X BLACK RHINOCEROS KILLED 191 



make more certain of killing it with a shot through 

 the lungs as it turned to run off. But it would not 

 turn, but kept advancing steadily towards me with- 

 out taking any notice of my shouts, until it was so 

 near that I determined to try and kill it with a shot 

 in the front of the head. I was at that time armed 

 with a single- barrelled ten-bore rifle, which was 

 carefully sighted and shot very accurately, and when 

 the rhinoceros was within fifteen yards of where I 

 stood, and still slowly but steadily advancing, I put 

 a bullet past its horns and into its forehead. It 

 fell to the shot and rolled on its side, but almost 

 immediately raised its head and brought it down 

 again on the ground with a thump. I saw that it 

 was only stunned, just as the one had been which 

 I had lost some five years previously, after having 

 hit it in almost exactly the same place with a four- 

 ounce bullet ; so I ran close up to it and killed it 

 with a bullet behind the shoulder, just as it swung 

 itself up into a sitting position. What this rhinoceros 

 would have done if I had not fired I do not know. 

 I think it very likely, however, that had I turned 

 and run for a tree, it might have rushed after me 

 and struck at me with its horn. Some of the others, 

 too, which had trotted up towards me in previous 

 years might have done the same thing, if they had 

 suddenly seen me running close in front of them. 

 I have twice had the same experience as that 

 described by Gordon Gumming when he galloped 

 in front of a black rhinoceros which he had wounded, 

 that is to say, I have been smartly chased by two 

 of these animals. The first was a cow with a 

 nearly full - grown calf These two animals went 

 off at a swift trot as soon as they scented me, 

 breaking into a gallop when I pressed them. I then 

 tried to pass them, so as to get a broadside shot ; 

 but directly my horse drew level with her, the cow 

 charged in the most determined manner, snorting 



