180 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. 
come my way in their flight. Almost every night rhino- 
ceroses and elephants would pass close to the camp, but I 
did not go after them in the dark. Only one morning did 
a rhinoceros come close enough to the camp for me to get 
ashot. My bullet struck the beast in the back as he was 
puffing and tearing up the ground about fifty yards away, 
evidently objecting to our having invaded his country; but 
the wound was not enough to finish him, for he turned 
aside and ran off into the bushes. I went out of the camp, 
and followed his blood trail a short distance, until suddenly 
I heard what sounded like a steam-engine coming for me 
from behind the bush ; but luckily the beast was too severely 
wounded to run fast, so that I had time to put up my rifle 
and fire before he reached me. I hit him this time in the 
shoulder, causing him to fall on his knees, and with the 
second barrel rolled him over on his side. 
A couple of Gallas who had been in the camp over 
night, and who had followed me in my search for the 
wounded rhinoceros, now rushed up, and proceeded to fill 
themselves with the blood that poured from spear wounds 
they made in the animal's side; I think they must have 
drunk a gallon apiece. 
We left Aimola on the s9th of March, and proceeded in 
a westerly direction toward the lovely valley of San Kural 
in the country of the Boran. The Gere Gallas had been 
most agreeably surprised at our not having looted them, 
and as we took leave of them they showed their pleasure 
by broad grins for every one. The valley of San Kural is 
very picturesque with its high mountains and luxurious 
vegetation, and giant bowlders of granite superimposed 
one upon the other in the most curious fashion. 
After our first march from Aimola we camped near 
some villages a little to the west of the wells of San Kural. 
Here we did much trading with the Boran, so that I could 
