100 IN THE GRIP OF THE NYIKA chap. 



and simply flew for about 30 to 40 yards before 

 I could get the least control over him. Glancing 

 over my shoulder to find out what was happening, 

 I was horrified to see gun-bearers dashing wildly 

 for the trees, mules careering off riderless through 

 the bush, S. standing weaponless shouting for his 

 rifle, and — horror of horrors ! — the infuriated rhino 

 rushing headlong on to Mrs. S., who was seated 

 on the oround with nothinor in her hand save an 



o o 



open umbrella. 



I gave her up for lost, as I knew we could do 

 nothing in time to save her. Luckily, at this 

 critical moment she did not lose her nerve, but 

 " shooed " the umbrella right in the face of the 

 oncoming brute, and this extraordinary and unex- 

 pected apparition so startled the great beast that, 

 instead of continuing his charge and tossing her 

 aloft, he suddenly veered away to the left and 

 disappeared through the bushes in a cloud of dust ! 



What might have been a very serious catastrophe 

 had ended so comically that we all burst into a roar 

 of laughter, which became even merrier when we 

 looked round and observed that all our followers, 

 with one exception, had taken refuge in the nearest 

 trees. The one exception was Mrs. S.'s gun- 

 bearer, who stood nobly by her all the time with his 

 rifle at the "present" — but with no cartridge in it! 

 He evidently thought there was virtue in the mere 

 presence of an empty rifle ! He was, however, only 



