276 OPERA GLASSES. [chap. ix. 



mischief; for they lie six or seven together in each 

 shooting-screen, and blaze volleys at long distances — 

 often thirty or forty yards — at the rhinoceros. The 

 consequence is that they " bag" but very few, compared 

 to the number that they fire at ; the others most likely 

 linger on for a few days, and then lie down and die 

 elsewhere. One night Andersson and myseK were 

 lying out together when a rhinoceros came, that I fired 

 at. Something smaller was following at its heels ; 

 but we could not see what, on account of the shade of 

 the dark bushes. It was a briUiant moonlight; and 

 we were foolish enough to leave our screen, and poke 

 about after the animal, which luckily we never found. 

 In the eai4y morning Andersson went to look for the 

 game that had been shot ; and first followed the spoor 

 of the rhinoceros we had been seeking. He soon 

 found the animal lying dead among the bushes ; and he 

 walked carelessly up, with rifle over his shoulder, 

 when as he was just upon the animal, a full-grown calf 

 rushed out from behind its dead mother right at him. 

 He had a very narrow escape, for the creature brushed 

 by him in the narrow pathway : he was about as large 

 as an ox, and his spoor was half size. Had we come 

 upon them the preceding night, we should have run 

 some risk. On one occasion a rhinoceros that he fired 

 at, brushed down the stones of one side of his shooting- 

 place. 



If I were to travel again on a shooting-tour, I should 

 certainly take a large opera-glass with me. It is one 

 of the most perfect of night-glasses, besides being the 

 most useful of telescopes. I should think it would put 



