CHAP. VII ''ACTION AND REACTION ARE ECIUAL, ETC' 113 



alone seemed able to touch the waters of the lake and live, 

 and we saw neither birds nor insects on the shore. The day's 

 zoological collection was represented only by a water-scorpion 

 (a Nepd) which we found in some half- dried mud, and a small 

 snake {Rhagerrhis tritcsniata, Gth.) An effort to add a rhino- 

 ceros nearly resulted in a disaster. We saw a pair, and as we 

 were desperately hard-up for food, I told Fundi to follow me, 

 and started off to stalk them. They bolted into the bush at the 

 foot of the cliff, and it seemed impossible for them to escape. 

 I soon found one of them, but could not get a safe shot at it, as 

 it stood facing us, and its head was over its chest. A small 

 stream bed, 4 feet deep and about 6 feet wide, ran towards the 

 animal. We crawled along this till I was level with the 

 rhinoceros, I was taking a steady aim at its brain when I 

 heard a shriek from Fundi of " Kwea, bwana " (Climb, master). 

 The other rhinoceros was also in the bed of the stream, and, 

 having scented us, was charging down upon us. We both 

 sprang up into the thorn scrub, while the rhinoceros passed 

 beneath me and stopped, as if it intended to turn. I jerked 

 my rifle to my shoulder and fired at the animal's neck. The 

 effect was startling to both of us. The mouth of the barrel 

 had scraped against the side of the gully, and become half 

 choked with sand ; the recoil was so heavy that it threw me 

 back into the thornbush, while the bullet, instead of cutting 

 through the backbone, tore its way through the muscles of the 

 neck. With a grunt of pain the rhinoceros rushed on along 

 the gully, while I rolled into it. Fundi picked up his rifle and 

 ran to help me, shouting to the others that I was hurt. He 

 thought the rhinoceros had caught me, and was much relieved 

 to find that it was only the gun that had knocked me over. 

 My right shoulder, however, was so bruised and battered that 

 for some weeks afterwards I had to shoot from the left. Later 

 on the same day a rhinoceros threatened to charge the caravan, 

 but after a minute's reflection it walked slowly southward. I 

 suggested to Fundi that we should go and stalk it. " Bus faro 

 leo, bwana " (Enough rhinoceros for to-day, master), he replied. 

 I agreed with him, and so we made no attempt to intercept its 

 retreat. 



About five in the afternoon we passed round a headland to 

 a wooded gully cut into the face of the cliff, in which we hoped 



I 



