LEOPARDS AND RHINOS ‘09 
of the rhino is generally exaggerated. When he 
smells something he comes toward the scent until 
he sees what it is. As he can’t see very far, no man 
with a gun is likely to let him come within seeing dis. 
tance without shooting. So the stupid old beast 
goes charging around hoping to see the source of 
what he smells and in addition to getting himself shot 
has made a reputation for savagery. In fact, he has 
blundered around and been shot so much that old 
rhinos with big horns are growing scarce. 
I remember coming up over the top of a little rise 
one day and seeing across the plain an old rhino 
standing motionless in the shade of a solitary acacia 
about two hundred yards away. ‘The usual tick birds 
sat on his back. It was a typical rhino pose. As I 
stood looking for more entertainment, a second rhino 
came mouching along between me and number one. 
Number one evidently heard him. The birds flew 
off his back, he pricked up his ears, and broke into a 
charge toward number two. Number two recipro- 
cated. Their direction was good and they had 
attained full speed. I longed for a camera to photo- 
graph the collision. But the camera would have 
done me no good. The collision did not happen. 
When about twenty feet from each other they stopped 
dead, snorted, and turned around, number one return- 
ing to doze under his tree and number two continuing 
the journey which had been interrupted. I suppose 
that rhinos have acquired the habit of charging when- 
ever they smell anything because until the white man 
came along they could investigate in this peculiar 
