Maiwa's Revenge

One da}- it was about a week after Alian Quatermain told rao his story of tho "Three Lions'' and of tbe movingdeath of Jim-Jim- he aml I wero walking home together ou the tennination of a day's shooting. Ho had about tv, o Uioiisand acres of shooting round the placo lio bought in Yorkshiro, over a hundred of w'nieh were wood. It was the second year of his occupation of the estáte, and airead; lie had reared a rery fair head of pheasants, íor he was an all round sportsman, and as foud of shooting with a shot gun as with an eight liore rifle. We were three gana tbat day, Sir Henry Curtis, old Qnatermain and myself, but Sir Henry had to leave iu the middle of the afternoou in order to meet his agent and inspect au outJying farm where a new shed was wanteJ. He was, however, coming back to diuner, and going to bring Capt. Good with him, for Brayley Hall was not more tban tvvo miles from the Grange. We had met with very fair sport, considering that we were only going through outlying covers for cceks. I think we had killed twenty-seven, a'woodcock and a leash of partridges which we had got out of a driven covey. On our way home there lay a long narrow spinney which was very favorita "lie" for woodcoek, and generally held a pheasant or two as welL "U'ell, what do you say," said old Quatermain- "shall we beat through tuis for a finish?" I assented, and he called to the keeeper, who was following with a little knot of beaters, and told him to beat the spinney. "Very well, sir," answered the man; "but it's gettiug wonderful dark and the wind's blowiug a galo. It will take you all your time to hit a woodcoek if the spinney holds one." "You show us the Jwoodcock, Jeffries," answered Quatermain, quickly, for ho never liked being crossed in anything to do with sport, "and we will look after shooting them." The man turned and went, rather sulkily. I heard him say to the under keeper, "He's pretty gooJ, the master is, I'm not saying that he isn't, bnt if he kills a woodcoek iu this light and wind, I'm a Dutchman." I think that Quatermain heard bim too, thougli lie said uotlring. The wind was rising every minute, and by the time the beat begau it was blowing big guns. I stood at the right hand corner of the spinney, which curved round somewhat, and Quatermain stood at the left, some f orty paces f rom me. Presently an old cock pheasant came rocketing over me, looking as though the feathers were all being blown out of his teil. I missed him clean with the first barrel, and was never more ploased with myself in my life than when I doubled him up with the second, for the shot was not an easy one. In the faint light I could just see Quatermain nodding his head in approval, when through the groaning of the trees I heard the shouts of the beaters. "Cock forward, cock to the right." 'f hen came a whole volley of shouts: "Woodcock tothe right," "Cock to the left," "Cock over." I looked up, and presently caught sight of one of the woodcock coming down the wind upon me íiKe a Uash. iu that dim light I could not follow all his inovements as he zigzagged througu the naked tree tops; indeed, I could only see him vvheu his wings flitted up. Now he was passing me - bang, and a flick of the wing. I had missed him. Bang again. Surely he was down- no, there he went to my left. "Cock to you," I shouted, stepping forward so as to get Quatermain between me and the faint angry light oí the dying day, for I wanted to see if he would "wipe my eye." I knevv him to be a wonderful shot, but that cock would, I thought, puzzle him. I saw him raise his gun ever so little and bend forward, and at that moment out flashed two woodcock into the open, the one I bad lissed to his right, and the other to his left. At the same time a fresh shout arose 01 "Woodcock over," and looking down the spinney I saw a third bird high up in the air, being blown alocg like a brown and whirling leaf stra.jht over Quatermain's head. And then followed the prettiest little bit of shooting that I ever saw. The bird to the right was flying low, uot ten yards from the line of a hedgerow, and Quatermain took him first because ho would beeoine invisible the soonest of any. Indeed, nobody who had not his hawk's eyes could have seen to shoot him. But he saw hi:n well enough to killjhim dead as a stone. Then, turniug sharply, he pulled on the second bird at about forty-five yards, and over he went. By this time the third woodcock was nearly over him and flying very high, straight down the wind a hundred feet up or more, I should say. I saw him glance at it as he opened his gun, threw out the right cartridge and