The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-04-23

directly west Of Quilimane, on the east
coast, and went Ous one afternoon on foot
% locate spot for & rhinOceros pit. Nv
TWO white men had gone another way. and.
IS atterWard trauspirsd. none of tie natives
TOOK particular notice of tue way l went. l
Followed broad path through the open
forest, alongside a jungle and across a
marsh, aud, the day being cold and fine, /
stepped off briskly, and had gone at least
three miles from camp before 1 began to
LOOK about me for location. All pits for
large animals are dug in narrow paths, and
generally where the same winds between
trees or crosses thick Jungle. soon came
TO a bit OF jungle about eighty rods across,
and half way down the path / broke of
some branches as a sign TO the men who
would come to dig. / was returning when
big black rhinoceros stepped into the path
just where it left the woods He was
headed for me and no doubt saw me at
once, as he uttered a snort and charged
lad forty rods to go to reach the open
woods, and about forty the start of the
beast. knew MS speed, and l dropped my
rifle as started. ran as only a man can
when his life is at stake, but / was not over
SIX feet ahead Of him when | reached the
end OF the jungle, and turned sharply to the
right. The rhIno was under full head of
steam, aud he could not pull up until he had
gone 100 feet ahead of me. l used the short
time allotted TO me to climb tree, ard
had only got seated on a branch about twelve
feet above the earth when he was beneath
me. lie had turned quick enough to see me
go up. 1t was lucky for me 1 got into the
tree as did. The soil over it's roots was full
OF rocks, and the trunk of the tree was
eighteen inches thick. He first tried to push
1t down, and it was wonderful to
OBSERVE HIS sAGACITY.
Resting his head against the trunk, he
swayed his heavy body forward and back,
and such was the momentum given the tree
that several dead branches above me were
broken off aud hurled to the ground. A
smaller tree, or one growing in the light
soil, would have been uprooted in three
minutes
When the beast found his efforts as
pusher useless he made a circle of the tree
aud dug up the soil with his horn At one
spot he encountered root larger than a
mans arm, and this he uncovered dis
lance of ten feet aud then broke it off.
The sterile soil kept him at bay in all other
places, however, and he finally backed off
and remained quietly watching me-
rather enjoyed the adventure for the first
hour, but when / suddenly noticed that the
sun was getting low began to feel uneasy.
| remembered how quietly had left camp
and the distance | was from it, and it
dawned upon me that was in a bad fix.
l broke off branches and hurled them at
the rhino, but he stamped his feet and main
tanned his position. l made believe to drop
on the ground, and in his eagerness to get at
me he reared up on his end. When
remained quiet he stood stock STILL and
finally made up my mind that | was
doomed to a night in the forest. l had my
hunting knife, but no other weapon. lieut.
some branches to make my seat more com
Portable, peeled a stout rope of bark to tie
myself fast, and darkness came before was
fairly ready.
Of all the nights l ever put in on the
African continent that was the worst and
the longest. Darkness brought myriads of
insects to bite aud sting me; lions roared in
dozen directions; the chatter of jackals
was continuous, and distinctly felt a SER
pent creeping along the limbs over my
head. During the long night three or four
| lions passed close to the tree and saluted my
guard with hoarse growls, and shortly be-
fore daybreak an animal, which l believed
to be cougar or a panther, would have
climbed up after me from the ground had
not the rhino chased him away. / was the
happiest man in Africa when daylight came
at last.
The ugly beast stood just below me, lift
| ing his head now and then to see that had
not vanished. l was in a desperate mood
and ready to take any chance, and in about
ten minutes | gave him a great surprise.
Cutting the rope which held me, and TAX
ing my knife in my teeth, dropped plump
on the old fellows broad back, rolled off
astern, and before he could comprehend
what was going on l grabbed him by the
tail aud woke him up with the point of the
knife. He bolted at once. and he must
have been pretty thoroughly scared to go
at the DacS he did.