The sun., 1888-12-30
coon STORIES OF TEE pREsESr D<1.
! E.gsNe sn Hunt'ng the Riaet ghiroceres,
the Nest Dangerous Ani.si Known to
Man-we Catch Two OF the Fighters.

Gus animal known to man I should give the
black rhinoceros OF Africa the proud distinc-
tion. could co further and declare him q
moro dangerous foe than the lion, tiger. or any
OF the serpent family. As n shark IL always
hungry. SO is the black rhnoceros always mad.
He does Dot know what fear is. He would
charge into an army as soon as at n single hun
ter. He be defeated only by being killed.
While agent for the animal house Mt Ham
urG / captured. all told. seven specimens OF
the rhinoceros family, Of which 1--WE were
black. and they were got at such cost and
trouble that tho house refused for several
years to all any more orders for this species.
lion. tiger. zebra, giraffe. or elephant soon
gives In when made captive and secured on
shipboard. but the black rhinocoros never
gives up. He simply can't do 1t. Nature made
him defiant, and no remains In that condition
every day OF his life. One which captured for
the Paris gardens In 1857 was placed in an en-
closure tho roof OF which was supported at one
point by heavy stone column. The beast
charged this column as soon as turned into
the enclosure, and was knocked down and con-
siderably hurt: but for the next two years he
repeated his foolishness ut least once day.
knocking OF his horns and bruisinG himself
until he was finally sold to some show for a
mere song.
Wherever there is a wild rice swamp in South
Africa there you will 1nd the black rhinoceros.
They used to be very plenty along tho Orange
and Limpopo Rivors and their tributaries, and
there is no fear that their numbers have been
greatly thinned out By sportsmen since. Every
hunter wants to kill one as matter Of course
but he has no desire for fuss with o second.
On the occasion OF which 1 write ! went up
the Limpopo from Rustenburg. having q party
OF sixteen men, OF whom three besides myself
were white We had two house boats and O
barge, the latter fitted M ms a prison for the
rhinoceri we proposed to capture. The three
Dutch hunters engaged for the expedition
claimed to know all about the game we were
after. and had every appliance We could pos
sibly make use OF. I had seen the white rhi-
nooeros run down and lassoed by horseman.
and although some very tohRh stories have
been told Of the black species. did not take
much stock In them.
Three days to the north Of the Dutch town
named we hauled ashore and made our camp
on a bluff rising twenty feet above the stream.
This bluff was about forty rods long. and on
the land side 1t sloped of into a great swamp
or rice field. The rice stood up six or seven
feet high. while the ground was perfectly dry.
1t was q natural feeding ground for the
rhinoceros. and there were plenty Of signs that
he was at hand. We started to make one gen
eral camp about midway on the bluff. but one
OF the Free State natives in my train beckoned
III you do live you lose all. II rhinoceros
charge into camp he break everything here.
It was q good idea. and ordered three camps
instead OF one. 1 took tho centre with the
Dutchmen. and the natives encamped on each
tended to remain for some time things were
esed 9af The Tss Wss
m n M nf nj fOrfn
each camp By attaching them 'Io' to stakes s and ID
feet high. We laughed at him. but eyerts
proved that his head was level: It was about
90sa %hsn we sGded aHd at
natives came running up with the iuforma-
below my camp. quarter OF a mile away was
knoll rising out OF the rice swamp. This
s
standing on the knoll with his head toward us.
He had got our wind Il and perhaps heard the
siRhted. and this fellow could not have told at
s thss rd Yast was " font Of him He
grunt he lowered his head and charged up the
rising ground like u wild locomotive.
Lpok ont! Everybody climb tree!" shout
ed osh." and IN minute wc were among
the limbs.
It was a good move and yet poor one Had
danger. The old fellow held direct for my camp.
hnd 10 aa
crash. and was sprung back and rolled of his
a ful! minute, and had been on the ground 1
could have passed rope around one of his
ss sss pPd 9sss a h @ t. S vb @ hp
shsrse took him back toward the M swamp. M and and
the % rest Of q the day IN erecting de-
fences ABOUT our camps e and next day ! was
Indeed had two of them TSe nsSss soa
when they rs5prnsd they reported trails lead;
had been seen but not disturbed, and it was
evident that cd game would b on hand
with them and sels .tinE q spot where o wide
beaten trail ran In straight line for about
alty rods We % dug e. pt Pill u feet long feet wide
to prevent evs It the dirt eavine IN and then made
s,s red nag and covered
While the black rhinoceros has no fear and
will charge an elephant as soon as dog II once
not Excited EneW that Il Was van 70 hoee
one would charge the nag and thus fall into tke
ali The basls and sod thsm
them % strip himself Of ali supsffiaoas E CLOTH
made ready for the purpose. My offer OF n gun
to any one who would do this brought forward
six men. and I speedily made . selection. The
man removed every rag OF clothes. creased his
body with an ointment made OF earth and an
imal fat TO timber himself. and started on his
mission.
The four OF us white men took our guns and
made our way to the bare knoll. 1t seemed to
have been thrown up by the ants and aban-
doped. 1t was six or seven feet high. ten feet
across, i and twenty feet long. and was sloping
post Of observation. but We could sec nothing
anywhere in the big swamp TO show that u
was on the move.
We could follow the movements OF tho native
as ne roamed about. He knew. It being mid
day. that the big beast would be asleep. and Il
was then to tho east OF Us and a quarter OF a
mile away. and In a path which led directly
past our mound He carried nag in his hand.
and whom We saw this wave above the grass
We knew that the game had been sighted. A
moment later we knew 1t more certainly by the
shrill notes OF the so-called rhinoceros bird
which is invariably found in the company Of
tho beast. IL is asserted that this bird consti-
tutes himself the sentinel OF tho numbering
behemoth. and that its cries are uttered TO
warn him that danger Ia near.
Glands, and often with oxen and horses. He Is
simDy after insects. Files. Gnats. and mosqui-