64 THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 



ward a large pool of water. Speke attached a bit of white paper 

 to the sight of his rifle and crawled under cover of the bank 

 until within eighty yards of the animal. It chanced that the shot 

 struck in a vital spot, penetrating the beast's heart, so that it 

 died with but few struggles. Captain Speke, being anxious to 

 increase his store of meat, then retired to his former position 

 and again vyaited. After two hours had elapsed two more rhi- 

 noceros approached in the same stealthy, fidgety way as the first 

 one. They came even closer than the first, but the moon having 

 passed beyond their meridian, he could not obtain so clear a 

 mark. Still they were big marks, and Speke determined on 

 doing his best before they had time to wind him ; so, stepping 

 out, with the sheikh's boys behind, carrying the second rifle to 

 meet all emergencies, he planted a ball in the larger one, and 

 brought him round with a roar and whooh-whooh, exactly to the 

 best position that one could wish for receiving a second shot ; 

 but, alas ! on turning sharply round for the spare rifle, Speke 

 had the mortification to see that both the black boys had made 

 off, and were scrambling like monkeys up a tree. At the same 

 time the rhinoceros, fortunately, on second consideration, 

 turned to the right-about and shunned away, leaving, as is 

 usually the case when conical bullets are used, no traces of 

 blood. 



Thus ended the night's work. The party now went home by 

 dawn to apprise all the porters that they had flesh in store for 

 them, when the two boys who had so shamelessly deserted, 

 instead of hiding their heads, described all the night's scenes 

 with such capital mimicry as set the whole camp in a roar. 

 They had all now to hurry back to the carcass before the native 

 Wagogo could find it ; but, though this precaution was quickly 

 taken, still, before the tough skin of the beast could be cut 

 through, the Wagogo began assembling like vultures, and fighting 

 with Speke's men. A more savage, filthy, disgusting, but, at 

 the same time, grotesque scene than that which followed can 

 not be conceived. All fell to work, armed with swords, spears, 

 knives and hatchets, cutting and slashing, thumping and bawl- 



