THE RHINOCEROS ‘262 
-wards to the bottom of the ant-heap, where I nearly turned a 
complete somersault, but quickly recovering myself I had the 
satisfaction of seeing that the rhino was still more pompletaly 
knocked over than myself. 
Among many and varied experiences with East African 
‘big game, two rhinoceros fights, of which I was a witness, 
were perhaps not the least interesting. The first I saw ona 
short trip from Taveta, with my friend Sir Robert Harvey, to 
the Rombo and Useri plains early in January 1887. On New 
Year’s Day we were changing camps from Kampi ya Simba te 
Rombo, both on the Lumi river, and we each took different 
beats, Harvey keeping to the plains on the right bank, whilst I 
took the left bank. Shortly after separating, I managed by 
‘great good luck, rather than by good management, to get 
within about 70 yards of three ostriches, all of which I succeeded 
in bagging. After skinning them and taking their thighs, the 
only meat there is on an ostrich, I went on keeping close to 
the river, and carne across a rhino standing in the open ; but 
the ground was so devoid of covert that I could not get nearer 
than 100 yards, and a shot with the 4-bore struck her too low, 
as I foolishly forgot to raise the back sight, and only wounded 
her high up in the forelegs, which, however, soon caused her 
to settle down into a walk. As she headed for a patch of grass 
that had not been burnt, with several bushes and ant-heaps 
dotted about, I kept within 150 yards of her, intending to 
get nearer when she entered this covert. After she had 
entered it, I took advantage of a bush and drew up to 
within roo yards of her, when another rhino jumped out of 
the grass where it had been lying to leeward of her, and made 
E _ straight for her. She, however, heard him (for it was a bull), 
and whipped round to face him ; and so they stood about three 
yards apart, giving vent to 2 succession of squeals and low 
‘guttural roars, the latter not unlike the roars of a lion.. For 
quite twenty minutes I watched them, and a most interesting 
sight it was. At first they did not close, but alternately rushed 
‘at each other; as each in turn charged, the other backed 
