A LUDICROUS SCENE. 7 1 



you. However, any remonstrance against my friend's 

 proceeding would have been perfectly vain, so I 

 desisted, and satisfied myself by listening. 



Distinctly I could hear the heavy laboured 

 breathing of some ponderous brute, still distant a 

 hundred yards or more. That it was advancing 

 towards our position there could be no doubt, for 

 momentarily the noise became more distinct. At 

 length all appeared to be hushed. Soon, however- 

 I noted a distinct tread close at hand which caused 

 me to lay hold of my rifle, but, to my relief, it was 

 the " irrepressible " who came in, vowing that " he 

 could not see a house, although he had hold of 

 it, so there was no use trying to shoot." There- 

 upon we both lit our pipes and listened. Again 

 the heavy breathing was repeated, and, so far as 

 could be judged, it was much closer at hand ; 

 then a pause, soon followed by some heavy foot- 

 steps, and instantly afterwards, distinctly became 

 delineated within light of our fire the head and 

 fore parts of a rhinoceros. This was too much for 

 Dillon ; he was up like a cricket, and fired as quick 

 as those interesting insects can jump, and in an 

 instant after there was a sauve qui pent in our camp. 

 I ran because the natives ran, and my Irish friend 

 followed my example. To an observer the whole 

 affair would have been most ludicrous, for the rhi- 

 noceros was evidently as frightened of us, as we were 

 of it, for we could hear for several moments its rapid 



