OUR THIRD SAFARI AND SECOND RHINO 



the right of us and a huge swamp on the left, after 

 we had left the lake behind. We saw little or no 

 game, so our hopes of a lion were few. We walked 

 on, however, till we could gaze at the Laikipia 

 plateau, a Masai reserve, and the gleaming river, 

 Guaso Narok, a tributary of the Gwaso Nyiro, in 

 the far distance. We also had reached the end of the 

 Settima Hills, so had to return to our old camping 

 place on a little rising piece of ground ; it rained, 

 too, to add to our other discomforts. We both fell 

 heavily asleep after a late lunch ; but nothing 

 daunted, at four o'clock my husband again tried 

 for the elusive waterbuck. Next day, to give the 

 porters a rest, we decided not to move camp ; and 

 after another further search for the waterbuck, we 

 mounted the escarpment to the plateau above, not 

 half so easy as it looked and much longer ; it was a 

 heavy climb, big stones and boulders making steps 

 of different heights. The air was very keen and 

 cold on the top and it quite took our breath away. 

 Almost as soon as we reached the top, we saw a 

 rhino sitting on the next rise : the plateau consisted 

 of downs, or rises and dips of undulating ground. 

 My husband proceeded to creep towards it ; mean- 

 while I was trying to make up my mind what I 

 should do if it rushed on to our rise. There were 

 no trees, not even a thistle for the porters who 

 came with us to climb. The only thing to be done 

 was to stand one's ground and fire at close quarters 



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