FIRST EXPEDITION TO EAST AFRICA 95 



Both my friends shot rhinos, after one or 

 two unsuccessful attempts, and Mr. Bird shot 

 two, but their rhinos had not particularly good 

 horns. As is the case with other animals, rhino 

 heads appear to vary much in accordance with the 

 locality, and the heads in this part of the country 

 were poor. 



We all made the mistake of firing at rhinos 

 with solid nickel-coated bullets. A soft-nosed 

 bullet from a high velocity rifle will penetrate 

 sufficiently far to reach the vital parts of a rhino's 

 body, and a soft-nosed bullet causes a much 

 more serious wound. 



My second rhino was bagged in Laikipia. I was 

 returning from the Pezi swamp to the Laikipia 

 Boma ; and, in the evening, as we were rounding 

 the corner of the swamp, I saw an eland bull and 

 proceeded to stalk him. Johnny was with me, 

 and I had my '450 cordite rifle, while he was 

 carrying the Rigby -Mauser. Before we had 

 gone far we saw directly in our path four large 

 animals, which I at first thought were hippos, 

 but which on further inspection appeared to be 

 rhinos. I had both heard and read so much 

 about the ferocity of these animals that I confess 

 I was disposed to pass them by and to continue 

 the pursuit of the eland. Johnny's blood, 

 however, was up. His eyes blazed with excite- 

 ment, and he began aiming with the Rigby- 

 Mauser at the male of the pair nearer to us, 

 which had the finest horn of the four. I could 

 not allow myself to be bluffed, so I approached 

 through the cover afforded by some thorn-trees 

 and got within 50 yards of the big rhino, and 



