202 AFRICAN NATURE NOTES chap. 



in to tell us that a mamba (crocodile) had seized a faro 

 (rhinoceros), as the latter stepped into the river to drink. 

 " Ali " was concealed in the bushes on the side of the 

 river opposite the scene at the time the rhino came down 

 to drink. When our party arrived, about fifty of our 

 porters were on a sandbank leading out into the Tana 

 river. The rhino was held by its left hind-leg, which 

 had been seized by the crocodile just as the big beast 

 was leaving the river after drinking. At least half a 

 dozen of the porters, who had been lying in the bushes 

 near the scene, in reply to my questions, agreed as to the 

 manner the rhino was attacked. 



When we neared the point of attack, the rhino 

 appeared panic-stricken, making very little noise — simply 

 straining and heaving in its efforts to release its leg from 

 the jaws of the crocodile. While making but little head- 

 way, the rhino did for a time succeed in holding its own, 

 keeping in shallow water, as the photos i and 2 show. 

 A moment or two later, however, blood appeared on the 

 surface of the water, leading us to believe that the 

 crocodile had been reinforced by other mambas which 

 had been attracted to the scene by the blood and lashing 

 of the water. The struggle continued on down the 

 stream, the combatants having moved quite a distance 

 from the original point of attack. The rhino still 

 managed to keep on its feet, facing either down stream 

 or toward the opposite bank, and for a distance of at 

 least one hundred yards down stream had made no 

 perceptible loss of ground. Shortly afterward, however, 

 apparently maddened by the pain it was undoubtedly 

 suffering (for now much more blood and pieces of flesh 

 appeared on the surface of the water), the rhino evidently 

 lost its head and attempted to cross through the deep 

 water to the opposite shore, as shown in photo 3. This 

 move was the beginning of the rhino's end, for as soon 

 as it turned and met with deeper water, it lost the 

 advantage of a firm foothold in the shallow water, and 

 the animal was quickly drawn beneath the surface. 



