446 THE RHINOCEROS 



animal was recovering itself for a renewal of the charge, 

 scrambled out from between its hind legs. But the infuriated 

 rhinoceros had not yet done with me, for scarcely had 1 regained 

 my feet, before he struck me down a second time, and with his 

 horn ripped up my right thigh (though not very deeply) from 

 near the knee to the hip : with his fore-feet, moreover, he hit 

 me a terrific blow on the left shoulder, near the back of the neck. 

 My ribs bent under the enormous weight and pressure, and for 

 a moment I must, as I believe, have lost consciousness ; I have 

 at least very indistinct notions of what afterwards took place. 

 All I remember is, that when I raised my head, I heard a 

 furious snorting and plunging amongst the neighbouring bushes. 

 I now arose, though with great difficulty, and made my way in 

 the best manner I was able towards a large tree near at hand 

 for shelter ; but this precaution was needless ; the beast, for the 

 time at least, showed no inclination further to molest me. Either 

 in the melee, or owing to the confusion caused by its wounds, it 

 had lost sight of me, or felt satisfied with the revenge it had 

 taken. Be that as it may, I escaped with life, though sadly 

 wounded and severely bruised, in which disabled state I had 

 great difficulty in getting back to my screen. 



"During the greater part of the conflict I preserved my 

 presence of mind, but after the danger was over, and when I 

 had leisure to collect my scattered and confused senses, I was 

 seized with a nervous affection, causing a violent trembling. I 

 have since killed many rhinoceroses, as well for sport as footl, 

 but several weeks elapsed before I could again attack these 

 animals with any coolness." 



The rhinoceros is hunted for its flesh, its hide (which is manu- 

 factured into the best and hardest leather that can be imagined), 

 and its horns, which, being capable of a high polish, fetch at 

 the Cape a higher price than ordinary elephant ivory. It is exten- 

 sively used in the manufacture of sword-handles, drinking-cups, 

 ramrods for rifles, and a variety of other purposes. Amonp: 

 Oriental princes, goblets made of rhinoceros horn are in high 

 esteem, as they are supposed to have the virtue of detecting 

 poison by causing the deadly liquid to ferment till it flows over 

 the rim, or, as some say, to split the cup. 



The number of rhinoceroses destroyed annually in South 

 Africa is very considerable. Captain Harris, who once saw two 