slipped in another turning round as he did so. By this time the cock was nearly flfty yards away from him, and traveling like a flash. Lifting his gun, he fired after it, and wonderful as the shot was, killed it dead. A tearing gust of wind caught the dead bird and blew it right away like a leaí torn from an oak, so that it feil a hundred and üfty yards off or more. "I say, Quatermain," I said to him when the beaters ere up, "do you of ten do this sort of thing?" "Well," he answered, with a dry smile, "the last time I had to load three shots as quickly as that was at rather larger game. It was at elephants. I killed them all three as dead as I killed those woodcock: but it very ïiearly went the other way, I can teil you. I mean that they very nearly killed me." Just at that moment the keeper carne up. "Did you happen Lto get one of thcm there cocks, sirï" ho said, with the air of a man who did not in the least expect au auswer ia the afflrmative. "We!], vos, Jeffries," answered Quatermain. "You will find onoof them bythe hedge, and another about fifty yards out by the plow there to the left." The keeper had turned to go, looking a little astonished, when Quatermaiu called Lim back. "Stop a bit, Jeffries," he said. " You sea that pollard about 140 yards off? Wel!, there should be another woodcock dowa in a line with it, about sixty paces out in the field." "Well, if that be'ant the very smartest bit of shooting," murmured Jeffries, and doparted. Aftor that we went home, and in due course Sir Ilenry Curtís and Capt. Good turned up to dinner, the latter in the tightest fïad most ornamental dress suit I evor saw. I remember that the waistcoat was adorned with five pink coral buttons. ' If was a very pleasant dinner. Old Quatermain was in excellent humor, induced, I think, by the recollectiou oL bis triumpli over the doubting Jeffries. Good, too, was full of anecdotes. He told us a most miraculous story of how he once went sbooting ibex iu KasUmir. These ibex, according to Good, he stalked eai ly and late f or f our entire days. At last, on the morning of the flfth day, he succeeded i:i getting withiu range of the flock, which consisted of a masnifleent old ram, with horns so long that I am afraid to mention their measure, and five or six females. Good crawled upon his stomach, painfully taking shelter behind rocks, till he was within 200 yards; then he drew a fine bead upon the old ram. At this moment, however, a diversion occurred. Some wandering native of the hills appeared upon a distant rnountain top. The femóla turued, and, rushing over a rock, vauished from Good's ken. But the old ram tooi; a bolder course. In front of him stretched a mighty crevasse at least thirty feet in width. He went at it with a bound. While he was in midair Good fired, and killed him dead. The ram turned a complete somersault in space, and feil In such a fashion that hi3 horns hooked themselves upon a big projection of the opposite cliffs. Thei-o lie hung, till Good, after a long and painful detour, gracefully dropped a lasso over him and fished him up. This movíng talo of wild adventure was received with undeserved incredulity. "Well,"said Good, "if you fellows won't believe my story when I teil it- a perfectly true story, mind- perhaps one of you will give us a better; I'm not particular if it is true or not." And he lapsed uto a dignified silence. "Xow, Quatermain," I said, "don't let Good beat 3"ou; let's hear how you killed those elcphauts you were talking about this evening just after you shot the woodeocks." "Well," said Quatermain, dryly, and with something like a twinkle in his brown eyes, "it is rery hard fortune for a man to haveto follow on Good's 'spoor.' Indeed, if it were not for that running giraffe, which, as you will remember, Curtis, we saw Good bowl over with a Martini rifle at 300 yards, I should alraost have said that this was an impossiblo tale." Here Good looked up with an air of indignant innocence. "However," he went on, rising and lighting his pipe, "if you fellows like, I will spin you a yarn. "I was telling one of you the other night about thoso threo lions, and how the lioness finished my unfortunate 'voorlooper'.Jim, I Jim, the boy whom we buried in tue bread bag. " Well, after that little experience I tbouglrt that I would settlo down a bit, so I went In for a venture with a raan who, being of a speculativo mind, had conceived the idea of running a store at Pretoria upon strictly cash principies. The arrangement was that I should iiad the capital and he tho experience. Our partnership was not of long duration. The Boers refused to pay cash, and