X CAPTAIN STIGAND'S ADVENTURE 195 



to have been and to be a stupid, blundering, bad- 

 sighted, but keen -scented beast; in the great 

 majority of cases doing its best to avoid human 

 beings, but always liable to become savage when 

 wounded, like elephants, lions, and buffaloes, and 

 sometimes being really bad-tempered and savage 

 by nature, and ready to charge unprovoked at the 

 sight or scent of any one approaching it. My own 

 experience proves at least that it Is quite possible 

 to come across a great number of black rhinoceroses 

 without ever encountering a really vicious one. 



In those countries which now form part of 

 North-Western Rhodesia, through which I travelled 

 many years ago, black rhinoceroses were by no 

 means plentiful. In fact, though I from time to 

 time came across their tracks, I never actually saw 

 a rhinoceros In the flesh to the north of the 

 Zambesi. Throughout British Central Africa, too, 

 I believe I am correct in stating that these animals 

 have never been found in any great number. It 

 was somewhere in this territory that my friend 

 Captain C. H. Stigand was severely Injured by a 

 black rhinoceros. I have heard the story of this 

 misadventure from his own lips, and I think there 

 can be no doubt that the animal which suddenly 

 charged and tossed him without provocation was 

 one of those vicious, dangerous brutes whose ex- 

 ceptionally savage tempers have given a bad name 

 to the whole species. 



In a footnote to the article on the black rhinoceros 

 contributed to the Great and Small Game of Africa 

 by Mr. F. Vaughan Kirby, that writer says, in 

 speaking of the character of this animal : '' I know 

 an instance of a native being charged and killed, 

 and another whom I met personally who was 

 chased and regularly hunted by a wounded one, 

 which caught and fearfully mutilated him." 



Judging by his own personal experience, Mr. 



