A HERD OF RHINOCEROS 469 



feeding quite near ; he looks as big as an elephant." There 

 was a nullah close by, and had we got into it we might have 

 crawled up within a dozen yards, but instead of following 

 this obvious course we got into our howdahs and went 

 towards it. When within about 60 yards the animal looked 

 up, saw us advancing, plunged down the side of the ravine, 

 and was lost to us for ever. We hurried back, finished 

 breakfast, formed line, and went into the long grass I was 

 still on the Muckna. We told the mahouts to advance 

 almost touching; we had not gone far, when a rhinoceros 

 with a young one charged Jackson ; his elephant swerved, 

 but he put a brace of bullets into her ; as she crossed me I 

 dropped her dead. Going on, I found myself in the midst 

 of a herd of rhinoceros ; they were all round me, kicking 

 up their diabolical row, and threatening to charge from every 

 quarter. Fortunately the old Muckna never moved. I fired 

 four double rifles and a double gun as fast as I could, and 

 it was only with my last shot that I rolled over the most 

 persistent of my foes. There were two dead, two more just 

 crawled away, one of whom lay dead a few yards ofT, and 

 several more were wounded. My friend had gone a little 

 way off after one he had seen, and was not in time to join 

 in the scrimmage, the like of which I have never seen else- 

 where. Sookur, who was on the Muckna, wanted to follow 

 up hot-foot, and I had great difficulty in restraining him till 

 I had loaded my battery. The wounded ones had got into 

 a brake where we could not follow, but we heard that the 

 people who followed us about had found three others dead. 



He then went back towards the slain, when a three-parts- 

 grown rhinoceros charged Jackson, whose elephant turned 

 tail and ran for its life with the rhinoceros in full chase. 

 Jackson was so knocked about, it was some time before he 

 could put in a shot ; after the brute had actually struck his 

 elephant, but fortunately without cutting it, he killed it. Going 

 homewards, well pleased with the day's bag, we shot a deer 

 and a pig for the camp. 



In the evening we went out fishing. Jackson caught two 

 mahseer 20, 12 Ibs. each. I also got two I9l>6 Ibs. so on 

 the whole we did not do so badly to-day. 



