A RHTNO BATHING-PLACE 



marched for hours through the bush, and then beneath 

 the dom palms, until I suddenly came upon another 

 rhino bathing-place, but the appearance of the tracks 

 proved clearly that the pool had not been visited for 

 several days. My guide pointed out, near by, a tiny 

 little hiding-place he had built, and he told me that 

 his companion and himself had shot a rhinoceros 

 there not very long before on its way down to drink ; 

 in order to prove his words, he took me some 500 

 yards down the game trail, and there, sure enough, I 

 saw its remains, the white bones cleaned and bleached, 

 showing up in striking contrast to the gloom of the 

 palm-grove. Amid the quiet and lovely surroundings 

 in which they lay, they were a harsh reminder of the 

 tragedy, for ever lurking in the shadow of the bush, 

 that threatens the lives of all wild animals — tragedies 

 so quickly consummated and as quickly forgotten. 



The camp, whither the camels were going, was still 

 a long way on, so I did not rest here, but marched on 

 again through the dense undergrowth. It was now 

 oppressively hot ; no breath of air stirred below, 

 although above I could see the tops of the palm trees 

 swaying in the wind. We were all wet to the waist 

 from the tall grass ; hidden holes in the ground and 

 concealed dead branches made walking a slow and 

 trying business. A tremendous crashing, and the 

 sound of flying hoofs came with startling suddenness 

 to break the silence, as a herd of waterbuck rose at 

 our very feet, and galloped off through the bush ; I 

 saw no more rhino, and no buffalo, nor any fresh 

 tracks of either, but as I emerged again into more 

 open country I caught a glimpse of a small herd of 

 impalla, already in full flight, bounding over the 

 bushes with astonishing grace and facility. These 



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