THE RHINOCEROS 71 



ceived close to water, and for a time I was un- 

 certain as to whether it might be that of a 

 hippopotamus. As soon, however, as I got on 

 to drier ground I saw unmistakably the kind oi 

 beast we were following, and lay out along the 

 tracks with an eagerness which my native com- 

 panions — ^raw Zambezi villagers — were far from 

 sharing. After a tew miles of easy and rapid 

 progress the spoor led us to the edge of the usual 

 thorny grass patch, and one of so gloomy and for- 

 bidding an aspect that it seemed a likely enough 

 resting-place for the animal's daily nap. It was 

 very thick, and appeared to me to be one of the 

 least desirable of places into which to follow a 

 dangerous beast. I therefore swarmed up a 

 neighbouring palm tree, and, having ascertained 

 that the thicket was not one of very wide di- 

 mensions — apparently not much more than an 

 acre — I resolved to set it on fire on the windward 

 side, and sent men round for that purpose. 



Presently a thin, blue smoke arose over the 

 jungle, accompanied by the crackling of many 

 exploding grass stems, then I heard a tremendous 

 commotion and a warning shout. Following its 

 almost invariable custom, the rhinoceros dashed 

 down wind, and thus broke cover not much out 

 of a straight line between me and his retreat. 

 He seemed, indeed, to be coming almost straight 

 in my direction as I stood in the friendly shelter 

 of a good, thick tree trunk, but luckily sheered off 

 somewhat as, in a few rapid bounds, he drew near. 

 At a distance of about 20 yards I gave him a '577 

 solid bullet high up on the shoulder as he bounded 



