Year: 1879

in inst about sunrise one morning as we
were sitting over our breakfast at the
door of the house-one of those regular
old Dutch-built farm-hOuseS, that one
hardly ever sees nowadays, except in
South Africa. But what he meant by it
was, Boss, boss the trail of a big rhi-
noceros rascal"


"Where?" cried M, jumping up; !;
for he was keen sportsman, and new
er lost an opportunity of "potting"
something.


"Out by Hollow Spring, baas-spoor
good" .,


"There's chance for you, my boy,"
said NJ, turning to me. Now
you'll be able to see how these elephant
Guns of mine do their work; | think
You'll find them the right sort"


"Let me try the job by myself cried
l, eagerly; for, like all "graenhorns,"
/ was frantic to do some unheard-of
feat, and win my laurels at once. "l'ge
never shot rhinoceros yet, you know"


Cant, really, my dear boy" said
NJ, in the most exasperatingly in
dulgent tone; "when you're a little
better used to the African bush, you can
do what you like; but if | were to let
YOU 90 alone now, the least | could ex
pect would be a lifelong remorse for
having connived at a suicide. No, we'll
make party of three to visit our friend,
and he'll hardly give the slip to us all, l
fancy"


Accordingly, we started out that very
night, Swart, the buSh-boy, making the
third of our party; but suppose the
rhinoceros was too modest to face so
many visitors at once, for although we
kept watch till sunrise, there was no
sign of him. The next night it was just
the same; and at last l got so mad at
losing my chance-the first | had ever
had with the big game-that in spite of
what M had said, | made up my
mind to try my luck single-handed.


should have told you that the Hol-
low Spring frequented by my four-foot-
ed friend, lay about eight miles from the
house, in a deep gully, one side of which
went up into steep hog-backed ridge,
topped by a big knuckle of rock that
overlooked the spring at a range Of 30
yards-as pretty a "stand" as any
sportsman could wish. So, when night
came, stole out of the house with one
ofM-'s vaunted "elephant-guns'-
piece carrying fve-ounce "explos-
i've ball. Steel-tipped, and holding
enough Illuminating powder TO blow out
the spine of a megatherium. To guard
against the recoil of such a charge, the
stock was fitted with thick pad; so,
with gun and ammunition together, [
had quite enough to carry for an eight
mile tramp through the bush.


| dare say there are ugly thickets in
South America and Central ASIA but
Africa beats them both. Imagine for
est of fsh-hooks, relieved by an occa-
sional patch of penknives, and you have
it exactly. There's one horrid spiky
thing, called by the Dutch "Wache-
en- bette" which the English have COR
rupted into wait-a-bit,n and it does
make you wait bit, if it once gets hold
of you. I've known fellow be laid up
for fortnight with a cash from one.
So you may think that with masses of
this nice stuff all around me, l had to
pick my way gingerly enough.


When l got to the place, 10! and be-
hold, the pad of my gun had fallen off!
To 90 back and look for it would have
been like hunting for a needle in a hay
stack; so l filled my handkerchief with
wild grass, and tucked it in under the
shoulder of my jacket as a substitute,
and then l took my post behind the
rock and waited.


The full moon was just rising over
the trees Ca glorious sight, | can tell
you), when | heard distant tramp
ling, like the tread of an elephant, only
quicker; for full-grown rhinoceros,
clumsy as he looks, can be active enough
at times, as you'd soon find if you stood
charge from him when his temper's
up. So had not long to wait before
there came thick snort, and the great
brown barrel of a body loomed out in
the streak of moonlight, just over the
spring. hardly stopped to take aim,
before l pulled trigger.


The next few seconds were blank;
and then | awoke to the consciousness
that my shoulder was aching as if it
were broken, and that something was
grunting savagely few yards off; and
then saw the huge snout and great
white tusks coming right at me L
don't think any acrobat could have been
quicker than l was in clutching d pro-
jecting bough, and swinging up into the
tree overhead; and I'd hardly got there
when the brute came bang against the
trunk, almost shaking me off again.
For minute or two, my heart was IN
my mouth, for he thumped against the
tree till l really thought he would have
it down; and when he found he couldn't,
he stamped the earth in fury, and tore
it up with his horn in a horribly sug-
peStive Wav that made nv flesh creep.