The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-11-11
THE STUPID RHlNOCEROS.
Relies Principally on His Wonderful
Sense Of Smell


He is a stupid beast-this rhino-ar-
parently not using his sight 10 any
great extent. but relying on a wonder
full sense OF smell and very disturb
ing ability to hear. once he strikes q
scent that IS irritating to his temper or
hears Il sound tEat disSatis1ies him he
takes an instant TO decide the direC-
ton. and then putting down his huge
ugly head so that his biz horn is ready
for business he charges at the top Of
his speed in "A perfectly straight line,
making a terrible rumpus over il. You
only have to jump a few feet TO one
side or the other. and he will go tear
ing by and keep on going until he is
tired. | let one go by because condi-
lions did not admit OF my stopping him
and then climbed little tree aud fol-
lowed him with a field glass as he tore
along in cloud of dust for over two
miles.
Another time one Of the men gave
grunt, spoke the one word "kifaru'
and pointed TO a black spot half mile
away which under the glass turned
out to be one of the strange, cumber-
some beasts we were looking for. He
showed a very good front horn, and
the boys both agreed that he was
reasonably good man"
1t was only a few moments when we
could hear the rhino moving toward us
dead to windward and smiling about
in his own peculiar and rather appall-
ing fashion. Suddenly he came direct
~ into the burned patch perhaps
hundred yards away. The first thing
that / noticed now was there were six
or seven brown birds perched in row
on his back. These signal birds-some-
times white sometimes brown-sit on
their big companions spine and relieve
him # Superfuous ticks. So long as
they sit there he knows that there is
no danger and eats on in peace and
quiet. The instant they fly off. as they
do on the slightest warning, up comes
his big snout, and he lets out sue
cessiOn of shifts or whistles. caused by
his attempt to scent the direction OF
the danger, for danger there Is. he
knows.
On came the beast in a zgzag line
until he was not over fifty yards away.
Then the birds caught sight of me and
flew off. Up came the big head. and
the fun began. All was ready except
that he was too directly head on for
me to get in a shot below the ear,
which was what I wanted.
Then he turned into the long grass,
and we lost sight of him. I moved in
to the long grass also, taking care to
keep always to leeward. In a mo-
ment we could see the top Of his back
about twenty yards off. and covered
the place where his head ought to be
with the rife. Then l got what seem
ed to be the best sight | might have,
especially as twenty yards was about
as close AS personal comfort and ease
Of mind allowed. and fred.
He was the first very large animal
had killed. and my first sensation
was one Of blank establishment that
one bullet could put him out of bust
ness SO suddenly and so completely.
AS a matter of fact he simply sank
down in the grass and was dead be
fore he was fairly stretched on the
ground
The two natives ran at him at once,
being careful to approach him from
behind, and. grabbing his tail. climbed
up on his back. dancing a cancan and
yelling and screaming like madmen.
and then we went back and got ten
porters to come and cut him up. The
skull is so big and heavy that it is
not feasible to carry away the whole
head, and we therefore cut away the
horns. taking care to get the skin in
tact.-Appleton's.