CAN RHINOCEROS SWIM? 179 



Notwithstanding all this we had a long, stern chase, the 

 rhinoceros keeping up a tremendous pace for nearly three miles, 

 and leading us through some of the most awful jungle which it 

 has ever been my fortune to travel over. All things must, 

 however, come to an end some time, and we eventually came 

 up with him standing stock still on the side of a deep ravine 

 looking very sick. I was very thankful that we had come up 

 with him, and I am certain that I should not have been able to 

 keep up the pace another mile over such country as that we 

 had traversed, encumbered as I was with the heavy 8-bore. I 

 was literally dripping from head to foot, and almost blinded 

 with perspiration from the violent exercise we had just 

 undergone, enhanced by copious draughts of icy water en 

 route. 



As the rhino was standing facing away from me, I worked 

 cautiously round till I could obtain a good shoulder shot. I 

 succeeded in getting partially round, but was discovered by 

 the brute, which wheeled round with a loud grunt and walked 

 quickly with lowered head towards me. This was a most 

 unusual proceeding, and entirely unexpected, for I was always 

 under the impression that a rhino was a harmless beast. As 

 may be imagined, I did not wait to see any more, but delivered 

 a quick right and left. On the smoke clearing I saw that the 

 rhino had not only come to a standstill, but was about to fall. 

 In fact, after a preliminary roll or two from side to side, a 

 loud gasping sigh as it collapsed slowly on to its knees pro- 

 claimed its decease. A kill of two rhinos in one day was not 

 bad work, but to crown all we found that we, or rather the 

 rhino, had been travelling round in a circle, and that instead 

 of being five or six miles from camp we were only some two 

 or three hundred yards from it. I returned highly elated, but 

 feeling a little knocked up, a dip in the stream which flowed 

 past our encampment (an erection of leaf huts, " taungzin 

 pet " leaves), and a good dinner brought me up to par once 

 more. Many a long yarn did my shikaries and I spin over 

 the flickering camp fire far into the night, before I dropped 

 off into a well-earned slumber. 



With regard to a doubt expressed by some naturalists as 

 to rhinos being able to swim, I can say, from what I have 



