24 Supplement 1918 



seems to vie with his comrades in the intensity and power of his voice. 

 The power and grandeur of these nocturnal concerts is inconceivably 

 striking and pleasing to the hunter's ear. The effect is greatly enhanced 

 when the hearer happens to be situated in the depths of the forest at the 

 dead hour of midnight, unaccompanied by any attendant, and esconced 

 within twenty yards of the fountain which the surrounding troops of lions 

 are approaching. Such has been my situation many scores of times; and, 

 though I am allowed to have a tolerably good taste for music, I consider 

 the catches with which I was then regaled as the sweetest and most natural 

 I ever heard. 



FIRST EXPERIENCE IN HUNTING THE RHINOCEROS 



Extract from Chap. XII 



It was on the 4th of June, 1845, that I beheld for the first time the 

 rhinoceros. Having taken some coffee, I rode out unattended, with my 

 rifle, and before proceeding far I fell in with a huge white rhinoceros with 

 a large calf, standing in a thorny grove. Getting my wind, she set off at 

 top speed through thick thorny bushes, the calf, as is invariably the case, 

 taking the lead, and the mother guiding its course by placing her horn., 

 generally about three feet in length, against its ribs. My horse shied very 

 much at first, but, the ground improving, I got alongside, and, firing at the 

 gallop, sent a bullet through her shoulder. She continued her pace with 

 blood streaming from the wound, and very soon reached an impracticable 

 thorny jungle, where I could not follow, and instantly lost her. In half 

 an hour I fell in with a second rhinoceros, being an old bull of the white 

 variety. Dismounting, I crept within twenty yards, and saluted him with 

 both barrels in the shoulder, upon which he made off, uttering a loud 

 blowing noise, and upsetting everything that obstructed his progress. 



Shortly after this I found myself on the banks of the stream beside 

 which my wagons were outspanned. Following along its margin, I pre- 

 sently beheld a bull of the borele, or black rhinoceros, standing within a 

 hundred yards of me. After standing a short time eyeing me through the 

 bush, he got a whiff of my wind, which at once alarmed him. Uttering a 

 blowing noise, he wheeled about, leaving me master of the field, when I 

 sent a bullet through his ribs. 



One hundred years ago Africa with its great fauna was 

 practically intact. Seventy years ago it was in the state of 

 exuberant life pictured by Gordon Gumming. Sixty years ago 

 communication between Europe and South African ports was 

 still maintained by occasional sailing vessels; and persons 

 landing at these ports had only one means of penetrating into 

 the interior, namely, the ox-waggon. Behind such means of 

 travel and transportation the big game of Africa could maintain 

 itself indefinitely. 



