CHAPTER XV 



UNSUCCESSFUL RHINO HUNTS 



ALTHOUGH the jungle round Tsavo was a network 

 of rhino paths I had never so far been successful 

 in my efforts to obtain one of these animals, nor 

 was my ambition yet to be realised. One day 

 I was out exploring in the dense bush some six 

 or seven miles away from camp, and found my 

 progress more than usually slow, owing to the 

 fact that I had to spend most of my time crawling 

 on all-fours through the jungle. I was very pleased, 

 therefore, to emerge suddenly on a broad and well- 

 beaten track along which I could walk comfortably 

 in an upright position. In this were some fresh 

 rhino footprints which seemed barely an hour old, 

 so I determined to follow them up. The roadway 

 was beaten in places into a fine white dust by the 

 passage of many heavy animals ; and as I pushed 

 cautiously forward I fully expected to come face to 

 face with a rhino at every corner I turned. After 



