A RACE WITH A "RHINO" 215 



week had passed before I finally found time to 

 take a run south to inspect the grade repairing 

 that had been going on in the meantime. It 

 was about nineteen miles to the end of the 

 washed-out stretch, so we started early. The 

 boys, chanting a song as they skipped over the 

 rails, sent us along at a lively clip. 



" We had gone about eight miles and were 

 travelling through a bit of open bush-veldt 

 when we saw two rhinos standing near the 

 track ahead of us. In a low voice I ordered the 

 boys to stop and at the same moment applied 

 the brake. The car halted about fifty yards 

 from the brutes. 



"A rhino is a stupid, unreliable creature and 

 his eyesight is so poor that when the wind is 

 in the right direction a person can walk within 

 fifty yards of him without fear of being seen. 



"The rumbling of the wheels had attracted 

 the attention of these animals, and they stood 

 gazing at us. One of them walked slowly to- 

 ward us ; then it paused and sniffed the air. They 

 were so near the track that it would have been 

 impossible for us to pass without provoking 

 an attack. We rolled the car back a few rods 

 and waited for them to go on, but they did not 



