256 LIFE WITH THE PIAMRAN ARABS. 



at the same time dodging about from side to side to 

 elude his persecutor. This was without effect, though 

 the rhinoceros once lost ground by a tumble ; so upon 

 reaching a small mimosa-bush he made a wide circle 

 round it. Still the rhinoceros followed, and round and 

 round the tree he chased Coke, the circles becoming 

 gradually smaller, until the latter, finding that the dis- 

 tance between them was also diminishing, whilst he was 

 rapidly becoming exhausted, made up his mind that his 

 only hope of escape was to get to a neighbouring wood, 

 and he therefore made a push for it. The rhinoceros now 

 cut off a corner by trampling down the mimosa in con- 

 tinuing the chase, but Coke reached the wood first of 

 all, and falling down amongst the bushes quite exhausted 

 he managed to elude the eye of his would-be enemy as 

 it passed on. After a short rest to recover his breath, 

 and when rejoined by his hunter, he followed up the 

 track, and very soon found the rhinoceros lying under 

 a tree, and then with one shot put an end to its danger- 

 ous propensity. This account makes us look upon 

 rhinoceros-shooting in a rather different light, for though 

 often warned of the danger of shooting them, our 

 experience had led us to believe that it was more 

 imaginary than real, from their invariably turning on 

 receiving a charge in the face, though their first inten- 

 tion might be to assume the offensive. It is necessary 

 to see a rhinoceros in its native home to realise the 



