9 6 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS 
CHAP. 
Arabs are hyaenas, who will eat anything, even 
crocodiles. The reason given by the blacks for 
their objection to the flesh of the rhinoceros is, that 
the blood is unlike that of any other animal; that 
should your hand be bloody, and you close your fist 
for a few moments, the fingers stick together, and 
you have a difficulty in opening them. 
I have eaten young rhinoceros, and found it quite 
as good as a buffalo calf, but I imagine that any¬ 
thing young is tolerable. This was a curious 
incident. I was shooting, and exploring the affluents 
of the Nile from Abyssinia, and having examined 
the course of the Atbara and Settite rivers, I passed 
into the territory of Mek Nimmur, who was at war 
with the Egyptians. The first march from his 
camp brought us to the rivers Salaam and Angrab, 
at their junction ; and I was following the course of 
the main river below this point, when we came upon 
the tracks of rhinoceros. Following upon these, I 
left the two camels behind, with the ropes, etc., 
which they always carried to secure any animals I 
might shoot. 
We had not advanced far through the tolerably 
open jungle when we arrived at the foot of a rocky 
hill. There were many large boulders lying about, 
when suddenly one of my Arabs touched my arm 
and directed my attention to an object that appeared 
to be a rock ; almost at the same moment a 
rhinoceros rose quickly from the ground, and had 
evidently obtained our wind. I made a good shot 
with a No. 10 rifle through the shoulder, and after 