at the end of four months my partner had tho capital and I had the experience. Af ter this I came to the conclusión that storekeeping was not in mj line, and, having L400 left, I sent my boy Harry to a school in Natal, and, buying añ outfit with what remained of the money, started upon a big trip. This time I determined to go further afield than I had ever been before, so I got a passage for a few pounds in a trading brlg that ran between Durband and Delagoa bay. From Delagoa bay I marched inlaud, accompanied by twenty porters, with the idea of striking up north toward the Limpopo, and keeping parallel to, but at a distance of about 150 miles from, the coast. For the first twenty days of our journey we suffered a great deal from fever- that is, my men did, for I think that I am fever proof. Also I was hard put to it to keep the camp in meat, for althouh the country proved to be very sparsely populated, there was but little game about. Indeed, during all that time I hardly killed anything lacger than a water buck, and water buck is, as you know, not very appetizing food. On the twentieth day, bowever, we came to the banks of a largish river, the Gonooroo it was calied. This I crossed, and then struck inland toward a great range of mountains, a contiuuatíon, as I believe, of the Drakensberg range that skirts the coast of Natal, the blue crests of which wo could see lying on the distant heavens like a shadow. From this main range a great spur shot out some fifty miles or so toward the coast, endino abruptly in one tremendous peak. This spur I discovered separated the territories of two chiefs naraed Nala and Wambe, Wambe's territory being to tuo north and Nala's to the south. Nala ruled a tribe of bastard Zulus calied the Butiana, and Wambe a much larger tribe calied the Matuka, which presented marked Basutu characteristies. For instance, they had doors and verandas to their huts, worked skins perfectly, and woro a waist cloth, not a moocha. The Butiana were more or less subject to the Matuku, having been surprised by them some twenty years before, and mercilessly slaughtered down. The tribe wiis, however, now reeovering, and, as you may imagine, it did not love the Matuku. "Well, I heard a3 I went along thatelephants were very plentif ui m the dense foresta that lay upon the slopes and at the foot of the mountains that bordered Wambe's territory. Also I heard a very ill report of that worthy himself, who lived in a kraal upon the side of the mountain, which was so strongly fortifled as to be practically impregnable. It was said that he was the most cruel chief in this part of África, and that he had murdered in cold blood an entire party of English gentlemen who, some seven years before, had gone into his country to hunt elephauts. They had an old friend of mine with them as guide, John Every by name, and of ten had I mourned over his untimely death. All the same, Wambe or no Wambe, I determined to hunt elephant in his country. I never was afraid of natives, and I was not going to show the white feather now. I am a bit of a fatalist, as you fellows know, so I carne to the conclusión that i f it was fated that Wambe should send me to join my old friend Every, I should have to go and there was an end of it Meanwhile I meant to hunt elephant with a peacof ui heart. "On the third day from the date of our sighting the great peak we found ourselves beneath its ruighty shadow. Still following the course of tho river, which wound through the forests at the base of the peak, we entered tho territory of the redoubtabla Wambe. This, however, was not plished without a certaiu difference of opinión between my bearers and myself, for Trhen we reached the spot where Wambe's boundary was supposed to run the bearers sat down, and emphatically refused to go a step further. I sat down, too, and argued with them, putting my fatalistio view before them as well as 1 was able. But I could not persuade thera to look at the matter in tho same light. 'At present,' they said, 'their skins were whole;' if they went into Wambe's country without bis leavo they would soon be like a water eaten leaf. It was very well for me to sa3' that that would be Fate. Fate, no doubt, might be walking about in Wambe's country, but wbile they stopped outside they would not meet him. " 'Well,' I said to Gobo, my headman, 'and what do you mean to do?' " 'We rnean to go back to the coast, Slacumazahn,' he answerod, insolently. " 'Do you?' I replied, for my bile was stirred. 