THE GREAT HERBIVORES 165 
I possessed no great experience in managing these animals. 
William Jamrach had arrived in London from India, with a 
number of elephants, rhino- 
ceroses and other animals, 
which J was to take over. I 
went to London to receive 
them. Among the other 
animals there was a large 
female rhinoceros, full-grown, 
being seven or eight years 
of age. The animal was 
housed in an immense cage 
built upon the deck. As this 
could not be removed, it 
was necessary to find some SA aa 
method of transferring the rhinoceros from the ship to the van 
provided to convey her to the stable where she was to be 
temporarily lodged. The difficulty to be overcome lay in the 
distance which separated the ship from the van, a space of about 
500 yards. Jamrach suggested that, as the animal was well 
behaved, it would be safe to lead her along the docks; and 
without sufficiently realising the great danger of this foolhardy 
mode of procedure, I acquiesced in the proposal. Moreover, 
I believed that we were really dealing with an unusually quiet 
animal. 
The preparations were soon complete. Two ropes were 
firmly bound round the rhinoceros, one being used as a halter 
round her neck and the other being attached to one of the 
creature's forelegs, whilst a number of other ropes were kept 
in reserve in case of accidents. Then we addressed her in 
the cosmopolitan language common to man and _ beasts. 
Jamrach’s keeper, offering her food from his hand, backed 
slowly, while feeding her, across the gangway. Therhinoceros 
followed and the whole party moved in the desired direction. 
I gave the long rope attached to the halter to six keepers, 
and instructed them to pass this through the bars forming the 
