NO. I 



THE WHITE RHINOCEROS HELLER 



47 



he and I started off early one morning with Grogan — a man of about 

 twenty-five, a good hunter and a capital fellow, with whom by this 

 time we were great friends. It was much like our other hunts. We 

 tramped through high grass across a big, swampy plain or broad val- 

 ley between low rises of ground, until, on the opposite side, we struck 

 a by-this-time familiar landmark, two tall borassus palms, the only 

 ones for some miles around. Here we turned into a broad elephant 

 and rhinoceros path, worn deep and smooth by the generations of 

 huge feet that had trampled it ; for it led from the dry inland to a fa- 

 vorite drinking place on the Nile. Along this we walked until Kassitura 

 made out the trail of two rhino crossing it at right angles. They were 

 evidently feeding and seeking a noonday resting place ; in this country 

 the square-mouthed rhinoceros live on the grassy flats, sparsely cov- 

 ered with small thorn trees, and only go into the high reeds on their 

 way to drink. With Kassitura and Kongoni in the lead we followed 

 the fresh trail for a mile or so, until we saw our quarry The stupid 

 beasts had smelt us, but were trotting to and fro in a state of indecision 

 and excitement, tails twisting and ears cocked, uncertain what to do. 

 At first we thought they were a bull and. a small cow ; but they proved 

 to be a big cow with good horns, and a calf which was nearly full 

 grown. The wind and sun were both exactly wrong, so Kermit 

 could not take any photos ; and accordingly he shot the cow behind 

 the shoulder. Away both animals went, Kermit tearing along 

 behind, while Grogan and I followed. After a sharp run of a mile 

 and a half Kermit overtook them, and brought down the cow. The 

 younger one then trotted threateningly toward him. He let it get 

 within ten yards, trying to scare it; as it kept coming on, and could 

 of course easily kill him, he then fired into its face, to one side, so as 

 to avoid inflicting a serious injury, and, turning, off it went at a gallop. 

 When I came up the cow had raised itself on its forelegs, and he was 

 taking its picture. It had been wallowing, and its whole body was 

 covered with dry caked mud. It was exactly the color of the common 

 rhino, but a little larger than any cow of the latter we had killed. 



" At last Kermit succeeded in getting some good white rhino 

 pictures. He was out with his gun-bearers and Grogan. They had 

 hunted steadily for nearly two days without seeing a rhino ; then 

 Kermit made out a big cow with a calf lying under a large tree, on a 

 bare plain of short grass. Accompanied by Grogan, and by a gun- 

 bearer carrying his rifle, while he himself carried his ' naturalist's 

 graphlex ' camera, he got up to within fifty or sixty yards of the dull- 



