Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-30
CONTINUED FROM PAGE -FOUR


tending to get under the cover OF the jungle
and either try to climb tree SO as W Ioih.
mand downward shot as they swan aions
Shore OF at any rate reach more iaVo'fu'e
position little way up stream, wnere .he
bank rose about ten feet above the "a1er;
Scarcely had | retreated dozen yaius'
however, when a tremendous spiashhe tlose
to the bank announced that the hippopo'"nii
had reached shoal water.
If | hafsSnown that the water here was
shallow, 1 could have picked my shots; put
it glided silently and smoothly by, with not
a ripple to indicate that it was not more than
three or four feet in depth.
The position in which / was caught was
very unfortunate one, as the reeds here were
thin and the ground soggy. Turning at the
sounds | have mentioned, | was just IN time
to meet the bull hippopotamus face to face
as he plodded toward me.
In an instant he saw me, and, with pro-
found blast from his nostrils, the great crea-
ture made one or two forward steps. lie
then seemed to think better of it, and turned
about, receiving as he did so two-ounce ball
low down behind the shoulder. He stumbled
among the reeds, loking like gigantic pig
about to lie down in its straw. But with
great effort he regained his legs and at the
same moment ] gave him the second barrel
about four inches below the ear and little
behind.
The second hippopotamus had not landed,
but could hear the blast of alarm, as well
as those of the others which | mentioned as
standing on the sand-bar as they blew water
from their nostrils after plunging to the bot
tom and again coming to the surface.
On receiving my second ball, the hippopot-
anus had fallen heavily forward and lay
half submerged in the mud by the edge OF
the, river. The large charges of powder made
a thick smoke, which for moment prevented
me from seeing the result of my last shot;
but, on running forward, l almost stumbled
over the carcass as it lay among the mud
and reeds.
Looking up the river, I could see the heads
OF several hippopotami; but they had evil
IDENTIFY taken the alarm, and kept at a respect
full distance. Not so the crocodiles, however.
The blood from the dead hippopotamus was
flowing into the water, and already from be-
low | observed two large reptiles making up
stream like hounds on a scent. / have no
they would very soon have made their own of
the hippopotamus; but this was just what 1
did not want.
Waiting till they were abreast of my po-
sition, | gave one of them a ball, intended
for M the eye, but, which hit little below.
Ihe gigantic reptile gave one plunge of agony,
putting his forearms the surface, and
then, with flap of his tail that might have
been heard several hundred yards away, he
slowly drifted off, sinking as he went The
second crocodile dived and vanished like
magic.
was about to go to the camp to summon
my kattirs to cut up the hippopotamus and
extract his teeth, when, just as I reached the
firm land outside the fringe of reeds, heard
vicious snort, and at the same instant had
glimpse of large animal as it rushed upon
me through the dense thorns.
Almost as soon as my eve fell upon it I
recognized my assailant as the smaller of the
two species Of black rhinoceros- keitloa,
a brute that has few EQUALS in blind, obstinate
ferocitv, which i combines with considerable
activity and much cunning.
/ had only one barrel loaded Taking a
quick shot, which, both from the position of
the animal and from the many hard, wiry
twigs that intervened between it and me, I
scarcelv expected to prove sufficient even to
turn the rhinoceros in his charge, I pulled
he trigger.
I was not deceived. for in a moment I felt
myself lifted from the ground and hurled vio-
lently through the air, and there my recol-
lection of what took place terminates.
must have remained for a considerable
time unconscious. 1t was, as far as I could
recall, about noon when I encountered the
rhinoceros, and when gasped, shivered and
awoke to a realization of what had taken
place the shadows in the jungle were already
falling eastward