190 AFRICAN NATURE NOTES CHAP. 



towards us snorting, my Kafirs used to run to the 

 nearest trees and call to me to do the same ; but I 

 never did so, and I was never charged by one. 

 These animals, after first trotting quickly towards 

 me, would stand looking intently at what must have 

 been to them the unaccustomed sight of a figure 

 with a shirt and a hat on it, then snort again and 

 trot up nearer ; but with one exception they always 

 turned round and trotted off sooner or later, carrying 

 their heads and tails high in the air. Sometimes I 

 had to shout and throw sticks and stones at them 

 before they wheeled round and made off. 



It sometimes happened that a rhinoceros which 

 I had disturbed came trotting towards me, at a time 

 when I wanted meat, and I then took advantage of 

 the opportunity, and kneeling down, fired a four- 

 ounce ball into its chest from my muzzle-loading 

 elephant gun. In such cases they would usually 

 come rushing straight forwards at a gallop, puffing 

 and snorting furiously, and on several occasions 

 have passed within a few yards of where I was 

 standing. However, I never thought that these 

 wounded animals were charging, but believed them 

 to be rushing blindly forwards after having received 

 a mortal wound. I have, however, often heard such 

 blind rushes described as terrific charges. 



The one occasion on which I had to fire at an 

 advancing black rhinoceros because I could not 

 make it turn was on April 25, 1878. At that 

 time I was making my way from the Zambesi river 

 to Matabeland, through an uninhabited piece of 

 country which had never previously been traversed 

 by a white man. I was very weak and ill from 

 fever and privation, and on meeting with a 

 black rhinoceros early in the morning, was anxious 

 to kill it for the sake of the meat. When the 

 animal, however, an old bull, first came trotting 

 towards me, I did not fire at it, as I thought I could 



