266 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



close to the bank of a dry watercourse. On following him up, 

 keeping along the watercourse, I got within about 500 yards 

 of him, and made out that he was in reality standing in the shade 

 cast by a table-topped rnimosa-tree which was growing in 

 the bed of the watercourse, and that he was within a few feet 

 of the edge of the bank, which was quite precipitous and some 

 ten feet high. 



I immediately saw from the open nature of the ground 

 that my only chance of getting near him was to cross the water- 

 course where I stood, and make a detour on the opposite bank 

 until I got the top of the mimosa-tree between myself and the 

 rhino. On arriving back at the edge of the bank, and being 

 now immediately opposite the beast, which was quite hidden 

 by the top of the tree, I found that the watercourse, which was 

 just here very wide as the banks had given way when the stream 

 was in flood was full of tall dry cane-grass. Climbing down 

 into this grass, which was about eight feet high, I crept along very 

 slowly, and as noiselessly as I could, the grass being very brittle, 

 until I came to a narrow strip of sand, the actual watercourse ; 

 but on raising myself I found that I had come too near, and was 

 unable to see the rhino, as he was standing a little back from 

 the edge of the bank. Retracing my steps a short way, I was 

 still unable to see him, this time on account of the tall grass ; 

 but being determined, if possible, not to be done, I again went 

 forward and got up to the foot of the tree, which stood within 

 four feet of the precipitous bank. At that moment the beast 

 must have heard me, as I could hear him give two or three 

 snorts, and stamps with his feet, which sounded unpleasantly 

 near. Feeling, however, that I was perfectly safe, I very quietly 

 swarmed a few feet up the tree, and saw the rhino was standing 

 facing me, with head up, about eight feet from the edge of the 

 bank. At the same moment he saw me and came forward to 

 the extreme edge. Slipping down the tree, I gave Ramazan, 

 my gun-bearer, to understand by signs what to do, and again 

 swarmed up the tree, caught hold of a small branch with 

 my left hand, and hung on to the trunk with my legs ; Ramazan, 



