Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1857-05-09
An Adventure with Rhinocerosses

IN Southwestern Africa" recently published
by Dix Edwards &c Co., Of New YORK. tjus
re!ates one Of bis narrow escapes -
"While pondering over my late wordeffal
escape from an elephant, observed, at o
little distance, huge rhinoceros protrude
his ponderous and misshspen head through
the bushes, and presently afterward no sp-
preached to within dozen PAGES of my am-
buscade. His broadside was then fully ex-
posed to view, and notwithstanding / still
felt little nervous from my conflict with The
elephant lost no time in firing. The beast
did not at once fall to the ground, but from
appearance had every reason to believe he
would not live long.
Scarcely had / reloaded when black
rhinoceros, of the species Ketloa, IA female,
as it proved,l stood drinking at the water !;
but her position, as with the elephant in the
first instance was unfavorable for good shot.
As, however, she was very near me,
thought ] was pretty sure OF breaking her
leg, and thereby disabling her; and in this
| succeeded. My fire seemed TO madden
her; she rushed wildly forward on three legs,
when gave her a second shot though ap-
parently with little or no effect. ] felt sorry
at not being able to end her suflerings at
once but as ] was too well acquainted with
the habits Of tho rhinoceros to venture on
pursuing her under the circumstances de.
termined to wait patiently for daylight, and
then destroy her with the aid of my dogs
But it was not to be.
"As no more elephants or other large
game appeared, thought after q lime Il
might be as well to go in search Of the white
rhinoceros previously wounded and ! was
not leng in finding his carcass for my ball,
as l supposed, had caused his most irppedi-
ate death.
ain heading back to my skarm,' acciden.
tally took turn in the direction pursued by
the black rhinoceros, and by il-luck, as the
event proved, at once encountered her. She
was still on her legs, but her position, as be-
fore. was unfavorable. Hoping, however, to
make her change it for better, and thus en-
able me to destroy her at once. l took up
stone and hurled it at her with all my force !;
when suorting horribly, erecting her tail,
keeping her head close to the ground, and
raising clouds of dust by her feet, she rushed
at me with fearful fury. ] had only jus, time
to level my rife and fire before she was upon
me; and the next instant, while instnctively
turning round for the purpose Of retreating,
she laid me PROSTATE. The shock was so
violent as to send my rife, powder-fask. and
ball pouch, as also my cap, spinning into the
:
tained to distance of fully ten feet. On
the beast charging me, it crossed my mind
that, unless gored at once by her horn, her
speed would be such (aIter knocking me
down, which took for granted would be the
case,) as to carry her beyond me, and thus
might be afforded a chance of escape. So,
over (iu doing which hee head and the fore
part Of her body, owing to the violence Of
the charge, was half buried in the sand,) and
tramped on me with great violence, her
fore-quarter passed over my body. Strug-
Cling for life ! seized my opportunity. and
as she was recovering herself for a renewal
of the charge, l scrambled out from between
her hind legs.
"But the enraged beast had not yet done
with Scarcely had regained my feet before
she struck me down a second time. and with
her horn ripped up my right thigh (though
not very deeply,) from near the knee TO the
hip; with her fore feet moreover, she hit me
a terrific blow upon the left shoulder, near
the back of the neck. My ribs bent under
the enormous weight and pressure, and for o
moment ! must, as l believe, have lost all
consciousness-I have, at least, very indis-
tinct notions of what took place afterwards.
All remember, is, that when | raised my
among the neiehboring bushes.
81 now arose, though with great difficulty,
and made my way in the best manner l was
able. toward a large tree near at hand, for
shelter but this precaution was needless
the beast, for the time at least, showed no
inclination further to molest me. Either in
the melee, or owing to the confusion caused
by her wounds, she had lost sight of me, or
she felt satisfied with the revenge she had
taken. BE that as it may, / escaped with
my life, though sadly wounded and severely
bruised, in which disabled state | had great
difficulty in getting back to my "skarm."
During the greater part of the conflict
preserved my presence of mind but after
the danger was over, and when | had leisure
to collect my scattered and confused senses
! was seized with nervous affection, causing
| violent trembling. ! have since killed
many rhinoceroses, as well for sport as food
| but several weeks elapsed before l coulC
attack those animals with any GOODNESS.
about sunrise, Kamapyn, my halfcast'
| boy, whom had left on the proceeding eve
ming. about half a mile away, came to tn,
'skarm' to convey my guns and other thing
| to our encampment. In a few words / rela
ted to him the mishap that had befallen me
| He listened with seeming ineredulity bu
the sight of my gashed thigh soon convince'
| him | was not in joke.
q. afterward directed him to take one Q
\ the guns and proceed in search OF the wound
cd rhinocerous cautioning him to be careiu
in approaching the beast, which had reaso
to believe was not yet dead. He had onl
been absent a few minutes, when / heard
cry of distress. Striking my hand agans
my forehead, exclaimed, "Good God tn
brute has attacked the lad alsow
"Seizing hold of my rife, scramble
through the bushes as fast as my cripple
condition would permit and when had pre-
ceeded two or three hundred yards, seen
suddenly presented itself that | shall retail
a vivid remembrance Of to the last days {
my existence. Among some bushes, an
within couple of yards of each other stoo
the rbinoceros and the young savage th
former supporting herself on t5ree legs, coy
cred with blood and froth, and snorting j
the most furious manner, the latter, petrifie
with fear-spell-b l-bound, as it were-and rlvi
ed to the spot. Creeping, therefore, to th
side Of the rhineceros, opposite to that o
which the boy was standing so as to draw he
attention from him, i leveled and fired, o