'At any rate, Mr. Gobo, you and one or two others will never get there. See bere, my friend,' and I took a repeatin; rifle and sat myself eomfortably down, resting my back against a tree- 'I have just breakfasted and I had as soon spend the day here as anywhere else. Now if you or any of these men walk oi" stop back f rom hcro and towards the coast I shall fire at you, and you know 1 don't miss.' "The man flngered the spear he was carrying- luckily all the guns were stacked against the tree- and then turned as though to walk away, the otliers keeping tbeir eyes fixed upon him all the while. I rose and covered him with the rifle, and though he kept up a brave appearanco of unconeern, I eaw he was glancing nervously at mo all the time. When he had gone about twcnty yards, I spoke very quietly. " 'líow, Gobo,' I said, 'come back, or I ehal! fire.' "Of course this was taking a very high hand. 1 had no real right to kill Gobo or anybqdy else because they objected to running the risk of death by entering the territory of a hostile chief. But I feit that if I wished to keep up any authority it was absolutely neeessary that I should push matters to the last extremity, short of actually shooting hi.-n. And I stood there, looking as fieree as a lion and keeping the sight of my rifle in a dead line for Gobo's ribs. Then Gobo, feeling that the situation was getting strained, gave in. " 'Don't shoot, boss!' heshouted, throwing up his hand; 'I will come with you.' "'I thought you would,' I answered. quietly. 'You see Fate walks outsido tt'ambe's country as well as ín it.' "After that I had no more trouble, for Gobo was tho ringleader, and wken he collapsed tho ethers collapsed also. Harmony being thus restored, we crossed the line, and on the following morning I bcgan shooting in good carnest. CHAPTER II. A MORNIfíG'S SPORT. "Hoving some ñve or six miles round the base of the great peak of which I hare spoken, we carne the same day to. one of the fairest bits of African country that I have seen outsido of Kukuanaland. At this spot the mountain spur that runs out at right angles to tlie great range, which stretches its mighty cioud ciad Jength north and south as far as the eye can reach, sweeps inward with a vast and splendid curve. This curve measures some five-and-thirty miles from point to point, and across its moonlike segment the river flashed, a silver line of light. On the farther side of the river is a measureless sea of swelliug ground, a mighty natural park covered with great patches of bush, some of them being many square miles in extent, which are separated one from another by glades of grass land, broken here and there with elumps of timber trees, and in some instances by curious isolated Koppies, and even by single crags of granito, that start up into the air as though they were monuments earved by man, and not tombstones set by nature over the grave of ages gone. On the west this beautiful plaiu is bordered by the lonely niountain from the edge of which it rolls down towards the feverish coast, but how far it runs to the north I cannot say- eight days' journey, aecording to the natives, when it is lost in a nieasureless swamp. On the hither side of the river the soenery is different. Along the edge of its banks, where the land is flat, are green patches of swamp. Then comes a wide belt of beautiful grass land, covered thick with game, and sloping up very gently to the borders of the forest, which, beginuing at about a thousund feet above the level of the plain, clothes the mountain side almost to its crest. In this forest grow great trees, most of them of the yèllow wood species. SomO of these trees are so lofty that a bird in their top branches would be out of range of an ordinary shotgun. Another peculiar thing about them is that they are, for the most part, covered with a dense growth of the Ochella moss. Out of this moss the uatives manufacture a most excellent deep purple dye, with which they stain tanned hides, and also cloth when they happen to get any of the latter. I do not ttink I ever saw anything more remarkable than the appearance of one of these mighty trees festooned from top to bottom with trailing wreaths of this sad hued moss, in which tho wind whispers gently as it stirs them. At a distance it looks like the gray locks of a Titan crowned with bright green leaves, and here and thera starred with the rich bloom of orchids. "The night of that day when I had my little difference of opinión with Gobo we camped upon the edge of this great forest, and on the following moruing at daylight I started out shooting. As we were short of meat I determined to kill a buffalo, of which there were plenty about, before looking for traces of elephants. Not inore than half