THE RHINOCEROS OF THE LADO 493 



Three hours later we saw another cow and calf. By 

 this time it was half-past three in the afternoon, and the 

 two animals had risen from their noonday rest and were 

 grazing busily, the great clumsy heads sweeping the ground. 

 Watching them forty yards off it was some time before the 

 cow raised her head high enough for me to see that her 

 horns were not good. Then they became suspicious, and 

 the cow stood motionless for several minutes, her head 

 held low. We moved quietly back, and at last they either 

 dimly saw us, or heard us, and stood looking toward us, 

 their big ears cocked forward. At this moment we stumbled 

 on a rhino skull, bleached, but in such good preservation 

 that we knew Heller would like it; and we loaded it on the 

 porters that had followed us. All the time we were thus 

 engaged the two rhinos, only a hundred yards off, were 

 intently gazing in our direction, with foolish and bewildered 

 solemnity; and there we left them, survivors from a long- 

 vanished world, standing alone in the parched desolation 

 of the wilderness. 



On another day Kermit saw ten rhino, none with more 

 than ordinary horns. Five of them were in one party, and 

 were much agitated by the approach of the men; they ran 

 to and fro, their tails twisted into the usual pig-like curl, 

 and from sheer nervous stupidity bade fair at one time to 

 force the hunters to fire in self-defence. Finally, however, 

 they all ran off. In the case of a couple of others a curious 

 incident happened. When alarmed they failed to make 

 out where the danger lay, and after running away a short 

 distance they returned to a bush near by to look about. 

 One remained standing, but the other deliberately sat 

 down upon its haunches like a dog, staring ahead, Ker- 

 mit meanwhile being busy with his camera. Two or three 

 times I saw rhino, when roused from sleep, thus sit up on 

 their haunches and look around before rising on all four 

 legs; but this was the only time that any of us saw a rhino 

 which was already standing assume such a position. No 

 other kind of heavy game has this habit; and indeed, so 



