1 4 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 



standing close beside his horse, which did not manifest the slightest 

 alarm at the near proximity of the uncouth-looking and, no doubt 

 to him, strangely-smelling little beast. The young Rhinoceros, too, 

 that was scarcely larger than a half-grown pig, did not seem at 

 all frightened when either Wood or myself, or any of the Kaffirs, 

 approached it, but stood quite still when we went up to it and passed 

 our hands down its back. It was, of course, too young to have 

 any sign of horns, but two round patches on the nose showed 

 where they would in time have grown ; in other respects, with its 

 prehensile lip, large ears, and little twinkling eyes, it was a perfect 

 miniature of an adult Black Rhinoceros. One circumstance, I 

 remember, that struck me at the time, was that it sweated most 

 profusely all over the back, which I never remember to have seen 

 an adult animal do. As we found that it followed Wood's horse 

 as closely as if it had been its own mother, we determined to try 

 and get it to the wagons, which were about six miles distant, 

 and endeavour to rear it on thin gruel, for, unfortunately, we had 

 no milch cows with us; so, leaving the Kaffirs to cut up the old 

 cow, we rode home, the little Rhinoceros following us like a dog 

 the whole way. The heat of the sun seemed to give it great 

 inconvenience, for it halted and remained behind beneath every 

 shady tree; but, as soon as the horse was about twenty yards 

 ahead, it would twist up its little tail, give a squeal, and come 

 trotting up alongside of it again. At last we reached the wagons, 

 when of a sudden the nature of the hitherto quiet little beast seemed 

 changed ; whether it was the sight of the dogs, that came barking 

 around it, or of the wagons, or the tout ensemble of sights and 

 smells with which its eyes and nostrils were assailed, I know not, 

 but it was now transformed into a perfect little demon, charging 

 people, dogs, and even the wagon-wheel, with great fury. I now 

 passed an ox-rein round its neck and behind one shoulder, when 

 it rushed alternately to the length of its tether, springing from the 

 ground in its fury, and then back again at me, when it would 

 inflict several bumps on my knees with its nose. Its modus 

 operandi was to lower its head between its legs, and then, by 

 throwing it up perpendicularly, strike several blows in quick 

 succession with its nose. Small and weak as the poor little creature 

 was, it still battered my knees with considerable violence. After 

 being secured to the wagon-wheel it presently became quieter, 

 though it still charged out to the full length of its tether at any dog 



