352 "fcinss of tbe 1Rot>, TCffle, an& (Butt 



as much surprised at the behaviour of the old mahoho 

 as I was myself, and did not immediately answer the 

 rein, and the moment's hesitation cost him his life and 

 me the very best horse I ever had or knew ; for, when 

 I got his head round, a thick bush was against his chest, 

 and before I could free him, the rhinoceros, still at the 

 walk, drove his horn in under his flank and fairly threw 

 both him and his rider into the air. As he turned over 

 I rolled off and fell in some way under the stirrup-iron, 

 which scalped my head for four inches in length and 

 breadth. I scrambled to my knees and saw the horn 

 of the rhinoceros actually within the bend of my leg ; 

 but the animal wavered, and, with the energy of self- 

 preservation, I sprang to my feet, intending to run, for 

 my gun was unloaded and had fallen from my hand. 

 Had I been allowed to do so this story might never 

 have been told, for, dizzy as I was from the fall, I should 

 have been easily caught. Tottering a step or two I 

 tripped and came to the ground a little to the right of 

 the creature's track. He passed within a foot without 

 touching me. As I rose for the second time my after- 

 rider came up with another gun. I half pulled him 

 from his pony, and mounting it, caught and killed the 

 rhinoceros. The horn now hangs over the entrance 

 to my front door. Frank [Vardon] found me sitting 

 under a bush, hatless, and holding up the piece of my 

 scalp with the blood streaming down my face, or, as 

 he afterwards described it to Livingstone, * I saw that 

 beggar Oswell sitting under a bush holding on his head.' " 

 But this was not the only time Oswell was tossed 

 by a rhinoceros, he enjoyed that experience on another 



