30 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. 
camels, as I was afraid of their being injured. We wound 
our way for nine and a half miles northwest, through 
thick thorn-bushes, along paths made by rhinoceroses, and 
reached a broad, grassy plateau called Gardubbela, where 
we camped for the night. Starting before daybreak the 
next morning, we made a long march west across this 
grassy plain, passing large herds of oryx, zebra, and many 
ostriches in groups of twos or threes. 
I was far ahead of the caravan with my gun-bearer 
Hersi, and had just shot a zebra, when I noticed a 
rhinoceros coming straight for me. I turned to Hersi for 
my cartridge-bag, only to see the man’s face fall as he 
remembered he had given the cartridges to another boy to 
carry for a short time, and had forgotten to get them 
again. The rifle I had with me was a .577 express, and I 
had only a single cartridge for this. I had two hundred 
yards the start of the rhinoceros, and now ran for the 
caravan as fast as my legs could take me; fortunately, 
just as I reached the camels, the rhinoceros stopped a 
few moments. The boy who had my cartridge-bag ran 
forward to meet me, and | grabbed the cartridge with 
not a second to spare, for the rhinoceros now started 
ahead once more. When he was about twenty yards 
from the camels, he swerved aside, as his attention was 
drawn off by some of Dodson’s boys, who were not with 
the caravan. This afforded me a good side-shot, and as 
the first report rang out, down went the huge beast on 
his knees. He never got up, as the second shot rolled 
him over on his side. 
The third morning found us travelling by the side of a 
tug running southwest, hoping that this would lead us to a 
point where we might cross the river. The country 
swarmed with rhinoceroses, one of which came very near 
giving me a good mauling. I was going along a path 
