The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1891-08-21
SHOOTING THE RHINocERoS.
How the Hero of Haggard's king Solo'
mon Mines Shot the Great Beast.

Taking my eight-bore rifle and
half dozen spare cartridges In my
pocket, l made detour, and reaching
the ant-heap in safety, lay down. For
a moment the wind had dropped, but
presently gentle puff of air passed
over me and blew on toward the rhi-
noceros. By-the-way, wonder what
it is that smells so strong about man?
Is it his body or his breath? | have
never been able to make out, but l saw
somewhere the other day that in the
duck decoys the man who is working
the ducks holds a little piece of burn
ing, turf before his mouth, and that II
he does this they cannot smell him,
which looks as though it were the
breath. Well, whatever it was about
me that attracted his attention. the
rhinoceros soon smelt me, and within
half minute after the puff of wind
had passed he was up turning around
to get his head up-wind. There he
stood for a few seconds and sniffied,
and then he began to move, first of all
at trot; then, as the scent grew
stronger, at furious gallop. On he
came, snorting like runaway engine,
with his tail stuck straight up in the
air; if he had seen me lie down there,
he could not have made a better line.
1t was rather nervous work, / can tell
YOU, lying there waiting for his on
slaught, for he looked like a mountain
of flesh. I determined, however, not
to fire till could plainly see his eye,
for think that rule always gives one
the right distance for his game. So |
rested my rifle on the ant-heap and
waited for him, kneeling. At last,
when he was about forty yards away,
I saw that the time had come, and
aiming straight for the middle of the
chest, l pulled.
Ihld went the heavy bullet, and
with a tremendous snort over rolled
the rhinoceros beneath it's shock, just
like a shot rabbit. But if had thought
that he was done for | was mistaken,
for in another second he was up and
coming at me as hard as ever, only
with his head held low. | waited till
he was within ten yards, in the hope
that he would expose his chest, but he
would do nothing of the sort. So
Just had to fire at his head with the
left barrel, and take my chance. Well,
as luck would have it, of course the
animal put his horn in the way of the
bullet, which cut clean throught it
about three inches above the root, and
then glanced off into space. After that
things got rather serious. My gun was
empty, and the rhinoceros was rapidly
arriving-so rapidly, indeed, that had
better make way from him. Accord
ingly / jumped to my feet and ran to
the right as hard as could go. AS l
did so he arrived full tilt, knocked my
friendly ant-heap flat, and for the sec
ond time that day went a most mag
nifcent cropper. This gave me few
seconds start, and ran down wind
my word, l did run! Unfortunately,
however, my modest retreat was OBJ
served, and the rhinoceros, as soon as
he got his legs again, set to work to
run after me. Now no man on earth
can run as fast as an irritated rhinoce-
ros can gallop, and l knew he must
soon catch me up. But having some
slight experience of this sort of thing,
l, luckily for myself, kept my head,
and as L fled l managed to open my
rifle, get the cid cartridges out, and
put two fresh ones in. To do this had
to steady my pace little, and by the
time that had snapped the rifle to L
heard him snorting and laundering
away within few PAGES of my back.
stopped, and as L did SO rapidly
cooked the rifle, and slowed around
upon my heel. By this time the brute
was within six OF seven yards OF me,
but luckily his head was up. lifted
the rifle and fired at him. 1t was a
snap shot, but the bullet struck him in
the chest within three inches OF the
first, and found its way into his lungs.
1t did not stop him, however; so all l
could do was to bound to one side,
which | did witt: surprising activity,
and as he brushed past me fire the
other barrel into his side. That did
for him. The ball passed in behind
the shoulder and right through his
heart. He fell over on his side, gave
one most awful squeal-a dozen pigs
could not have made such noise
and promptly died, keeping his wicked
eyes wide open all the time.
As for me, blew my nose, and go
ing up to the rhinoceros, sat on his
head, and reflected that had had a
capital mornings shooting.-H. Rider
Haggard, IN Harper's Magazine.