MY FIRST RHINOCEROS 



111 



time quite sure of my victim ; but at the critical moment up 

 flew a lot of small birds, screeching loudly. Of course I sprang 

 forward to send a flying shot after the retreating antelope ; but 

 now I made a very unexpected discovery, for I all but fell over 

 the body of a great rhinoceros, which was taking a nap in the 

 long grass under the acacia. A whispered ' Faru I ' (rhinoceros) 

 revealed the position to my black companion, Muallim Harun, 

 and then, following his example, I slunk like a snake along the 

 oTOund and made for the shelter of another tree. Arrived 

 there we felt safe, but the long grass prevented us from seeing 

 more than one ear and the tip of the nose of the rhinoceros. 

 To make him get up we now both shouted at the top of our 

 voices, ' Holla ! Holla ! ' but the sound died away on the plain 

 without result. The rhinoceros w^anted more than the noise 

 we could make to rouse him from his slumbers, and I was just 

 about to fire at him when a dozen zebras suddenly appeared, 

 crossing the plain in single file. As a matter of course, I 

 now pointed my weapon at them, and hoped, so to speak, to 

 be lucky enough to kill two birds with one stone, and it fell 

 out just as I wished. Crack went the shot, there was a cloud 

 of dust ; but this time one of the beautiful creatures lay on 

 the ground, whilst the rhinoceros started up and revealed the 

 whole of his huge bulk. As if annoyed at being disturbed, he 

 tossed up his head, snified the air, and stared in our direction, 

 but without shifting his position. Of course there w^as no 

 chance of shooting him thus ; but the sight was so new to me 

 that I should have gazed at him for some time longer if a sharp 

 shower of rain had not come to our assistance. The rhinoceros 

 lost scent of us, moved away, and thus exposed his whole flank 

 to us. I w^as not very well up in the subject of rhinoceros 

 shooting ; but I thought a good volley would not be amiss with 

 such very big game, so I got my 500 Express rifle into position, 

 and taking careful aim I fired. The rhinoceros shuddered, but 



