1 oo 
SOMALILAND 
for him, and at length he made up his mind to bolt, and 
galloped away to the left. I fired both barrels at close 
quarters into his ribs, before he vanished in the thick 
bushes. I now rushed down to my shikari, when I was 
surprised to see him sit up, and I saw that blood was flow- 
ing from a large cut on the side of his head. He was 
utterly unconscious, and after stopping the flow of blood 
I left him with my water-bottle and two men, and rushed 
to avenge myself on the infuriated ‘rhino.’ About 100 
yards off we found him behind a bush, standing above us, 
with his head towards us. This would never do ; so 
retracing my steps, and making a short detour, I got 
behind a thick bush, with him broadside on. Fearing 
further disaster, I ordered a volley to be fired at him. 
All taking aim through the bushes, I said ‘ Fire !’ at the 
same moment firing both barrels of my eight-bore simul- 
taneously, and then picked up 'the Express. This moved 
him 50 yards further up the hill ; stalking again, I got closer, 
and taking careful aim, we fired a second volley, which 
made the beast plunge about, but he did not shift his 
position. After this I waited a few seconds ; then, seeing 
the game was nearly over, I advanced out into the open, 
within a few feet of him, and planted a ball in his neck. 
He still stood. I was aiming again, when, with two or 
three shakes of his ugly head, he fell heavily over on his 
side stone-dead. Thus died one of the most aggressive 
animals I have ever had to deal with, its great tenacity 
of life being simply marvellous. I counted eleven bullet- 
holes in his skin when dead, my first ball having gone right 
through his heart : how he survived this so long I cannot 
imagine. 
I did not stop more than a minute looking at the great 
brute, but rushed back to find my shikari still unconscious, 
in the arms of the two men I had left with him. 
I examined his head, and found he had a frightful- 
looking cut, about 7 inches long, round the right side of 
his shaven head, the gaping wound displaying the bone of 