amile from camp we carne across a trail like a cart road, evidently made by a great herd of buffalo which had passed lip at dawn from their feeding ground iu the marshes to spend the day in tho cool air of the uplands. This trail I followed boldly, for such wind as there was blew straight down the mountain side - that is, from tho direotion in which the buffalo had gone- to me. About a mile further on the forest began to get dense, aud tho nature of the trail showed me that I must be close to my game. Another 200 yards, and the bush was so thict that had it not been for the trail we could scarcely have got through it. As it was, Gobo, who earried niy eight bore rifle (for I had the .570 express in my hand), and the other two men whom I had taken with me, showed the very strongost dislike to going any further, pointiug out that there was 'no room to run away.' I told them that they need not come unless they liked, but that I was certainly going on, and then, growiug ashamed, they cama Another lifty yards, and the trail ópeneá into a little glade. I kuelt down and peeped and peered, but no buffalo could I see. Evideutly the herd had broken up here -I knew that from the spoor- and penetrated the opposite bush iu little troops. I crossed the glade, and choosing ono line of spoor followed it for some sixty yards, wheil it becamo olear to me that I was surrounded by bnffalo, and yet so denso was the cover that I coulil uot see one. A few yards to my lef 1 1 could bear one rubbing its horns against a tree, while from my right carne an occasional low throaty gruut which told me that I was uncomfortably near an o!d buil. I crept ou toward him with my heart in my mouth, as g?ctly as though I were walking upou eggs for a bet, lifting every little bit of wood in my path and plaeing it behind me, lest itshould crack and waru the game. Behind me in single file came my three retaincrs, end I don't know which of them looked tho most frightened. Presently Gobo touched my leg. I looked round, and saw hini pointing slantwise toward the lef. I lifted my head a linio and pocped amassof ereepcra. Beyond tho creepers was a denso bush of eharp pointed aloes, of that kind of which the leaves project Iaterally, and on the other side of the aloes, net flfteen paces from us, I made out the horus, neck and the ridge of the back of a tremendous old buil. I took my eight boro, and getting on my knee prepared to shoot him through the neck, taking my chance of eutting his spine. I had already covered him as well as the aloe leaves would allow, when he gave a kind of sigh ar.d lay down. "I looked round in dismay. What was to be done oowi I could not seo to shoot him lying down, even if my bullet would have pierced tho intervening aloes, which was doubtful, and if I stood up he would either run away charge me. I refleeted, and came to the conclusión that the only thing to do was to He down also, for I did not fancy wandering after other buffalo in that dense bush. If a buffalo lies down, it is clear that he must get up again some time; so it was only a case of patieuco- 'fighting the fight of sit down,' as the Zulus say. "Accordingly, I sat down and Iighted a pipe, thinking that the smell of it might reach the buffalo and make liim get up. But the wind was the wrong way, and it did not, so when it was done I lit anothcr. Afterwards I had cause to regret that pipe. "wen, we squatted like this for between half and three quarters of an hour, till at last I began to grow heartily sick of tho performance. It was about as dull a business as the last hour of a comic opera. I could hear búllalo snorting and moving all round, and see the red beaked tic birds flying off their backs with a kind of hiss something like that of an English misselthrush, but I could not see a single buffalo. As for my old buil, I think hc must have slept the sleep of the just, for he never even stirred. Just as I was niaking up my mind that something must be done to save the situatiou, my attention -was attracted by a curious grinding noise. At first I thought that it must be a buffalo chewing the cud, but was obliged to abandon the idea because the noiso was too loud. I shifted myself round and stared through the cracks in tho bush in the direction wheneo the sound seerned to come, and once I thought that I saw something gray moving about fifty yards off, but could no't make certain. Althöugh the grinding noiso still contiuued, I could see nothing more, so I gave up thinking about it, and once again turned my attention to the buffalo. Presently, however, something happened. Suddenly from about forty yards away tirare