Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-03
SHOOTING A RHINoCERos.
Two OF Them Charged n Hunter In an
African Forest,

Mr.. II. W. Seton-Karr in the July Gem
fury describes his experiences After Big
Game In Africa and India" Shortly after
bagsing his first elephant. the author start
ed after the two-horned rhinoceros He
gives the following account OF his expert
once:
As came round bush / saw at the bot
tom of a kind of natural alley in the forest.
framed in like a picture by the trees, a
massive old female rhinoceros. She was
facing me, and standing half in sunshine.
half In shadow. From a bush protruded
the hind quarters of another. Signing TO
the Somalis to keep back, / instantly sat
down and drew a bead" upon her chest.
The distance was about seventy 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 1 ever took careful aim it was at that
moment, and under cover of the smoke L
shifted my position as the rhinoceros came
charging down upon US, giving three or
four sharp whifs like jets of steam. evil
IDENTIFY with the intention of clearing tho
eremy away from the rear before making
her escape toward the front against tho
wind. Having, she supposed, effected
this maneuver-a very usual one on the
part of the rhinoceros-she swerVed of,
and the two broke away across the forest,
crash after crash. dying away in the dis
IL
coded. on perceiving the rhinoceros go OF
apparently uninjured, my Somalis gave full
vent to their disappointment, making
travagant gesture. and using what sound
ed like bad language, yet still in half-whis-
pers, as they knew instinctiVely that the
animals might not have gone far, after all,
especially If the one l had fired at had
really received a mortal wound.
The tracks we followed were deep
holes and burrows imprinted by the AMI
mails at full speed. We had not gone far
before / again saw the larger of the two
rhinoceroses standing broadside on, and
quite motionless, under a bush which con-
ccaled the head. Giving my three Somals
to understand that they must remain quiet,
/ aimed once more at the animals Shout
der, taking care that no twig branch
was in the line of fire, knowing how easily
a bullet may become DETECTED. My shot
followed by a couple of short, angry
snorts, the stamp of heavy feet and an
appalling crashing, which advanced and
then swept round toward the left. Another
cautious advance on our part. and not far
off L saw, near the center of an open
space. the smaller of the two rhinocercses,
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 disproportionate to the size and bulk
of so large creature. but which | instant
ly recognized, from Sir Samuel Bakers de-
scripton, the death cry of the rhi-
noceros; and the hearing of II filled me
with hunters JOY. While 7 was reloading
The Somalis had crept forward with their
spears. relying upon their agility i'm
evading any charge delivered by the larger
one which / knew must surely Toe some
where near at hand. After peering over a
low bush they executed a war dance upon
the ground beyond, for there were the two
rhnoceroses lying stone dead almost side
by side My Somalis gave way to shouts
and exuberant mirth: they were trans
formed from scoWling fiends, soured by the
white mans folly, into radiant brown
angels, and | allowed them to stroke my
face and pat me on the back without a
reprimand.