478 AFRICAN GAME TRAILS 



"shenzi," a wild native who had just come in with the news 

 that he knew where another rhino was lying, a few miles 

 away. While bound thither we passed numbers of oribi, 

 and went close to a herd of waterbuck which stared at us 

 with stupid lameness; a single hartebeest was with them. 

 When we reached the spot there was the rhino, sure enough, 

 under a little tree, sleeping on his belly, his legs doubled 

 up, and his head flat on the ground. Unfortunately the 

 grass was long, so that it was almost impossible to photo- 

 graph him. However, Kermit tried to get his picture from 

 an ant-hill fifty yards distant, and then, Kermit with his 

 camera and I with my rifle, we walked up to within about 

 twenty yards. At this point we halted, and on the instant 

 the rhino jumped to his feet with surprising agility and 

 trotted a few yards out from under the tree. It was a huge 

 bull, with a fair horn; much the biggest bull we had yet 

 seen; and with head up and action high, the sun glinting 

 on his slate hide and bringing out his enormous bulk, he 

 was indeed a fine sight. I waited a moment for Kermit 

 to snap him. Unfortunately the waving grass spoiled the 

 picture. Then I fired right and left into his body, behind 

 the shoulders, and down he went. In color he seemed 

 of exactly the same shade as the common rhino, but he 

 was taller and heavier, being six feet high. He carried a 

 stout horn, a little over two feet long; the girth at the base 

 was very great. 



Leaving the gun-bearers (with all our water) to skin the 

 mighty beast, Kermit and I started for camp; and as we 

 were rather late Kermit struck out at a great pace in front, 

 while I followed on the little ambling mule. On our way 

 in we passed the elephants, still standing where we had 

 left them in the morning, with the white cow-herons flying 

 and walking around and over them. Heller and Cun- 

 inghame at once went out to camp by the skin and take 

 care of it, and to bring back the skeleton. We had been 

 out about eleven hours without food; we were very dirty 

 from the ashes on the burnt ground; we had triumphed; 



