RHINOCEROS-SHOOTING 247 



east side of the caravan route, upon a fine old rhino bull ; but I 

 could not get sufficiently near, as a deep and wooded hollow 

 intervened. I had three of my men with me, but the moment 

 we sighted the rhino, they left me and swarmed up the nearest 

 trees. Only some considerable time after the rhino had dis- 

 appeared, crashing in headlong flight through the bushes, did 

 my brave boys descend from their perch of safety. 



My fourth rhino was a young solitary bull ; I called it " the 

 baby," though it was considerably larger than a donkey, and 

 evidently old enough to have started on its solitary journey on 

 its own responsibility. Owing to the drought, we had camped 



TWO RHINOS. 



where we could find water ; and the porters called this camp 

 " Campi-ya-daktari," — "the doctor's camp." It lies between 

 Campi-ya-simba and Muani. The ground here was literally 

 covered with large beetles and biggish scorpions. 



My last two rhinos, an old female and a young male, I shot 

 at Lanjora. I had to make a very wide circuit to get round 

 them, so as to have the wind in my favour. The plain was 

 perfectly open, and only quite short grass was on it, not a tree 

 or shrub could be seen for miles around. When 100 yards off, 

 the rhinos saw me and at once trotted towards us. I knelt 

 down and fired, using the Lee-Speed rifie. The very first shot 

 took effect, and caused the old cow to stagger, and rooted her to 

 the spot. But the young bull was bent on doing mischief, and 



