THE RHINOCEROS 



apt to become bitterly cold. I set out accompanied by 

 a few men carrying woollen blankets, lanterns, etc., to 

 watch for prey on the edge of a ravine. I had forgot- 

 ten to take into account the short duration of the twi- 

 light in the tropics. The night surprised us before we 

 had reached the ravine, and the moon would not rise 

 before nine o'clock. I thought it best to stay where 

 we were. The ground was strewn with rocks and cov- 

 ered with thorny bushes and high grass. I noticed a 

 few locust-trees by their whitish bark. While we were 

 waiting for the moon to rise we heard, suddenly, a sound 

 like a short grunt. My men dropped everything and 

 ran for the trees. Only my rifle - carrier tarried a mo- 

 ment, whispering to me, " Pharu Bwana!" and then 

 he, too, cHmbed the nearest tree. I must admit that 

 my hair stood on end when I distinguished in the light 

 of the rising moon the massive form of a rhinoceros 

 close in front of me. The situation was anything but in- 

 viting, every step checked by huge stones, thorny bush- 

 es, and high grass, and not far away the steep ravine. 

 My eight carriers were perched on the trees out of the 

 animal's reach, and of no assistance to me. I had a 

 large-caliber, double-barrelled rifle with me, such as is 

 used in hunting the elephant. I took aim as well as I 

 could and pulled the right trigger. The rebound of 

 the rifle forced me back a step and made me sink on 

 my knees. With my finger on the left trigger I awaited 

 the rush of the animal. But, snorting and stumbling, it 



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