SPORT ON THE GUASO MARU 



side of the stream was covered with native herds of domestic 

 animals, there were no natives on the western side, and that 

 game was plentiful there. 



At daybreak we started out in different directions with our 

 usual following to reconnoitre the country. Three miles to the 

 south of camp a sharp, ragged pinnacle rose out of the plain, 

 and after disturbing numerous copper-headed lizards and 

 hy races climbing over the cactus-covered rocks, I found myself 

 sweeping the country with the glasses from its bare, red top. 

 These hyraces, probably Hyrax habessimicus, were abundant 

 on all these rocky kopjes, and climbed around the almost 

 vertical faces of rocks with about as much ease as the lizards. 

 Quantities of game, including oryx, ostriches, Granti, and both 

 kinds of zebra, were in sight; but most of these seemed to be 

 in the direction my friend had taken, and he had already com- 

 menced to shoot in the distance. 



Noticing a bush-covered chain of hills which arose out of 

 the plain to the south, I directed my steps toward them in 

 hopes of encountering buffalo or rhino in the thick thorn-scrub. 

 An hour later, while stealing along through the bush, I became 

 aware of the reddish mass of a rhino feeding in a small patch 

 of grass fifty yards to the right. Sheltered by a small ant-hill, 

 I approached to within thirty-five yards of the unconscious bull 

 rhino and emptied the contents of both barrels of the heavy 

 rifle into its shoulders. The beast went down on itc knees 

 immediately, but lurched to its feet and thundered away 

 through the bush with lowered head and tail erect. Under a 

 broiling sun we followed the blood-spattered trail of this rhino 

 through the thick bush for five hours. By this time the wounded 

 animal was so weak from loss of blood that we could see from 

 the tracks that it was staggering and occasionally falling on its 

 side. Then a sudden, heavy tropical downpoijr, which lasted 

 for a half hour, completely obliterated all traces of either blood 

 or tracks. When the storm had passed and the hot afternoon 



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