The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-04

heard us, and were stIn quite unconscious
OF danger. Taking one of my heavy. clumsy
old four-bore muzzle-loading elephant guns
the only weapons l then possessed-I at
once commenced to creep slowly towards
them through the grass which was not
very long. 1 had approached to within
twenty yards or so OF the sleeping ami
mails and had just raised myself to a sit
ting position for shot from behind a
small bush, when one of them, which I
saw from the thickness of its horns was
the bull, stood UP, and commenced to walk
slowly towards my very inadequate shell
ter I DO not think that 1t had any sus-
picion OF my presence, but ii was soon
within ten yards of the little bush behind
which 1 sat. and as IL was still walking
slowly towards me it was necessary TO do
something. AS its head was held in such
position that it covered its whole chest,
/ resolved 10 try and fire so as just TO miss
its horns. and strike it in front of the head
above the eyes. Even if L did not succeed
in doing this, but hit one Of its horns in
stead, which was very likely considering
the clumsy weapon l was using. 1 thought
would be sure to discompose my opponent
sufficiently to give me time TO run back
TO the Kafirs and get my second gun be-
fore it thought Of charging.
When 1 fired the rhinoceros's legs seemed
to give way under IT; it just sank to the
ground, and then, rolling on to it's side, lay
quite STILL and as 1 thought, dead. ''Tutu,"
shouted the Kaffirs from behind me. mean
ing fits done for and all of them came
running up, the cow having jumped and
made off Immediately I fired at her COM
panion. We now all walked together to
where the fallen animal lay apparently
quite dead. My four ounce round bullet
had made large hole in the front of its
head. into which I and several of the KAT
frs pushed our fingers as far as they would
go. We then went TO the nearest tree
some sixty or seventy yards away, and
after resting my two elephant guns-the
one still acknowledgements its stem, and
placing all our scanty baggage on the
ground in it's shade. returned to cut up
what we believed TO be the carcass of
dead animal. One of my Kaffirs, by name
Sega, a big strong Makalaka, at once
plunged his assegai into the body of the
PROSTATE rhinoceros, and commenced to cut
through the thick skin, pulling the blade
of the assegai towards him with saving
motion. This incison should have extended
from near the top of the back behind the
shoulder blade TO the bottom Of the chest.
and would have been the first step in peel
ing the whole hide from the upper surface
of the body, preparatory to disemboweling
the carcass and cutting up the meat: but
a half feet long in its side, the limbs of the
rhinoceros began to move spasmodically,
and it suddenly raised It's head and brought
IT down again with a thud on the ground.
From that moment it commenced to strug
gle frantically, and was evidently fast re-
gaining consciousness 1 shouted to Sega
to try and stab it in the heart before it got
on its legs, but as he only made a very
feeble attempt TO do so, ran up, and
snatching the assegai from him, endeavored
to stab the struggling animal to death
myself. But 1t was now fast regaining
strength. and with every effort to rise it
threw up its head, and brought 1t down on
the ground again with a thump.
1 managed TO plunge the heavy assegai
through the cut in its skin and deep into
its side, but with a sudden spasmodic
movement Ii broke the shaft in two, leav-
ing a short piece attached to the blade
sticking in its body. In another moment
1T was standing on it's legs. but kept reel
ing about like drunken man. I now ran
TO the tree where the guns had been left,
and taking the loaded one, aimed a shot
at the still staggering rhinoceros, but as
not infrequently happened in the old muz-
Zle-loadiug days, 1t missed fire. / quickly
put fresh cap. but as that missed fire
too, concluded that the nipple had got
stopped up in some way, and so took up
the gun with which I had originally
wounded the rhinoceros and commenced to
reload it in frantic haste. Just as L got
the bullet rammed down, no =, and be-
fore could put the cap on - nipple, the
rhinoceros, which all this time had been
making a series of short runs. first in one
direction and then in another, but had
always been quite close to Us, started off
in a straight line, and put on more pace at
every step, and although hard
as we could, We never overlook 1t, and l
did not fire at it again. My bullet no
doubt passed above the animals brain pan.
and must have lodged in the muscles of its
neck, only stunning it temporarily: but it
really seemed to be absolutely dead for
so long time after falling to the ground,
that its recovery and eventual escape,
after receiving a four-ounce bullet through
the upper part Of the head, and having
a cash cut in its side at ieSst two feet
long, not to mention deep stab in the
region OF the heart, is, think, one of the
queerest incidents 1 have ever witnessed
during a long experience of African hunt
ing.
Next week: I'm Hole in China" by John
Foster FraSer.l
copyright in the United States of America
by u. T. Pierce. All rights reserved
The CIeverness OF Ruffed Grouse.
H. s. Garfield, in Outing.