SURPRISED BY A RHINOCEROS 



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came on numerous fresh buffalo-spoors. The animals had evi- 

 dently only just passed, as the peculiar musk scent there always 

 is about them still lingered in the air. We followed the tracks 

 carefully, but did not come up with the buffaloes, though we sur- 

 prised a rhinoceros and very nearly had a mishap with him. 

 We had only just noticed an ominous grunting in the thick 

 bushes on our right, when crash went some branches, and a huge 

 brownish-black beast dashed out with such tremendous impetus 

 that I had only just time to step backwards into the bush and 

 avoid the charge. I saw my two men fleeing before the 

 lowered head of the rhinoceros, then I lost sight of them, and 

 all was still. In the greatest anxiety, I shouted to them, and to 

 my delighted relief they both answered. Simba had with great 

 presence of mind turned aside into the bush, and though he was 

 a good deal scratched, he escaped. The other man had been 

 in no real danger, but in his fright he had flung away my rifle, 

 and we found it afterwards with both barrels stopped up with 

 earth. We were a good bit upset by the surprise, and went on 

 cautiously enough after this, expecting to see some huge beast 

 behind every bush. It was beginning to get dark when we 

 really did come upon another rhinoceros standing just in our 

 path. My charge took effect, however, and he went off ap- 

 parently mortally wounded, but it was too late to follow him. 



It had not rained all day, but at midnight it began to pour, 

 and continued steadily till twelve o'clock the next morning. 

 Our poor men had a bad time of it, as it was impossible to 

 keep the fires alight. They looked as miserable as the weather 

 the next morning, and the reproachful glances they cast at us 

 said as plainly as possible that they considered us out of our 

 minds for choosing to travel in the rainy season. But we were 

 not to be daunted, and though we were obliged to wade through 

 water nearly up to our thighs, and our clothes were wet up to 

 the waist, the green of the thickets looked all the fresher and 



