SECOND EXPEDITION TO SOUTH AFRICA 101 



was making a sharp canter of it. Through the bush, on to the 

 open plain, and the game was in view. I dashed ahead. One 

 had good tusks, and I settled down to him. He soon turned 

 on me. I had been shooting buffalo the night before, and as 

 there was only an ordinary charge in the gun, wishing to get rid 

 of it, I fired at long range forty yards, I dare say. The horse 

 was fidgety, and the ball struck eight or ten inches below the 

 backbone ; to my astonishment, the bull took one stride and 

 settled down quite dead. The bullet had cut the aorta. His 

 companion had such small teeth I let him go free, and, making 

 the carcase over to my Bushman, who was astounded at the 

 easy way the animal had been disposed of, and telling him to 

 keep the tusks till I returned, I galloped after my waggons. 

 Three months passed before I was again in the neighbourhood ; 

 but while yet thirty miles off, the man, hearing that I was 

 coming on, brought the ivory to me. I was delighted to 

 gladden his heart and reward his honesty with a present of 

 beads and brass wire. 



But the saddest of days was at hand. I had one pre- 

 eminently good horse, the very pick of all I ever had in Africa 

 fearless, fast, and most sweet-tempered. Returning to camp 

 one evening with a number of Kafirs, tired and hungry after 

 a long day's spooring elephants, which we never overtook, I 

 saw a long-horned mahoho standing close to the path. The 

 ength of his horn, and the hunger of my men, induced 

 me to get off and fire at him. The shot was rather too 

 high, and he ran off. I was in the saddle in a moment, 

 and, passing the wounded beast, pulled up ten yards on one 

 side of the line of his retreat, firing the second barrel as he 

 went by from my horse, when, instead of continuing his course, 

 he stopped short, and, pausing an instant, began to walk de- 

 liberately towards me. This movement was so utterly unlocked 

 for, as the white rhinoceros nearly always makes off, that, 

 until he was within five yards, I sat quite still, expecting him 

 to fall, thinking he was in his 'flurry.' My horse seemed 

 as much surprised at the behaviour of the old mahoho as 



