TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 131 



Juggernaut right over the Baron, who, in meaning to 

 evade the rush, fell into it through the unexpected 

 agility of the brute. A most awful stifled shriek arose 

 as my poor fellow went down. Frightened as I was, I 

 felt I should be everlastingly branded to myself as a 

 coward if I made no attempt to save the man, although 

 I understood how altogether impossible salvation was 

 just then. The pachyderm was giving the prostrate 

 body a number of vicious rams with his horn. I 

 advanced quite close, and the rhino, seeing me, blun- 

 deringly charged, passing so near I got the very breath 

 from his nostrils. I luckily managed to get in a heart 

 shot, and yet another. The animal lurched on, and 

 then fell, as a loaded furniture van might, with a 

 terrific crash. But it was not entirely accounted for 

 even yet, and continued to emit little squeals and 

 plough the ground up all about it. Still, I knew it 

 would rise no more, and I gave my rifle to Clarence 

 with a sign to him to do the happy despatch. I went 

 to the fallen Baron, and even now cannot write of the 

 dreadful nature of his wounds without a shudder at 

 the manner of so hideous a death. I was overwhelmed, 

 but Clarence was still imperturbable as he looked back 

 from the great mass that now lay as inert as my poor 

 follower. 



There was no use trying anything ; the Baron was 

 dead. I did my best to hide my stress of mind from 

 the calm shikari, and endeavoured to think what it 

 was best to do. I wanted to have the body taken back 

 to camp and bury it decently, but, after aii, it was a 

 silly idea enough, and a mere relic of home associa- 



