54 Great and Small Game of Africa 



species during one season. He also mentions the fact of nine of these 

 ponderous animals, which must have weighed some thirty to forty tons in 

 the aggregate, having been killed in one day by a single European at no 

 great distance from Walfish Bay. Yet, notwithstanding the great, and in 

 many instances it is to be feared unnecessary, slaughter of white rhinoceroses 

 which has taken place at the hands of Europeans, South Africa is such a 

 vast country, that in many districts these animals might still have been 

 numerous had it not been for the rapid spread of firearms amongst the 

 native tribes, who have carried the war against these easily-killed beasts into 

 their remotest retreats. 



At the date of my first visit to South Africa, in 1871, the range of the 

 white rhinoceros had been very much reduced since the days of Cornwallis 

 Harris, but these animals were still numerous in the uninhabited districts 

 of Matabeleland, Mashunaland, Gazaland, and Zululand, as well as certain 

 portions of the Eastern and South-Eastern Transvaal. In August 1872 I first 

 saw the fresh tracks of the white rhinoceros near Mangwe, about 60 miles 

 south-west of Bulawayo, and a month later met with many of the animals 

 themselves to the north-west of that place. At this time these animals 

 were still very numerous in that part of the country, and whilst elephant 

 hunting during the last three months of the year between the Gwelo and 

 Umniati Rivers, I saw white rhinoceroses almost daily, and sometimes as 

 many as six or eight in one day. In 1873 I was hunting in the country to 

 the west of the River Gwai, and found these animals plentiful to the south 

 of the mountainous tract of country which extends eastwards from the 

 Victoria Falls to the junction of the Gwai and Tchangani Rivers. In the 

 following year I was hunting along the southern bank of the Chobi River, 

 and still found white rhinoceroses not uncommon, but three years later, in 

 1 877, during several months spent in the same district, I only saw the tracks 

 of two of these animals, whilst in 1879, during eight months spent in 

 hunting on and between the Botletlie, Mababi, Machabi, Sunta, and Upper 



