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[Entered according to Act of Congress, in the
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AMES ELVERSON, }N.W, corner NINTID
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year 1888, by James ELverson, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D.
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No. 7.
- A RHINOCEROS HUNT.
BY CHARLES FREDERIC HOLDER.
“One of the most remarkable sights I ever
witnessed,”? said an old hunter, “was in
Africa some years ago. Iwas in the ivory
trade—that is, I was engaged in killing ele-
phants for their tusks, a perilous but very
profitable business.
“About fifty thousand of the huge beasts
are killed every year for this purpose, and
gradually they are becoming more and more
difficult to find. It often happens that when
this game is scarce, the rhinoceros is killed
for its hide and for various purposes, and to
my mind it is the most dangerous of all the
large game.
“One day, when we were traveling slowly
along under the hot sun, the men called my
attention to a little ~bird that was flying
about, and I soon saw that it was a honey-
guide or indicator, one of the most intelli-
gent of all African birds.
“It would fly up in front of the animals
and men, steady itself in. the air, and then
dart off, fluttering its wings as if to call us
away. In fact, it was trying to get_us to
follow it.
“ For some time the men paid no attention
to it; supposing that the honey-guide had
merely, as usual, found a nest of honey, and
wanted us to go and open it, and give it a
share. But its actions became so violent that
at last my head tracker said that perhaps
the bird had found an elephant, and that we
had better go.
“Finally I. consented, and three of us
started off on horseback, the little bird fly-
ing ahead, stopping every few moments to
see if we were coming, and then flying on,
taking us toward a dense wood.
“As soon as we reached it, the bird plung-
ed in, but we were forced to remain outside.
It soon returned, however, and flew to
an open spot or lane, and into this we
went.
“T think it was at least three-fourths of a
mile that we followed over a country so
rough that we often thought of abandoning
it, and I was about to suggest doing so, when
one of the men, a faithful Kaffir that I had
had for several years, held up his hand,
upon which we all stopped.
“For the last hundred yards we had been
in the spoor or trail of some animal, or of
many, and were evidently leadiug down to
a pool.
“As we halted, we heard the chatter of the
honey-bird just ahead, and we knew what-
ever it was had been found.
“Cocking my gun and dismounting, I
gave niy horse to the third.man and started
forward, leaving them in a little glen or open
place.
“As a matter of precaution, I left the
spoor and took to the bush, and walking
slowly on for a few moments, I came sud-
denly to a sight that brought me up with
what the sailors call aroundturn, I was
fortunately behind a large tree, and as I
looked around, there lay in the, soft mud a
gigantic black rhinoceros—the borele or keit-
loa of the natives—one of the most vicious
of its kind.
“The big bruté lay upon his side, partly
submerged in the mud, and upon his back
were several white cranes, busily engaged in
picking off the various insects with which it
was infested, and under which operation the
rhinoceros seemed to be calmly sleeping.
“When I recovered from my. surprise, I
saw that, 1 had a fair shot at the shoulder,
the most vulnerable spot.
“‘My first impression was to go back and
get one of the men, but as I deliberated, the
great animal moved. . This determined me,
and aiming over a rest formed by a branch,
I fired.
lam of sounds—the shrieking of birds and
other small animals—and in the midst of all
asnort as from a steam engine, as the enor-
mous form of the rhinoceros rose from the
black mud.
“For amoment he stood looking about,
then seeing the smoke, lowered his head and
dashed at me.
“T had just time to spring aside, when the
vicious animal struck my protection, and it
eing old, went completely through it, fall-
“From perfect stillness there came a bed-| ing on the other side. One of the limbs just
i.
sh
ie
escaped me, and to avoid trouble, I fell flat
in the grass and kept still, knowing this to
be my only chance.
“The rhinoceros recovered himself in a
moment, and stood breathing hard, and I
could perhaps have downed him there, but,
unfortunately, my men, not knowing what
was going on, hearing the shot, came riding
up, and before they knew it were not thirty
feet from the enraged brute.
“T screamed to attract his attention, and
fired, but up went his tail, and like a shot
he dashed at the horse...The poor native
made a desperate effort to turn; but just as
he got the horse’s head around, the horns of
the rhinoceros entered its breast, and the
next second I saw horse and rider in the air.
The rhinoceros had tossed them as a bull
would a dog.
“The man fell off upon its back, and roll-
ing off upon the ground, succeeded in
scrambling off in, the grass, while the horse
was instantly killed.
“For a few moments the rhinoceros could
not withdraw its horns, and when it did, it
repeatedly charged the prostrate animal.
