306 A LOST HOTTENTOT. 



ing for. Jack Harvey knew the proper and, indeed, the only manner in which the 

 beast should be shot, and he and Dick fired together. 



Struck under such circumstances, the animal could not fail to be hit hard. He 

 emitted his whiffing, pig-like grunt, and drove furiously through the grass for a few 

 steps, when he lunged forward, plowing up the earth with his horned nose, and 

 rolling upon his side. Then the mountainous mass lay still. 



" He is dead ! " exclaimed Dick, in no little excitement, spurring his horse 

 toward him. 



"Be careful !" admonished Jack, scarcely behind him; "the animal sometimes 

 pretends he is dead, like the 'possum, and he may rip up your horse if you ride too 

 close." 



Thus warned, the lad sprang to the ground and advanced toward the carcass, 

 his friend doing the same. A brief scrutiny convinced them that the game was 

 lifeless, and they stepped forward to make a closer examination. 



" That is curious," remarked Dick, after inspecting every part of the body; " I 

 can't find a wound upon it." 



" No," replied the Texan, " there is none to be seen, unless it's on the other 

 side; and the only way to decide that is to dig a pit under him, for he's too big to 

 roll over." 



" But you and I fired from his left side, anci he is lying on his right, so it would 

 seem we ought to see the wounds." 



Jack laughed as he aided: 



"Each hit him fairly." 



"Where, then, are the marks?" 



"Though you may see no signs of them, they have done their execution all the 

 same. If the carcass was turned over you would not see any hurt on the other 

 side. The reason is that the skin is so thick and flabby that, when a bullet passes 

 through it into his body, the skin slides over and covers up the wound. No blood 

 shows itself, even though the beast is mortally wounded, for he bleeds to death 

 inwardly." 



Dick laughed, for he had forgotten a fact that had once been familiar to him. 



"I ought to have remembered that," he said, adding: "Well, we have brought 

 down our game, and from the sounds of the guns, I shouldn't be surprised to learn 

 that Diedrick and Bob have been equally fortunate." 



At that moment a familiar voice was heard calling: 



"Helloa, fellows ! where are you?" 



" This way, Bob ! What's up ? " 



" I'm all right," was the reply, " but I have lost my horse." 



" Lost his horse," replied the astonished Dick ; " how could that have hap- 

 pened?" 



" Maybe it run away from him," suggested Jack, who raised his voice and shouted: 

 " How came you to lose him, Bob ? " 



" A rhinoceros killed him." 



