274 
THE STORY OF THE RHINOCEROS. 
custom with all rhinoceros hunters. The most deadly aim is just behind 
the shoulder. The skull is too thick and the brain pan too small for a 
successful shot at the head. 
I once had an excellent opportunity to observe the fighting quality of 
the rhinoceros in conflict with other animals. It was in the province of 
Oude. I had become separated from my men and had lost my bearings. 
Night overtook me, and I decided to camp on the banks of a lagoon beneath 
a huge peepul tree. How long I had slept, I know not, but the moon was 
almost perpendicular when I awoke, and it was as bright as day. A sud¬ 
den harsh scream was the cause of my rousing up. I knew it well. 
It was the trumpet of an elephant! 
Instinctively I bounded to my feet, and looked around me in consterna¬ 
tion. I was in the midst of a herd of wild elephants! 
The danger of my position flashed on me in an instant. The wild 
