82 LARGE GAME. CHAP. n. 



hunters to me. I therefore covered the blackest part of 

 the shadow and pulled the trigger, and in another second 

 the rhinoceros, for it had been it after all, was charging 

 straight towards me. There was no particular hurry, as 

 the tree was an easy one to climb, and I waited until it 

 was within fifteen yards before I fired again ; the white 

 flake on its chest where the big bullet had already entered 

 serving as a mark. I could hear the clap of the ball as it 

 struck, but it did not take the slightest notice of it, and 

 for the third time I had to take refuge in a tree. This 

 time, however, it did not go so far, but pulling up when 

 about three hundred yards off, it walked under a thorn 

 and stood, its wounds at last evidently beginning to tell 

 upon it. 



At this moment I saw the two hunters hastening towards 

 me, having heard the shots, and I had to jump down and 

 wave and shout at them before they saw the danger they 

 were running into, though, even when they walked up to a 

 tree within two hundred yards of the beast, it remained 

 quiet and took no notice of them. The moment I was loaded 

 I went towards it ; there were two trees intervening, one 

 about half way, the other fifty yards nearer, and it was an 

 anxious moment as I crossed the open towards the first, 

 for had it charged then, it must have caught me. Just as 

 I gained the shelter, the hunters, who had probably been 

 waiting for me to do so, fired, neither of their bullets, 

 however, touching the animal, and only causing it to wheel 

 half round with a stamp of its foot and bring its body 

 broadside to me. I knew that I could hit it from where I 

 was, but one hundred and fifty yards is a long way in firing 

 at large game, and I thought I would try and reach the next 



