ATTACKED BY RHINOS 141 



Warning of the approach of danger is given the 

 rhino by the tick-birds that forever are roosting on 

 top of his back. The birds fly up in alarm at the 

 slightest provocation and the host comes to enough 

 to find out whether it's worthwhile waking up. If 

 the birds seem really frightened the rhino also be- 

 comes very much excited, and does not calm down 

 until he is positive that everything is all right. The 

 intelligent instincts of these guardians is noted from 

 the fact that they do not seem to mind the presence 

 of man when on domestic cattle; it is only on wild 

 game like the rhino that they flutter away when the 

 hunter approaches. 



The next day after Saunderson's scrape we had 

 another brush with rhino. At daybreak I was on a 

 small hill with my camera watching a herd of buffalo 

 in the grass below me. As Bukhari was ill my second 

 headman was acting as chief. I told him to recon- 

 noitre while I went back to camp. On the way I saw 

 coming toward me full tilt one of the boys. 



"Himiadi killed by rhino!" he gasped out. 



With my heart jumping I ran after the fellow not 

 knowing what horror I was about to see. He led me 

 to Himiadi, one of the porters, who was lying on the 

 groimd close to camp pretty badly, though not fatally 

 smashed up. I carried him into the camp where 

 he was roundly jeered by his fellow tribesmen. It 

 seems that he had walked head on into the yoimg 



