The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1913-10-31


uplands. or hidden in the
wooded hollows Of British
East Africa, lives the rhino-
ceros, Stunned by all other
game, huge, morose and solitary.
Misunderstanding, perchance misun-
derstood, bold without. knowledge.
brave without discretion, one cannot
but feel, after some acquaintance with
the beast, that Nature has been hard
on him, that a little more considera-
ton, little more sympathy. and the
"rhino' would have no cause to la
ment diminishing population and In
adequate birth-rate. But Nature, %
her habit is, has not gone out Of her
way to be kind; she has made no use
of the material latent in the vast
body; Evolution at her dictation has
held his hand, and the "rhino'' remains
the stereotyped relic OF bygone age,
when still stranger creatures browsed
along the waters Of tropic Thames,
when the mighty SUBMITS OF Kiliman-
jaro and OF Kenia were not conceived,
of time when the sole condition to
survival was impermeability. And Inn
permeability he achieved In those long
past days, achieved it with an abso-
lutte success, achieved 1t SO that no
scheming tricks. no carefully thought
plan was necessary SO that he might
obtain food and water and the van
gushing Of his enemies; he was i'm
permeable to tooth and claw. He was
impermeable, and they Of the tooth
and claw knew It. He was absolutely
safe, and In that safety the brain stag
mated, and Evolution stood back and
waited while the "rhino" encompassed
his death warrant.
Like Black Ridge.
You see him afar OF, massive and
aggressive, storming through the grass
like a great battleship through the
ripple of summers sea; you watch
him fidgeting from side to side in
some chosen spot long since worn
saucer-like with the scraping feet, or
are suddenly aware Of his huge bulk
appraised. Ride across the plain, your
~safaxi," long black line Of porters,
the team Of oxen, notified patch on
the hillside far behind, and you may
see, a few hundred yards away, a
black ridge Of somewhat unfamiliar
aspect. or, more probably, be aroused
from the semi-somnolence born Of
monotony by cries Of "Faro!" from
your men. That rather long black
ridge, like and yet not quite like an
ant-hill, surmounted by row Of birds
that is your "rhino." There he lies,
sleeping through the long hot hours,
q solitary beast In the open plain of
dry golden grass. Unknown to your
self, you have crossed the wind OF the
sleeper. and the family caught smell,
and pregnant with alarm,
brings him to his feet to stand alert,
each move Of the massive body and
appraised head eloquent Of disgust and
resentment. He has you; 500 odd
yards away. yet he has you. The I'M
wield1y parallelogram Of flesh, which
gave you your chance for comfort
able shot, zigzags In rapid spasmodic
runs to and fro. across the plain, ever
working up-wind, running now to this
hand, now to that, and. a. the scent
strengthens with every tack, nearing
you rapidly. looking less unwieldy.
more agile at each advance Now,
now he has you with vengeance.
Straight 1t you he comes, galloping
like 4 gigantic pig. and you sigh too
late Tor your comfortable shot 0r,
perchance, his sole asset, hts nose,
proves unequal to the task of locat-
ing tho seat Of the disturbanco, ana
forthwith anger surges within his vast
frame. You stand and watcA, not, It
must be confessed, II you are new to
to the manners Of the "rhino," With
out some tinge Of anxiety.
His chase unavaIltaa.
But this time there II % b no,
charge and no hasty flring q sh0t1 n.
the hope Of turning. Or q ktllng. the
enemy. He sees an ogtx1rh, and the
sight Of the bird serves = ! vent tor
his i1-considered spleen. on he goes
Ia chase. full tilt, for haH mile 81
more, the biped complaoeufly trotting|
81 before team It Be that a ostrich
has 4 sense o. humorf y. merely glanc-
Ing o~sr his wing nov and again. care
ru1ly keepeng dtstanca Soon Il dawus
q him Tat tho thing n front ~ dim
y eess hns Aok thaf fa1ntly-canxIkt hot
- saall: this M ehass srowo veaal