ABUNDANCE OF DEER. 87 



which they cut down both the deer and the rhinoceros, the 

 latter occasionally showing fight and - doing considerable 

 damage to horses and riders. 



On my first day we entered the deer ground soon 

 after daylight, and after a short time came on a large 

 open plain some miles in extent, covered with grass, 

 interspersed with forests of reeds and trees ; on this plain 

 several herds of deer were feeding, a beautiful sight, the 

 stags keeping far out of shot, and on catching sight of us, 

 trotted out to reconnoitre. Every now and then one would 

 stop, shake his antlered head, and dash back to the herd as 

 if to warn them of approaching danger, when the whole 

 clustering together and showing quite a forest of heads and 

 horns, would dash into the reeds, and disappear long before 

 we could get within shot. It was only by skirting the little 

 bays and inlets of grass at the side of the reeds that we 

 had any chance, and even then it was difficult to approach 

 within two hundred yards. I shot badly, firing at too great 

 distances and at snap running shots ; in fact the rush of deer 

 in all directions kept me in such a perpetual state of excitement 

 that I could not be cool. As soon as the sun had got well 

 up the deer entered the high reeds, and we could hear them 

 bellowing like a lot of bulls. I never heard anything like 

 it. In the course of the day some five or six deer were 

 wounded, but owing to the denseness of the reeds it was 

 impossible to follow them for any distance. While en- 

 deavouring to track a stag I had hit I heard some big 

 animal rush away and struggling forward as rapidly as I 

 could, I came upon the still warm couch of a rhinoceros ; 

 perhaps it was as well I had not encountered him in such a 

 place. We came home pretty well knocked up, and I was 



