138 HUNTING THE RHINOCEROS. 



and with feelings of indescribable exaltation surveyed oui 

 prize. It proved to be a full grown specimen of the black 

 rhinoceros the largest and fiercest of its kind called 

 by the natives the borele. The horns were about eigh- 

 teen inches in length, and finely polished by continual 

 rubbing against trees. We found that these terrible wea- 

 pons were not connected with the skull, but merely at- 

 tached with the skin, and we separated them with our 

 knives. Mr. Barrill considered them very valuable. The 

 eyes of the huge beast were small, and so set, that, it was 

 plain to me, it could not see except directly in front. But 

 the most curious portion of the animal was the skin. This 

 covering was extremely thick, and laid in folds as if much 

 too large for the body. Each rhinoceros appears to have 

 entered the skin of one a great deal more bulky than it 

 self. Ordinary bullets will not penetrate this clumsy 

 armor. Mr. Barrill had taken the precaution before leaving 

 Cape Town to provide himself with bullets hardened with 

 solder, and these were easily driven into the vitals of the 

 animal. 



Elated with our unexpected success, we took the po- 

 lished horns and a large piece of the skin of the rhino 

 ceros, and returned to camp. In the afternoon, when the 

 heat of the sun had somewhat declined, we rode out in the 

 hope of shooting game, to furnish fresh meat for our even- 

 ing meal. Not far from camp, we started a herd of ante- 



