TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 229 
We sped across an open bit, and then into another 
belt of jungle. The whole aspect of the spot looked 
to me as the very place to see a repetition of the Baron 
disaster. We plunged into the ubiquitous thorn, 
starting a frightened dik-dik as I took my header. 
Crawling, pushing, scratching, we won our way to 
comparatively clear ground. Clarence raised his 
hand for utter silence. We heard a scrunching and 
breaking of thorns. A great beast was a- travelling. 
Maybe he had winded us or been disturbed. And 
then “ a strange thing happened. 55 I, who had been 
absolutely impassive up to now, was drawn into the 
mesh of desire. The effects of rhino shooting on me 
are like unto the results of champagne drinking on 
Brillat-Savarin, at first ( ab initio) most exciting, after- 
ward (in recessu) stupefying. I was now thoroughly 
game for anything. But I kept my reason in sufficient 
bounds to remember that thick thorn cover is not an 
ideal place to meet a rhino in. 
We did a most careful stalk, creeping towards the 
place of the sounds, under Clarence’s complete direc- 
tions. At last, he alone pressed on with us, the 
others willingly remaining where he signalled. We 
were not now in overwhelmingly thick thorn, but 
it was too dense to be pleasant, and necessitated our 
handling our rifles with the greatest care. After a 
hard few minutes we sank down to rest. Our rifles 
covered a small clearing. 
The game of all sizes had made tunnels through the 
jungly place, high enough in some parts for us to 
stand upright, and all seemed to lead to this open 