carne a tremendous snorting sound, more like that made by an engino getting a heavy train under way than anything else in the vvorld. " 'By Jove!' I thought, turning round in the direetion from whieh the grindiug sound had como, 'that must be a rhinoeeros, and he has got our wind.' For, as you fellows know, there is no niistaking the sound made by a rhinoeeros when be gets wind of you. "Another second and there was a most tremendous crashing noise. Bofore I could think wbat to do, before I couW even get up, the bush behind me seemed to burst asunder, and there appeared, not eight yards from us, the great horn and wiekedtwinkling eye of a huge charging rhinoeeros. He had winded us or my pipe, I do not know which, and, after the fashion of these brutes, had charged up the scent. I could not rise, I could not even get the gun up- I had no time. All that I was able to do was to roll over as far out of the monster's path as the bush would allow. Another second and ho was over me, bis great bulk towering above me like a mountaiu, and, upon my word, I could not get his smell out of my nostrils for a week. Circumstauces impressed it on my memory, at least 1 suppose so. His hot breath blew upon my face, one of his front feet just missed my head, and his bind one actually trod upon the loose part of my trouser and pinched a little bit of my skin. I saw him pass over me, lying as I was upon my back, and next secoud I saw somethin? else. Mv men wero a little behind me, and tuerefore straight in the path of the rhjnoeeros. One of them flung hiniself backward iuto the bush, and thus avoided him. The second, with a wild yell, spraug to his feet and bounded like an India rubber ball right into tha aloe bush, landing well among the spikes. But the tbircl - it was my friend Gobo- could not by any means get away. He managed to gaiu his feet and that was all. The rhinoceros was charging with his head low. His great hora passed between Gobo's legs, and feeling something on his nose he jerked it up. Awuy went Gobo high into the air. He turned a complete somersault at the apex of tliii curve, and as he did so I caught sight of his face. It was gray with terror and his mouth was wide open. Down he carne, right on to the great brute's rump, and that broke his falL But luckily for him the rhinoceros nover turned. He crashed straight through the aloe bush, only missing the man who had jumped into it by about a yard. Theu followed a complication. The sleeping buffalo on the farther sida of the bush, hearing the noise, sprang to his feet, and for a second, not knowing what to do, stood still. At that instant the huge rhinoceros blundered right on to him, and getting his horn beneath his stomach gave him such a fearful dig that the buffalo was turned over ou to his back, while bis assailant went a most amazing cropper over his earcass. In auother momeut, however, lie was up, and, vvheeliug round to tho left, crashed through the bush down hill toward the open country. "Instantly the whole place became alive with alarming sounds. In every direction troops oí snoiting buffalo charged through the iorest, wild with fright, while the injured buil on the farther sido of the bush began to bellow like a mad thing. I lay quite still for a moment, devoutly praying that none of the flying buffalo would come niy way. Then when the danger lessened I got on to my feet, shook myself, and looked round. One of my boys, he who had thrown himself backward into the bush, was already half way up a tree; if heaven had been at the top of it he could not have elimbed quicker. Gobo was lying close to me, groaning vigorously, but as I suspected, quite unhurt; while from the aloe bush into which Number Three had bounded like a tennis ball, carne a succession of the most piercing yells. 1 looked, and saw that the uu fortúnate ïellow was n a very tight place. Á great spike of aloe had run through tho back of his skin waist belt, though without piercing his flesh, in such a fashion that it was impossible for hiin to move, while within six feet of him the injured buffalo buil, thinking, no doubt, that he was the aggressor, bellowed and ramped to get at him, tearing at the thick aloes with his great horns. ïhat no time was to be lost if I wished to save the man's life was very clear. So seizing my eightbore, which was fortunately uninjured, I took a pace to the left, for the ruinoeeros had enlarged the hole in the bush, and aimed at the point of the buffalo's shoulder, for ou account of the position I could not get a fair side shot for the heart. As I did so I saw that tha rhinoceros had given tho buil a tremendou.'