A BLACK RHINOCEROS SHOT. 87 



try, and presently observed the elephants standing in 

 the forest about one hundred yards off. Having suc- 

 ceeded in securing the dogs, I shifted my saddle to Jock, 

 and rode slowly forward to inspect the mighty game. 

 Two of the elephants were but three parts grown ; the 

 other two were very large, but one of them w^as a great 

 deal taller and stouter than the other. This immense 

 elephant, which was, I think, decidedly the largest I 

 had ever seen, had unfortunately both his tusks broken 

 short off close to the lip ; I therefore hunted his com- 

 rade, who carried a pair of very beautiful and perfect 

 tusks. At the sixth shot he came to a stand and pres- 

 ently fell. I then dismounted and ran up to him, wdien 

 he rose to his feet and stood some time, and then walk- 

 ed a few paces, and fell again and died. On going up 

 to him I found that he carried the finest teeth I had yet 

 obtained; they must have weighed one hundred pounds 

 each. He was an extremely old bull, and had been 

 once much wounded with assagais, the blades of two of 

 which were found in his back. 



On the 17th I made for camp, and held through a 

 fine open country lying northwest from Corriebely. In 

 following some ostriches I came upon an extremely old 

 and noble black rhinoceros lying fast asleep in some 

 low wait-a-bits. The birds having tried in vain to 

 waken him, I fired from the saddle. The first ball hit 

 him as he lay in the shoulder ; the second near his 

 heart, as he gained his feet. In an instant the dogs 

 were round him ; he set off down hill at a steady can- 

 ter, and led me a chase of a mile, when he came to a 

 stand, his shoulder failing him. At this instant I be- 

 held a troop of about twenty fine elands trotting before 

 me on the open slope; I therefore quickly finished the 

 black rhinoceros with two more balls, and then gave 



