ACCIDENT REMAINS OF A RHINOCEROS. 205 



the entire extent of which the blesbok and black wilde- 

 beest are abundant. While galloping after a herd of 

 zebras, " The Immense Brute" put his foot into a hole, 

 and came down with great violence on his head, pitch- 

 ing me over his bows. I saved my rifle at the risk of 

 sacrificing my collar-bone, and would have escaped 

 without further injury than the loss of a portion of the 

 bark of my cheek, had not my horse described a somer- 

 sault, coming down with the broad of his back on the 

 calf of my right leg, and bruising it so severely as to 

 incapacitate me from walking for several days. About 

 mid-day we resumed our march, and in the evening we 

 reached Great Chooi, a very large salt-pan at present 

 full of water. Here I found, for the first time, the 

 bones and skull of a rhinoceros long killed. My inter- 

 preter informed me that the rhinoceros had long left 

 that country ; to his surprise, however, we discovered 

 fresh spoor by the fountain. Continuing our march, 

 on the 22d we entered on a new description of country ; 

 boundless open plains being succeeded by endless forests 

 of dwarfish trees and bushes, the ground shghtly undu- 

 lating, and covered with a variety of rich grasses and 

 aromatic herbs. The old and seldom-trodden wagon- 

 track which we followed seemed a favorite foot-path for 

 a troop of lions, their large and heavy spoor being deeply 

 imprinted in our path. At sundown we encamped on 

 the Siklagole River, a periodical stream, in the gravelly 

 bed of which fine spring water could be obtained by 

 digging. As we were in great want of flesh, my hun- 

 gry pack being nearly starving, I resolved to rest my 

 oxen on the following day, and hunt for eland, the spoor 

 of several of which wo discovered beside our encamp- 

 ment. 



On the morning of the 23d I rode east with after- 



