THE LAND OF FOOTPRINTS 



to me that the interest and significance of the in- 

 cident can hardly be overstated. 



Four or five times we thought ourselves freed from 

 the nuisance, but always, just as we were about to 

 move on, back he came, as eager as ever to nose us 

 out. Finally he gave it up, and, at a slow trot, 

 started to go away from there. And out of the three 

 hundred and sixty degrees of the circle where he 

 might have gone he selected just our direction. Note 

 that this was downw^ind for him, and that rhinoc- 

 eroses usually escape upwind. 



We laid very low, hoping that, as before, he would 

 change his mind as to direction. But now he was 

 no longer looking, but travelling. Nearer and 

 nearer he came. We could see plainly his little eyes, 

 and hear the regular swish^ swish, swish of his thick 

 legs brushing through the grass. The regularity of 

 his trot never varied, but to me lying there directly 

 in his path, he seemed to be coming on altogether 

 too fast for comfort. From our low level he looked 

 as big as a bam. Memba Sasa touched me lightly 

 on the leg. I hated to shoot, but finally when he 

 loomed fairly over us I saw it must be now or never. 

 If I allowed him to come closer, he must indubitably 

 catch the first movement of my gun and so charge 

 right on us before I would have time to deliver even 

 an ineffective shot. Therefore, most reluctantly, I 



310 



