THE LAND OF FOOTPRINTS 



posed to a blind rush, and it is offered as a good 

 example of the sort. 



The rhinoceros had come fairly close before we 

 got into action. He headed straight for F. and my- 

 self, with B. a little to one side. Things happened 

 very quickly. F. and I each planted a heavy bullet 

 in his head; while B. sent a lighter Winchester bullet 

 into the ribs. The rhino went down in a heap eleven 

 yards away, and one of us promptly shot him in the 

 spine to finish him. 



Personally I was entirely concentrated in the 

 matter at hand — as is always the way in crises re- 

 quiring action — and got very few impressions from 

 anything outside. Nevertheless I imagined, sub- 

 consciously that I had heard four shots. F. and B. 

 disclaimed more than one apiece, so I concluded my- 

 self mistaken, exchanged my heavy rifle with Fundi 

 for the lighter Winchester, and we started for camp, 

 leaving all the boys to attend to the dead rhinos. 

 At camp I threw down the lever of my Winchester — 

 and drew out an exploded shell! 



Here was a double crime on Fundi's part. In the 

 first place, he had fired the gun, a thing no gun- 

 bearer is supposed ever to do in any circumstances 

 short of the disarmament and actual mauling of his 

 master. Naturally this is so, for the white man 

 must be able in an emergency to depend absolutely 



204 