! wound in the stomach, and tllat the shock of the eneouuter had put his ieft lind leg out of joint at the hip. I fired, and the bullet, striking the shoulder, broke it and knocked the buffalo down. I knew that he could not get up auy more, because ho was no-,v injured fore and aft, so, notwithstaudiug his terrific bellows, I serambled round to where he was. There he lay, glariug f uriously and tearing up t'.io soil with his horns. Stepping up to within t-.vo yards of him, I ainied at the vertebra of his neck ana üred. Tlio bullet struck true, and with a Unid ho dropped his great head upou the ground, groaned and died. "This httle matter having been attended to, I, with the assistance of Gobo, who had now found liis feet, went on to extricate the unfortunate companion from the aloe bush. This we found a thorny task, but at last ho was dragged forth uninjured, though in a very pious and prayerful frame of mind. His 'spirit had certainly looked that way,' he said, or he would now havo been dead. As I never like to interfere with true piety I did not venturo to suggest that his spirit had delgned to make use of my eight boi-e in his interest. "Having dispatched this boy back to tho camp to teil the bearers to come and cut that bufTalo up, I bethought me that I owed that rhinoceros a grudge which I should love to repay. So without saying a word of what was in my mind to Gobo, who was now more than ever convinced that Fate walkcd about loose in Wambe's country, 1 just followed on his spoor. He had crashed through tne bush till ho reached the little glado. Then moderating bis pace somewhat ho had followed the glade down its entire length and ouee more turned to the right, through tho forest, shaping his course for tho open land that lies between the edge of the bush and the rirer. Having followed him for a tollo or so farther, I found myself quite on the open. I took out my glasses and searched the plain. About a mile ahead was something brown- as I thought, the rhinoceros; I advanced anothor quarter of a milo and looked once more; it was uot the rhinoceros, but a big ant heap. ïhis was puzzling, but I did not like to give it up, because I knew from his spoor that ho must be somewhero ahead. But as the wind was blowing straight from mo toward the lino that ho had followed, and as a rhinoceros can smell you for about a mile, it would not, I feit, bo safe to follow his spoor any farther. So I made a detour of a mile or more, till I was nearly opposite the ant heap, and then once more searched the plain. It was no good; I could see nothing of him, and was about to give it up and start after some oryx I saw in the distance, when suddenly, at a distance of about 300 yards from the ant heap, and on its farther side, I saw my rhino stand up in a patch of grass. " 'Heavens!' I thought to myself, 'he's oiï again.' But no; after standing staring for a minute or two, he once more lay down. "Xow I found myself in a quandary. As you know, a rhinoceros is a very short sighted brute; indeed, his sight is as bad as his scent is good. Of this fact he isperfectly aware, but be always makes the most of bis natural gifts. For instance, when he lies down ho invariably does so with his head down wind. Thus if any enemy crosses his wind, he will still be ab'.e to escape or attack him, and if , ou the other hand, the danger appioaches up wind, he will at least have a chance of seeing it. Otherwise one might, by walking delicately, aetually kick him up like a partridge if only the advance was made up wind. "Well, the point was bow on earth should I get within shot of this rhinoceros. Af ter much deliberation I determined to try a side advance, thinking that I might so get a sboulder shot. Accordingly we started in a crouching attitude, I first, Gobo holding on to my coat tails, and the other boy on to Gobo's moocha. I always adopt this plan when stalking big game, for if you follow any other system the bearers will get out of line. We got to within 300 yards right enough, and then the real difflculties began. The grass had been so closely eaten off by game that there was scarcely any cover. Cousequently it was necessary to go on to our hands and knees, which in my case involved laying down the eight bore at every step and then lifting it up aeain. However, I wriggled along somehow, and if it had not been for Gobo and nis friend uo doubt everything would have gone well. But as you have, I daré say, observed a native out stalking is always of that mind which is supposed to actúate an ostrich. So long as his head is bidden he seems to think that nothing else can be seen. So