RHINOCEROS-SHOOTING 243 



my second rhino. I was in charge of a big caravan, as I was 

 taking ex-king Mbogo with his family and followers back to 

 Uganda. We were delayed at Fort Smith, and the food supply 

 was running short. I therefore went to shoot game, and I 

 had shot one hartebeest antelope and two Thomsonii gazelles, 

 when a pair of rhinos appeared in the distance. The wind 

 w'as blowing from the rhinos towards us, I was therefore able 

 to approach to within 200 yards. I used the Lee-Speed rifle 

 with solid bullet. 



At the first shot, at the rhino with the longest horn, it sank 

 into a sitting posture on its hind-legs, and at the second shot 

 it rolled over. The other rhino raced furiously round and 

 round in ever - increasing circles around the fallen one, and 

 then went off at a tangent. On walking up to the fallen 

 rhino, it staggered to its feet and attempted to charge, but 

 it only gored the ground and fell down again. A bullet given 

 as a cotip-de-grdce in the head extinguished life. It was a huge 

 old female. 



Very few of the caravan porters had accompanied me, thev 

 could only carry therefore the rhino -head to Fort Smith, in 

 addition to the game already shot. Early next morning a 

 numerous crowd left the fort to supply themselves with meat 

 off the rhino. I followed later on, but not feeling up to doing 

 the six hours' march, required to get there and back, I decided 

 to take with me my light network hammock. It is a very 

 suitable one for travellers. I bought it at Zanzibar to meet 

 any unforeseen emergency ; it folds up and slips into a tiny 

 satchel. I little thought how useful I should find it. On reach- 

 ing Nairobe, I was met by my headman and the others who 

 had gone with him. He told me that not a scrap of the dead 

 rhino could be found. Lions and hyaenas had devoured it 

 during the night. In fact, if I had not brought already the 

 rhino's head to Fort Smith, my story of having shot a rhino 

 might have appeared a myth. 



Just then a pair of old rhinos appeared in sight ; there 

 was a good deal of grass about, and I was able to stalk up to 

 within a hundred yards. They were almost walking side by 

 side, grazing as they went along. I aimed behind the right 

 shoulder, using the same Lee-Speed rifle. On receiving the 

 bullet, the rhino spun round towards me and gave a fierce 

 snort of rage. I dropped flat on the ground to hide myself, 



