THE N°- 4-BORE GUN 
151 
old friend whom you have found, and come home with him. 5 
And now he said his heart was sore to get back to Natal. 
All this told by the fireside at night affected me strangely, 
and if Paul was overjoyed to meet me, my delight was not less 
to have one about me who from his breed was innately an 
honest man besides being an old friend. Paul and I shook 
hands on the spot like men between whom words are insuffi¬ 
cient to explain all that is uppermost in their minds. 
Of course Paul got the gun, and Franz and I went with him 
and the boys to witness the fun. We tracked a cow and calf 
rhinoceros from the river about two miles inland, and, after 
quartering about in search of her near the feeding-place, dis¬ 
covered her standing in a thicket fast asleep, with the calf lying 
in a heap at her heels. All was conducted in the utmost silence 
and Paul instructed to crawl up to get a broadside shot. The 
boys all showed their respect for the beast by immediately 
retiring while we were making our arrangements. Franz took 
up a station fifteen yards away on the right and I on the left, 
while Paul, who was already seated in position, waited for the 
signal that we were ready and then levelled the big gun, foolishly 
or in his excitement holding the weapon somewhat loosely. A 
4-bore is not a toy to be trifled with when properly loaded, 
and so he found to his cost, for as he fired, the gun recoiled, 
knocking him fairly over on to his back, jerking itself clean out 
of his grasp and falling some yards behind him. Whether he hit 
the rhinoceros or not never transpired, for with a scream doing 
justice to her enraged maternity, the cow charged straight at 
the smoke of the shot. But Paul, half dazed with the shock he 
had received, still had the presence of mind to crawl rapidly 
behind a scrubby little bush, and hide before the brute was on 
him. As it was, he only escaped by a few feet, for the enraged 
rhinoceros nearly trod on him in her furious passage. Waiting till 
she was clear of Paul, both Franz and I each gave her a Martini- 
Henry bullet half sideways from behind as she passed, at which 
she tossed her nose in the air and half halted for a moment as if 
she would turn. But the calf rushing past at this moment, 
