282 THE LAND OF THE LION 



is company. He keeps to himself; all other beasts move 

 out of his way. The native hates him and fears him 

 more than he does any other animal, far more than the 

 lion, and the feeling is most natural. His spear, made of 

 wrought iron, with its keen point and four-foot blade, he 

 can drive through and through a lion, but it is a poor weapon 

 when matched against this monster's bulk and horny hide. 

 He lets the lion alone and the lion avoids him, but no man 

 can tell what an aroused rhino will do. He is so blind 

 that he cannot see anything at a greater distance than 

 fifty yards. When he sees it he seems to act as the fancy 

 takes him. If it is the long line of a marching sefari, 

 sometimes he rushes off and far as the eye can follow 

 never abates his pace. Sometimes he rushes cm, and then 

 down in a trice go the loads, some pretty strong and some 

 very breakable, while with extraordinary activity, the 

 sefari takes to the trees, dodges behind ant hills, and under- 

 goes in short a very complete demoralization and 

 disbandment. 



One day on a former trip such a rhino, accompanied 

 by her calf, put my men up trees and danced on some of 

 my loads. To-day, however, we were lucky and came 

 through unmolested. And so the sunny morning passed 

 away and we neared our camping ground. As we did 

 so pleasant sights and sounds greeted us. Across the 

 river was a munyata, Massai herds were grazing near 

 and on a beautiful bit of level sward by the river 

 bank a dozen or more black totos were playing one 

 of those children's games which are the same the wide 

 world over. 



As I stood to watch them I noticed in the sand at my 

 feet the foot marks of a large lion who came there to drink 

 after his kill this morning, and then, for reasons best known 

 to himself, did what lions seldom do, took to the water and 

 swam the rapid current. There were the tracks in the 



