River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1909-06-24

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animal has buried more hunters than
all other big game combined. 1t
seems to be the hired assassin of the
jungle. It's success as a homicide is
not due to the fact that it seeks its
victim but because it's victim falls
over it. If the rhino knows that there
is an enemy about, it will try to get
away without being seen. If, on the
other hand, it thinks that by keeping
still it will be passed unnoticed, it
stays as silent and motionless as
Gibraltar, it's little hog eyes watching
the direction of the noise and it's nose
shifting the air. Should an enemy
show up suddenly in the jungle the
rhino charges like a flash, nose down
and horns leveled like swords for the
thrust, its huge bulk crushing through
the brush like an express train. 1t is
always a fight to the death, for a
rhinoceros once in a fight wins or
dies, and it mostly wins, if it is not
confronted with an express rifle in
the hands of a cool, good shot. 1t
was the express in the hands of a
cool shot that saved me in the en-
counter related here.
We had been out nearly a year and
were returning to civilization, such
as it is on the East African coast,
with q good stock of ivory. My part
ner, Jappie de Villiers, a well-known
Boer hunter, had fever and was ex-
pected to die at any moment. He
had been carried 800 miles from the
interior in a hammock. If de Villiers
had not been i'll I would not be alive
to-day
We were pitching camp at the
Kagera river on one of these mex
pIicable barren patches that are scat
tered like freckles over the face of
the tropical forests.
hung our rifles on the limbs of the
trees which supported my sick COM
rade's hammock. The porters were
collecting drywood for the night fires
as ! watched monster crocodile in
the water making a futile effort to
swallow friend nearly as big as it.
self A party of natives from a near
by village was skinning a beast we
had shot for food. In another group
my boys" were opening the bundles
of camping necessities. A loud grunt,
followed by a Somali's cry, came
from the jungle side of the camp, and
the next instant the screeching So
mali, followed by a huge rhinoceros,
burst through the underground. The
Somali ran for a tree. He tripped
over an ammunition box, the rhino
passed him in it's blind fury and
charged down on the clump of por-
ters, scattering them like chaff be-
fore the wind. One was crushed
down. Another who had stumbled
rose to rum the maddened beast
charged and thrust its horn through
his back, battered him against a tree,
and then hurled him in the air.
Close Call for a Brave Hunter.
l was reaching for my rifle when
the rhino caught sight of me. 1t was
too late. l turned and ran toward the
river. A dive would save me. I
thought of the crocodiles. l felt the
puff of the rhinos foul breath. My
heart sank. l had one chance to
jump aside and let the rhino pass. /
jumped. and the roaring animal wiped
its gore-stained cheek on me as
did. | doubled on my tracks, the
demoniac brute frothing in fury after
me. As passed under the hammock
where my comrade lay between life
and death, there was a vivid flash, a
deafening roar filled the world, and
fell. The rhinoceros rolled over,
squirting a stream of hot blood on
me from a wound in its neck. looked
up, dazed and breathless. I didn't
know whether l was dead or alive.
felt the huge, throbbing carcass be-
side me. The yellow fever-stained,
hollow-eyed face of De Villiers looked
over the hammock and asked, Are
you hurt?"
q think not" 1 answered. What
happened?"
I got no answer. De Villiers sank
back with a groan. 1 sprang to the
side of the hammock. 1 thought he
was dead His breast was covered