RHINOCEROSES 33 



more by sudden alarm, coupled with blindness and 

 stupidity, than by natural ferocity. 



Rather an amusing incident occurred recently to a 

 sportsman in the Sudan, where one rhino only may be 

 shot upon a licence. Having heard overnight that tracks 

 had been seen not far from the station, he sallied forth 

 at dawn and quickly found them. Before he had followed 

 the spoor for long, a rhino jumped up from behind a bush 

 close at hand, and he killed it with the first shot. As he 

 fired, another, obviously a male, also got up near by, 

 and after one glance round, made off as fast as possible, 

 behaving, as the hunter remarked, " like a perfect gentle- 

 man." He had just time to confirm his fear that the 

 animal he had shot was a female, when her calf, a beast 

 about as big as a donkey, suddenly arrived on the scene, 

 and at once taking in the situation, proceeded to scatter 

 the party. The natives took to trees, while the sports- 

 man, finding a convenient ant-heap, proceeded to perch 

 himself on the top thereof, hoping that shouts and the 

 hurling of stones and pieces of earth would serve to scare 

 away the bereaved offspring. 



Oblivious of such trifles, the little beast continued to 

 run to and fro between its dead mother and the ant-heap, 

 squealing furiously and continuously, making sufficiently 

 clear its intentions towards the occupant of the latter. 

 He indeed felt himself in rather a predicament ; apart 

 from his desire not to injure his small assailant, he had 

 already shot the one animal allowed under his licence, 

 and breach of regulations, however afterwards condoned, 

 imply considerable trouble and official correspondence. 

 At last the situation became an impossible one ; the 

 noonday sun was blazing down on the shadeless ant-heap, 

 and the annoyance of the infant increased rather than 

 diminished. So at last the sportsman decided to risk a 



BOOK II C 



