CHAPTER IX. 



A TOUGH RHINO. 



THE black rhinoceros is very plentiful on both sides of the Luangwa river, and 

 in every other part of Northern Rhodesia, where the country suits it. They 

 prefer wild country away from villages and the habitations of men. Although 

 they usually drink every twenty-four hours, they are often seen some distance from 

 water. Usually they prefer rough, hilly country with plenty of thorn bushes about, 

 for this species feed mostly on these trees, and seldom eat grass. On October 

 14th, 1.905, I was following elephant spoor, which led up a long valley towards the 

 Muchinga Mountains. As I went along I passed successively waterbuck, puku, wart- . 

 hog, and a big herd of kudu, composed solely of females. The waterbuck and puku 

 I saw near the Nyamazi stream, which I had walked along for some distance on the 

 elephant spoor. After going along for perhaps three hours, I was just thinking 

 of resting for a few minutes, as the sun was terribly hot, when we saw two grey- 

 coloured animals walking in the timber, across our front. As they came past I saw 

 they were rhinos, so as the elephants still seemed to be some way ahead I determined 

 to try and shoot one. 



I ran to the right to intercept them, and stood near a solid tree, on which I rested 

 the rifle, taking care, of course, that the barrel did not touch the tree, as the jar would 

 have sent the bullet wide. 



When they passed, about sixty yards off, I saw one was a female and the other a 

 three-quarter grown calf. The female showed a good horn, so I confined my atten- 

 tions to her, and fired for her shoulder as she stopped to break a branch from a thorn 

 tree. The bullet struck her with the familiar " phut," and she ran towards me, but 

 on receiving another bullet somewhere near the base of her neck she turned of¥, 

 followed closely by the younger animal. After getting the cartridge out of my "303 

 and reloading, I ran after her. She took me along at a good pace, and 1 was very 

 pleased when she stopped and looked round. She got another bullet, and did not 

 seem to mind it in the least, for she started off as hard as ever. 



On getting up to her again, I took the lo-bore Purdey rifle I had with me and 

 climbed the sloping sides of an ant-hill, about forty yards from her. I fired at her 

 shoulder and promptly fell backwards, for I was sitting on a slope. 



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