Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1897-09-08
SHOOTING A RHlNOcERos.
Two of Them Charged n Hunter In an
African Forest.

/
African Forest.
| Mr.. FL. w. Seton-Karr, in The
Century describes his experiences in
After Big Game In Africa and In
dia. Shortly after bagging his
first elephant the author started aft
or the two horned rhinoceros. He
gives the following account of his
experience:
AS I came round bush saw at
the bottom of kind of natural al
ley in the forest, framed in like a
picture by the trees, massive old
| female rhinoceros. She was facing
me and standing half in sunshine,
half in shadow. From bush pro-
truded the hind quarters of another.
Signing to the Somalis to keep back,
I instantly sat down and "dreW
bead" upon her chest. The distance
was about 70 yards, and, although
the wind was adverse to her and we
had made no noise, she must have
seen us like moving shadows among
the trees and was evidently full of
suspicion and distrust.
If I ever took careful aim, it was
at that moment, and under cover of
the smoke I shifted my position as
the rhinoceros came charging down
upon us, giving three or four sharp
whiffs like jets of steam, evidently
with the intention of clearing the
enemy away from the rear before
making her escape toward the front
against the wind. Having, as she
supposed, effected this maneuver-
a very usual one on the part of the
rhinoceros-she swerved off, and
the two broke away across the for
est, crash after crash dying away
in the distance, marking their course
as they receded. On perceiving the
rhinoceros go off apparently unin-
jured, my Somalis gave full vent to
their disappointment, making ex-
travagant gestures and using what
sounded like bad language, yet still
in half whispers, as they knew in
stinctively that the animals might
not have gone far, after all, espe-
cially if the one l had fired at had
really received a mortal wound.
The tracks we now followed we're
deep holes and burrows imprinted
by the animals at full speed. We
had not gone far before [ again saw
the larger of the two rhinoceroses
standing broadside on and quite mo-
tionless under bush which con-
cealed the head. Giving my three
Somalis to understand that they
must remain quiet, | aimed once
more at the animals shoulder, TAX
ing care that no twig or branch was
in the line of fire, knowing how cas-
lily bullet may become detected.
My shot was followed by a couple
of short, angry snorts, the stamp OF
heavy feet and an appalling crash
ing, which advanced and then swept
round toward the left Another
cautious advance on our part, and
not far off I saw, near the center of
an open space, the smaller of the
two rhinoceroses, but not the larger
one.
A shot delivered standing, from
the shoulder, was followed by two
shrill squeaks as the animal tottered
a few PAGES and fell over on its side
"a sound most dispropQrtionate to
the size and bulk of SO large a crea-
ture, but which instantly recogniz-
ed, from Sir Samuel Bakers de-
scription, as the death cry of the
rhinoceros, and the hearing Of it
filled me with a hunter S joy. While
/ was reloading the Somalis had
crept forward with their spears, re-
lying upon their own agility in
evading any charge delivered by
the larger one, which | knew must
surely be somewhere near at hand.
After peering over low bush they
executed a war dance upon the
ground beyond, for there were the
two rhinoceroses lying stone dead
almost side by side. My Somalis
gave way to shouts and exuberent |
mirth. They were transformed
from scowling fiends, soured by the
white mans folly, into radiant
brown angels, and l allowed them
to stroke my face and pat me on the
haoly wit bo11t q roYT,inoop5