Rhinoceros Shooting. 73 



quarter of a mile before it could be stopped. Whilst 

 running away, I turned round and was under the 

 impression that I saw a second rhinoceros retiring, 

 and it must have been that one I afterwards followed, 

 for I could not find it anywhere. An ominous noise 

 from quite a contrary direction now struck my ear, 

 so I hied back, and found a very large male, stone 

 dead. It had a thick, massive horn, but only eight 

 inches in length, weighing one and three quarter seers. 

 We got men from a village not far off to help us to 

 cut off the head and to put it on the spare elephant, 

 and then rode triumphantly into Burpettah. In the 

 " dooars," I met with great difficulties, owing to the 

 monsoon having set in, and the nullahs and rivers 

 being very full, but I hunted there for a week, 

 wounded half a dozen, if not more, rhinoceros, but 

 did not bag a single one. In returning, I got back to 

 Gowhatty with the greatest difficulty, owing to the 

 inundated state of the country. As a madman I was 

 looked upon for having entered there at that season, 

 and my death from jungle fever was avowed, but I 

 disappointed the prophets, and I did not suffer from 

 the exposure I had undergone in the slightest degree. 

 With Jackson of the 43rd, I killed thirteen rhinoceros 

 in fourteen days, and had some narrow escapes. Once, 

 while following closely up a wounded bull, he came 

 for me. " Lutchmee," my elephant, turned tail, and 

 just managed to keep about a foot ahead of the 

 assailant's snout, whose upper lip was curled up, 

 disclosing his formidable tusks. I spun round, took 

 a snap shot downwards, struck the junction of the 

 head and spine, and the huge monster rolled almost 

 heels over head. No rhinoceros has been so close to 



