272 UDA PRANG 



across one of those mound-containing spaces to 

 which I have referred. 



It occurred to me as a useful thought to get on 

 top of the mound which happened to be a biggish 

 one, and make the best survey the lookout per- 

 mitted of the other side of the space where the 

 jungle was thinnish. And, by the gods, there, 

 barely discernible, was the long-sought rhino mov- 

 ing around like a great hog. Having more con- 

 fidence in these natives than I had felt in those 

 elsewhere in Sumatra, I had given my .50 to Bilal, 

 who was directly at my heels— Uda and Che had 

 not yet come up to us— and I carried my 12-bore. 

 The rhino was perhaps not over twenty yards away, 

 yet I could see him very indistinctly, and I feared 

 to manoeuvre for a better position lest he get my 

 wind and move away into the denser jungle, where 

 to view him at even ten yards would be an unusual 

 opportunity; so taking the best sight I could get 

 as he squashed about, heading somewhat in my 

 direction, I put the contents of both barrels, one 

 after the other, as quickly as I could pull the trig- 

 gers, just behind of his shoulder and ranging back. 

 There was a tremendous commotion as he disap- 

 peared, so quickly as to astonish me, with a crash 

 into the jungle. Standing on the mound I could 

 feel a very little wind and note that it was blowing 

 across my position from east to west, and, as the 



