THE LAST FRONTIER 



we crept. The great beasts were evidently basking 

 in the sun. Their little pig eyes alone gave any sign 

 of life. Otherwise they exhibited the complete 

 immobility of something done in granite. Prob- 

 ably no other beast impresses one with quite this 

 quality. I suppose it is because even the little 

 motions peculiar to other animals are with the rhinoc- 

 eros entirely lacking. He is not in the least of a 

 nervous disposition, so he does not stamp his feet 

 nor change his position. It is useless for him to wag 

 his tail; for, in the first place, the tail is absurdly 

 inadequate; and, in the second place, flies are not 

 among his troubles. Flies wouldn't bother you 

 either, if you had a skin two inches thick. So there 

 they stood, inert and solid as two huge brown rocks, 

 save for the deep, wicked twinkle of their little eyes. 



Yes, we were close enough to "see the whites of 

 their eyes," if they had had any: and also to be 

 within the range of their limited vision. Of course 

 we were now stalking, and taking advantage of all 

 the cover. 



Those rhinoceroses looked to me like two Dread- 

 naughts. The African two-horned rhinoceros is a 

 bigger animal anyway than our circus friend, who 

 generally comes from India. One of these brutes 

 I measured went five feet nine inches at the shoulder, 

 and was thirteen feet six inches from bow to stern. 



106 



