WILDERNESS FOLK 97 



Once when Osa went to investigate a rhino I told 

 her to ride off down another trail on my mule. The 

 first thing she knew she came plump on the big beast ! 

 Her mule was terrified; so was the rhino. Both of 

 them started to run together. Fortimately they came 

 to a place where the trail branched and the two crazy 

 creatures diverged. 



A female rhino must make a poor mother-in-law. 

 She keeps her grumbling yoimg one with her imtil it is 

 as big as she. 



I think all rhinos must wake up in the morning in a 

 bad humor. As a sample of their petulance I recall 

 one night when we were camping in tents on the side 

 of a hill. Saunderson was below Osa and me at the 

 edge of our line. Right in the middle of the night an 

 old rhino came along and stuck her head through 

 Saimderson's tent flap. 



There was only one thing for the startled man to 

 do. He kicked the intruding lady in the face and 

 scrambled out through the back of the tent. Where- 

 upon the "lady" charged. She took tent and pole 

 off with her at a gallop down the trail into the 

 forest. 



The hippopotamus belongs to the same class of large 

 animals as do the elephant and rhino. But if the 

 elephant is a scholarly gentleman and the rhino a 

 thundering old grouch, the hippo can be personified 

 only as the sort of fat fellow who sits on the back 



