CH. IV] 
PRESERVING SKINS 
91 
charged, whereas we killed our first four lions and first 
four buffaloes without any of them charging, though 
two of each were stopped as they were on the point of 
charging. Moreover, our experience with this bull 
rhino illustrates what I have already said as to one 
animal being more dangerous under certain conditions, 
and another more dangerous under different conditions. 
If it had been a lion instead of a rhino, my first bullet 
would, I believe, have knocked all the charge out of it, 
but the vitality of the huge pachyderm was so great, its 
mere bulk counted for so much, that even such a hard¬ 
hitting rifle as my double Holland—than which I do 
not believe there exists a better weapon for heavy game 
— could not stop it outright, although either of the 
wounds inflicted would have been fatal in a few seconds. 
Leaving a couple of men with the dead rhino, to 
protect it from the Wakamba by day and the lions by 
night, we rode straight to camp, which we reached at 
sunset. It was necessary to get to work on the two 
dead beasts as soon as possible in order to be sure of 
preserving their skins. Heller was the man to be 
counted on for this task. He it was who handled all 
the skins, who, in other words, was making the expedi¬ 
tion of permanent value so far as big game was con¬ 
cerned, and no work at any hour of the day or night 
ever came amiss to him. He had already trained eight 
Wakamba porters to act as skinners under his super¬ 
vision. On hearing of our success, he at once said that 
we ought to march out to the game that night so as to 
get to work by daylight. Moreover, we were not com¬ 
fortable at leaving only two men with each carcass, for 
lions were both bold and plentiful. 
The moon rose at eight, and we started as soon as 
she was above the horizon. We did not take the 
