Lake Victoria to Khartoum 



tions once more, on sport and shooting bent. 

 The doctor and I sailed up the river for two 

 miles or so, landing near the scene of Mr. Church- 

 ill's encounter with the white rhino, to bring in 

 the heads, and to try to gain some small advance- 

 ment with these ponderous brutes in our turn. 



On nearing the spot where the animals were 

 shot the day before, my gun-bearer tapped me on 

 the arm, and there, sure enough, were three of 

 them, white rhinos, not a doubt of it, wandering 

 about perfectly unconcerned and happy. A short 

 stalk took me near enough, some thirty-five yards, 

 and I thought I had him plumb in the neck, but 

 it must have been his cheek-bone, I suppose, as 

 he was skewways on, because after waltzing round 

 like a mad thing he fled, pursued by his alarmed 

 companions. We followed as sharp as the thorny 

 scrub would allow, and, just as we were topping a 

 rise behind which I had seen them all three 

 disappear, a whistle from the rear brought me to 

 a standstill. My orderlies were pointing to my 

 left and behind me. They signalled three rhino. 

 I crept back, believing them to be the original 

 animals, and wondering all the while how they 

 had turned round and got back so quickly. I 

 did not stop to inquire, however, and it was only 

 when I saw that the bull had got small horns and 

 was evidently not my former antagonist, that it 

 occurred to me that I had been wastino- valuable 

 time, and that the one I had hit was some way 



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