THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 75 



and lightning arose, and a thunderbolt struck the ground in the 

 midst of them, which dispersed all the men but Dagara, who 

 calmly took up the thunderbolt and placed it in the palace. I, 

 however, no sooner came into possession, and Rogero began to 

 contend with me, than the thunderbolt vanished. How would 

 you account for this?" The flatterers said, " It is clear as pos- 

 sible ; God gave the thunderbolt to Dagara as a sign he was 

 pleased with him and his rule ; but when he found two brothers 

 contending, he withdrew it to show their conduct was wicked." 



ANOTHER RHINOCEROS HUNT. 



ON the 9th of December, before leaving the Karague country, 

 Capt. Speke, learning that the immediate district in which he 

 was encamped abounded with rhinoceros, took two attendants 

 and posted to the foot-hills about Little Windermere lake. 

 Taking up a position in a thicket of acacia shrubs, he sent the 

 men out to beat the brush toward him. In a few minutes a 

 large male rhinoceros came lumbering through the brush until he 

 was within a few yards of the concealed hunter, who delivered a 

 broadside from his Blissett rifle, which sent the huge beast off in 

 a trot toward the beaters ; but after going a short distance it fell 

 and was quickly disposed of by another shot. The natives then 

 came running up to Speke, surprised beyond measure at what 

 they saw, for they did not believe that a rhinoceros could be 

 killed by shooting with a rifle. Among those who assembled to 

 view the dead beast was a native who exhibited frightful scars 

 on his abdomen and shoulder, which he declared were the result 

 of a wound he had received by a rhinoceros thrusting its horn 

 through his body. 



Just at this time a cry went up from several beaters that 

 another rhinoceros was near, concealed in a thicket. Speke at 

 once set off to find it. He traveled as rapidly as possible along 

 a path made by the animals, with his two gun-bearers directly in 

 the rear. Suddenly he was confronted by a full grown female, 

 with her young one close behind, which came " whoof-whoofing" 

 toward him. To escape and shoot at the same time, he was 

 compelled to push to one side in the prickly acacias, and as 



