THE LAND OF FOOTPRINTS 



Then across a mile-wide valley we saw two dark 

 objects in the tall grass; and almost immediately 

 identified these as rhinoceroses, the first we had seen. 

 They stood there side by side, gazing off into space, 

 doing nothing in a busy morning world. After 

 staring at them through our glasses for some time, 

 we organized a raid. At the bottom of the valley 

 we left the horses and porters; lined upj each with his 

 gunbearer at his elbow; and advanced on the enemy. 

 B. was to have the shot. According to all the books 

 we should have been able, provided we were down- 

 wind and made no noise, to have approached within 

 fifty or sixty yards undiscovered. However, at a 

 little over a hundred yards they both turned tail and 

 departed at a swift trot, their heads held well up and 

 their tails sticking up straight and stiff in the most 

 ridiculous fashion. No good shooting at them in 

 such circumstances, so we watched them go, still 

 keeping up their slashing trot, growing smaller and 

 smaller in the distance until finally they disappeared 

 over the top of a swell. 



We set ourselves methodically to following them. 

 It took us over an hour of steady plodding before we 

 again came in sight of them. They were this time 

 nearer the top of a hill, and we saw instantly that 

 the curve of the slope was such that we could ap- 

 proach within fifty yards before coming in sight at 



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