THE RHINOCEROS 69 



dently thought, as most natives do, that he was 

 attacking us, but the merest glance was sufficient 

 to show that nothing was farther from his mind. 

 I had just time to push up the safety bolt of my 

 •450 cordite rifle, when he was almost abreast 

 of us, and my nickel-covered bullet caught 

 him fair and square in the shoulder. He fell 

 heavily, squealing like an immense pig, whereupon 

 a second buUet behind the ear put an end to his 

 troubles for good. Luckily for us, this beast 

 did not appear to be attended by the almost 

 invariable rhinoceros - bird {buphaga),^ or we 

 should in all probability never have seen him. 

 I concluded that he must have winded us when 

 half asleep, and his invincible curiosity then got 

 the better of him. 



Round about the southern slopes end foothills 

 of Gorongoza Mountain, which I have endeavoured 

 to describe in my book, Portuguese East Africa, 

 there existed a considerable number of rhinoceros 

 a few years ago, judging by the frequency with 

 which their spoor was encountered, and only 

 a few days after the incident I have just 

 related, another very fine bull was lost by me 

 in the same district. Curiously enough, on this 

 occasion I had traced him for several miles 

 down to high, reedy grass bordering somewhat 

 swampy country, where, in the usual course 

 of events, rhinoceros would not be expected 

 to occur. Here the exasperating " rhino-bird " 

 undoubtedly alarmed him, for I only got one 

 glimpse of the massive body and horns before 



1 The Ox -picker. 

 6 



