THE AFRICAN RHINOCEROS 



which he had had a couple of years ago. One night he 

 was awakened by a feehng of unrest, as if something had 

 gone wrong in his camp. His incHnation was to get up 

 immediately to investigate, but being very tired from a 

 long march the previous day, and seeing that the big camp 

 fire was blazing, and the Askari awake, he again lay down, 

 wishing he might be able to go to sleep again. For some 

 reason it was not possible for him to feel comfortable, hav- 

 ing again the strong feeling that he should get up and look 

 around the camp. Finally he decided to do so, took his 

 big gun, and went out among the porters' tents to see if 

 everything was all right. Hardly had he left his tent, 

 when a big rhino rushed, full speed on, through his camp. 

 Passing right over the fire itself, he ran down Mr. 

 Percival's own tent, and, putting one of his heavy feet 

 right on the very couch, which a few minutes before 

 had been occupied by the sleeping game ranger, broke it 

 in pieces. 



In 1909 I was told of a similar experience in German 

 East Africa by a Mr. Herman Gelder, of Berlin, who had 

 made an extended shooting trip through the southern and 

 western part of the German Protectorate. With over one 

 hundred porters, Mr. Gelder was encamped at the edge 

 of a large forest not very far from the eastern shore of 

 Lake Tanganyika. Having seen a good many rhinoceros's 

 tracks in the vicinity, before camp was pitched, the pre- 

 caution was taken of making a small " boma " around the 

 camp. This was done by heaping cut-ofif branches of thorn 

 bushes and trees in a circle around the camp. Having ac- 

 complished this, he ordered a big camp fire to be kept burn- 

 ing during the night. Suddenly, about 2 o'clock in the 



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