TRACKING A ^RHINO’ 
117 
It is an extraordinary sensation, coming into a belt of 
‘ fly.’ There may be but a tiny river-bed. On one side 
of it not a fly will be encountered, but walk a dozen feet 
and they suddenly come buzzing by one in hundreds. 
We stayed by the river Shebeyli for some days trying to 
get the camels down the nullah, but all to no purpose ; we 
could not find a suitable place, and after having good sport 
with oryx, bush-buck, water-buck, and other game, I decided 
to go back, my supplies getting short, and many of my 
followers contracting fever by the river. So, breaking up 
the camp, I marched away from the river northwards again, 
after being greatly disappointed at not being able to find 
one single elephant. We had not proceeded far when we 
cut the fresh spoor of a rhinoceros, which I determined to 
follow. The spoor led us east for a long way through 
pretty thick bush. At length, when I was beginning to get 
tired out, I caught a glimpse of Mr. Borele quietly walking 
along in front of us, his great gray back showing up well 
in the sunlight, and his armpits and parts of his neck tinged 
with a faint blush of red, which showed up stronger in 
some lights than in others. On and on he walked, heeding 
nothing, and never lifting his head. How unlike an ante- 
lope, now nibbling a blade of grass, now quickly raising 
his head, and ever on the qui vive ! 
We continued to walk close after him, as quiet as mice, 
as if we were part of a funeral procession following a huge 
hearse, instead of a party of men stalking big game with 
beating hearts and full -cocked triggers. At last he slowly 
turned and offered his broadside. The anxious moment had 
arrived. Quickly kneeling and ' drawing a bead ’ for his 
heart, I pressed the trigger. Looking under the great 
volume of smoke, I saw that I had knocked him backwards 
upon his haunches. Bang ! and another spherical ball went 
crashing through his ribs close by the first. This last 
knocked him clean off his four feet, and he lay on his side, 
plunging, snorting, banging his huge head and horns upon 
the ground, and kicking up the dust in his vain endeavours 
