LEOPARDS AND RHINOS 107 
have had me in no time, and both times the rhinos 
left me unmolested. 
When I first went to Africa I had the same ex- 
perience as everyone else. Rhinos getting wind of 
me would charge me and to save myself I'd shoot. I 
suppose I had stood off twenty of these charges with 
my rifle before I discovered that if I did not shoot it 
would not necessarily be fatal. I discovered the fact, 
of course, quite by accident. I was going along the 
bank of the Tana River one day with my camera. 
My gun boys were some distance behind so as not to 
disturb any animal that might afford a picture. Sud- 
denly I was set all a-quiver by the threshings and 
snortings of a rhino coming through the bushes in 
my direction. I very hastily took stock of the situa- 
tion. There was nothing to climb. Between me 
and the thicket from which the rhino was coming 
was about twenty-five feet of open space. Behind 
me was a 30-foot drop to the crocodile-infested waters 
of the Tana. The only hope I saw was a bush over- 
hanging the brink which looked as if it might or might 
not hold me if I swung out on it. I decided to try 
the bush and let the rhino land in the river, trusting to 
luck that I wouldn’t join him there. The bushes 
were thrust aside and he came full tilt into the open- 
ing where he could see me. Everything was set for 
the final act. He suddenly stopped with a snort. 
His head drooped. His eyes almost closed. He 
looked as if he were going to sleep. The terrible 
beast had become absolutely ludicrous. While this 
was going on I felt a poke in my back. I reached 
