Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-03-04

rings out, but if the shot be not in the
neck, and fatal, his horse will be dis
emboweled and himself fall prey to
the fury of the monster.
He who would hunt the rhinoceros
must be brave indeed, for he has in that
ill looking beast foe that knows no
fear, not because of it's innate courage,
but because it has not brains enough
to run out of danger. Could granite
bowlder be suddenly infused with life,
and of it's own free will go whirling
through the country, smashing every
thing in it's path, it would in many re-
spects resemble the headlong charge
of an angered rhinoceros. Fatally
wounded it will not fall; shower of
bullets will not deter it, and only death
itself will put an end to the maddened
impetuosity of it's frenzied charge. 1t
will sometimes attack an enemy with
out waiting to be attacked; neither is
the presence of an enemy always necs-
sary, for it will rush in wanton fury on
logs, trees, and other senseless things,
when once it is fairly aroused. Like
mad bull, it becomes perfectly frantic
at the sight of any unusual object. A
red blanket will enrage it terribly, as
one intrepid hunter discovered to his
cost. In this instance the blanket,
which was part of the camp equipage,
was discovered by wandering rhi-
noceros, who at once savagely charged
upon this bright object, piercing it
through with his great horn. The
Rmiability of the creature was not in
creased when he realized that after driv-
ing his horn through the blanket he
could not shake the latter off. He had
suddenly acquired an unlooked-for
headdress, which not only prevented
him from seeing, but greatly interfered
with the movement of his forelegs. Off
he started, however, as best he could,
blanket and all. Never in all this wide
world was there a more homogeneous OBJ
ject than this maddened brute, rushing
blindly through the forest, hither and
thither, waving aloft the fiery token of
his rage. The beasts of the field fled
before him in wild dismay; even the
birds of the air were panic-stricken at
the sight of so unusual performance
in their native woods. There is no tell
ing when he would have stopped had
not well-directed shot severed an ar
terry, so that his life-blood gradually
ebbed away, putting an end to about as
ludicrous situation as one could well
imagine.
Hardly less absurd was the Kaffir ma
tive, who, while . member of our hunt
ing party, became so excited over the
chase that he seized an opportunity to
jump upon the back of the fleeing rhi-
noceros. 1t is needless to say that the
native went through so many weird
experiences in such a very short time
that, though he came out alive, he was
thoroughly discouraged from trying
any more such experiments.
OF course, the great creature became
fairly terrofized at so unaccustomed
burden, and started off at terrific pace
for the brush. Every moment the rider
was borne farther and farther from all
hope of relief. To have tumbled off
would have meant instant death, for the
rhinoceros would not have missed such
an opportunity to have charged upon
him. To stay on was not only difficult
but was fast growing impossible.
o On galloped the brute, bucking and
smashing into everything in it's wild en-
deavor to free itself; but through all
the native held on as though, like Ma
zeppa, he was bound to his steed. The
limit of human endurance, however, was
fast being reached, and the savage, from
sheer exhaustion, could not hope to
stay on much longer. There was just
one chance to escape, and only one, and
that was for the native to throw his
blanket ahead of the rhinoceros, in
hopes that the animal would mistake it
for himself. The opportunity came;
they were whirling rapidly toward
clump of bushes, when the native, with
a mighty effort, flung his blanket far
onto the lower branches. The ruse was
a success. The rhinoceros thought he
had his tormentor sure, for with all the
fury he could muster he rushed rnadiy
upon the blanket and tore it into shreds.
Meanwhile the native had rimbly
slipped off the animals back and beat
a more THAI hasty retreat to friends
and home.