HAIR-BKEADTH ESCAPE FROM A RHINOCEKOS. 399 



One fine moonlight night, when snugly ensconced in my 

 "skarm," and contemplating the strange but picturesque 

 scene before me, my reverie was interrupted by the inhar- 

 monious grunting of a black rhinoceros. He was evidently 

 in bad humor, for, as he emerged from among the trees into 

 more open ground, I observed him madly charging any thing 

 and every thing that he encountered, such as bushes, stones, 

 &c. Even the whitened skulls and skeletons of his own 

 species, lying scattered about on the ground, were attacked 

 with inconceivable fury. I was much amused at his eccentric 

 pastime ; but, owing to the openness of the ground, and the 

 quantity of the limestone thereabout, which made objects 

 more distinct, he was not easy of approach. However, after 

 divesting myself of my shoes, and all the more conspicuous 

 parts of my dress, I managed to crawl — pushing my gun be- 

 fore me — to within a short distance of the snorting beast. 

 As he was advancing in a direct line toward me, I did not 

 like to fire, because one has little chance of killing the rhi- 

 noceros when in that position. Having approached to within 

 a few feet of me, his attention was attracted, and suddenly 

 uttering one of those strange " blowing" noises so peculiar 

 to the beast when alarmed or enraged, he prepared to treat 

 me in a similar manner to the stones and skulls he had just 

 so unceremoniously tossed about. Not a moment was to be 

 lost ; and, in self-defense, I fired at his head. I shall never 

 forget the confusion of the animal on receiving the contents 

 of my gun. Springing nearly perpendicularly into the air, 

 and to the height of many feet, he came doA\Ti again with a 

 thump that seemed to make the earth tremble ; then plung- 

 ing violently forward (in doing which he all but trampled on 

 me), he ran round and round the spot for fully five minutes, 

 enveloping every object in a cloud of dust. At last he dashed 

 into the wood and was hidden from view. Not finding blood 

 on his tracks, I had no reason to suppose he was much hurt. 

 My notion is, the bullet struck his horn, partially stunning 



