HUNTING IN THE SOTIK 217 



what he needed, one day when we were out alone with our 

 gun-bearers. About the middle of the forenoon we made 

 out the huge gray bulk of the rhino, standing in the bare 

 plain, with not so much as a bush two feet high within 

 miles; and we soon also made out her calf beside her. 

 Getting the wind right we rode up within a quarter of a 

 mile, and then dismounted and walked slowly toward her. 

 It seemed impossible that on that bare plain we could 

 escape even her dull vision, for she stood with her head in 

 our direction; yet she did not see us, and actually lay 

 down as we walked toward her. Careful examination 

 through the glasses showed that she was an unusually big 

 cow, with thick horns of fair length twenty-three inches 

 and thirteen inches respectively. Accordingly we proceeded, 

 making as little noise as possible. At fifty yards she made 

 us out, and jumped to her feet with unwieldy agility. Kneel- 

 ing I sent the bullet from the heavy Holland just in front of 

 her right shoulder as she half faced me. It went through 

 her vitals, lodging behind the opposite shoulder; and at 

 once she began the curious death waltz which is often, 

 though by no means always, the sign of immediate disso- 

 lution in a mortally wounded rhino. Kermit at once put 

 a bullet from his Winchester behind her shoulder; for it is 

 never safe to take chances with a rhino; and we shot the 

 calf, which when dying uttered a screaming whistle, al- 

 most like that of a small steam-engine. In a few seconds 

 both fell, and we walked up to them, examined them, and 

 then continued our ride, sending in a messenger to bring 

 Cuninghame, Heller, and an ox wagon to the carcasses. 



The stomach of this rhino contained some grass stems 

 and blades, some leaves and twig tips of bushes, but chiefly 

 the thick, thorny, fleshy leaves of a kind of euphorbia. As 

 the juice of the euphorbia's cactus-like leaves is acrid 

 enough to blister not to speak of the thorns this suffices 

 to show what a rhino's palate regards as agreeably stimu- 

 lating. This species of rhino, by the way, affords a curious 

 illustration of how blind many men who live much of their 



