A RIDE THROUGH RHINO COUNTRY 323 



buffalo, too, have a penetrating odour. But I have never 

 been able to detect a rhino in this way, though I have 

 often stood for several minutes within a few yards of them. 



Bulky as he is, on a plain studded with ant hills, it is 

 very hard to pick him out, since his brown bulk is just 

 like an ant hill. If he is taking his siesta, it is under the 

 deep shadow of a tree, and in the glow of sunlight you 

 may pass quite near him and see nothing. Whereas if 

 he is where he loves above all to be: in dense thorn or 

 cactus scrub, he is absolutely invisible till you are within 

 a few yards or even feet. It is surprising how often you 

 find yourself unexpectedly quite close to rhino. 



I had stalked up to so many during my previous ten 

 months' hunting, and had so unvaryingly found them 

 retreat that I began to think there was no such thing as a 

 really vicious member of the family left. I was destined, 

 however, to be abundantly convinced that on occasion 

 they are extremely dangerous. I was trailing a buffalo 

 bull on the Guasi Nyiro of the north quite near the little 

 canon I have tried to describe. It was an excellent game 

 country. Oryx abounded, there were several small bands 

 of buffalo and rhino were far too numerous to be pleasant. 

 Cactus and thorn scrub covered densely the steep rocky 

 hills rising sharply from the beautiful river and glades, 

 green and partly open, ran between their bases. The fresh 

 spoor we were following led us for a mile or more up and 

 down this woody country, and then turned up one of the 

 steepest hill sides, where the brush was quite impenetrable. 

 I and my gunbearers had crawled silently as we could 

 some two hundred yards into the tearing, cutting jungle 

 and I was on the point of saying we had best go out, as 

 in such a place nothing could be done, when through the 

 black wall of herbage to our right came the sharp whistling 

 snort of a rhino. We stood stock still, and I fortunately 

 was able to stand upright just there, and clear very quietly 



