with his front feet. With 

 the gun to the shoulder, I shouted, much to the amusement 

 of my men, " Njoo, Mzee, mimi tayari " (" Come on, old 

 fellow, I am ready "). He showed his anger in this way 

 for a few seconds, and then turned around and ran off to 

 our left, exposing a long flesh wound of about eighteen 

 inches, from which the blood was trickling, proving that 

 the big bullet had only plowed through his thick skin for 

 that distance, causing him no serious injury whatever. 



Of the ferocity and courage of the African rhinoceros 

 many contrary things have been said. While some people 

 hold that the rhino is an exceedingly clumsy and stupid 

 beast, which very seldom attacks the hunter, and in most 

 instances runs away when molested, others consider him 

 one of the most dangerous animals in existence. I myself 

 side with the latter, having had, as already mentioned, a 

 good many narrow escapes from these vicious brutes. Be- 

 fore I had ever met a rhino, I believed that they were not 

 to be classed among the more dangerous game animals, 

 but my first experience with these beasts soon gave me 

 a different opinion about them. One day when encamped 

 not far from the Kijabe railway station I had remained 

 in my tent, as the rain was pouring down, and as I also 

 had some writing to do. Suddenly a Wandorobo hunter 

 came running into the camp, shouting that he had located 

 a rhino, and that he knew from the tracks that it must be a 



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