it was in this instanco: Gobo and the other boy crept along on their hands and toes with their heads well down, but, though uafoitunately I did not notice it till too late, bearing the fundamental portions of their frames bigh in the air. Now all animáis are quite as suspicious of this end of mankind as they are of his face, and of this fact I soon had a proof. Just when we had got within about 200 yards and I was eongratulating myself that I had not had this long crawl, with tk# run beating on the back of my neck like a furnace, all for nothing, I heard the hissing notes of the rhinoceros birds, and up flew four or five of them from the brute's back, where they had been corafortably employed in catching tics. Now this performance on the part of the birds is to a rhinoceros what the word "cave" is toa schoolboy; it puts hini on the qui vive at once. Before the birds were well in the air I saw the grass stir. " 'Down you gol' 1 whispered to the boys, and as I did so the rhinoceros got up and glared suspiciously around. But he could see nothing ; indeed, if we had been standing up I doubt if he would have seen us at thai distance. So he merely gave two or three sniffs and tuen lay down, his head still down wind, the biv Is onee more Bettling on his back. "But it was clear to me that be was sleeping with one eye open, and generally in a suspicious and unehristian frame of mind, anc' that it was useless to proeeed farther on that stuik; so we quietly withdrew to consider the position and study tho ground. The results were not satisfactory. There was absolutely no cover about except theant heap, which was some 300 yards f rom tho rhinoceros upon his up wind side. I knew that if I tried to stalk hiin in front I should fail, and so I should if I attempted to do so from the farther side; he or the birds would see ma So I carne to a conclusión: I would go to the ant heap, which would give him my wind, and instead of stalking him I would let him stalk me. It was a bold step, and ono which I should never advise a hunter to take, but somehow I feit as though Hhino and I must piay the hand out. ''I explained my intentions to tüe men,who both held up their hands in horror. Their fears for my safety were a little mitigated, however, whou I told them that I did not expeet them to come with me. "Gobo breathed a prayer tbat I uüght not meet Fate walking about, and the otlier one sincerely trusted that my spirit might look my way when the rhiuoceros charged, and then they both departed to a place of safety. "Taking my eight bore and half a dozen spare cartridges in my pocket, I made a detour, and, reuching the ant heap in safety, lay dowu. Por a moment the wind had dropped, but presently a gentle puil of air passed over me and blew on towards the rhinoceros. By the way, I wonder what it is that smells io strong about a man. Is it his body or his breathi I have never been able to inakoout, but I saw somewheiC the other day that in the (luck decoys the man who is werking tho dueks holds a little piece of burning turf before his mouth, and that if he doos tliis they cannot smei] liim, vvhich looks as though it were the breath. Well, whatever it was about mo that attracted his attention, the rhinoeeros soon smelt me, and witlijn half a minute after the puff of wind had passed he was up and turning round to get his hcad up wind. There he stood for a few aec-ouds and sniffed, and then he began to move, flrst oL all at a trot, then, as the scent grew strenger, atafurious gallop. On he carne, snorting likearunaway engine, with his tail stuck straight up in the air; if he had scen mo He down there ho could not have made a better line. It was ratlier nervous work, 1 can teil you, lying there waiting for his onslaught, for h-j looked lite a mountain of ilesh. I determiued, however, not to lire till I could plaiiily see his eye, for I think that rule alwaysgivfs one tho right distance for big game. tío I rested my rifle on the ant heap and waited for him, kneeling. At last, wheu he was about forty yards away, I saw that tho time had come, and aimins straight for the middle of tho chest, I pulled. "Thud we:it the heavy bullet, and Titb. a tremendous snort over rolled tho rhinoeeros beneath lts shock, just like a shot rabbit. But if I had thought that he was done for I was mistaken, for in another second he was up and coming at me as hard as ever, only with his head held low. I waited till he was within ten yards, in the hope that ho would expose bis chest, but he would do nothing of the sort. So I just had to firo at his head with the left barre], and take my chance. Well, as luck vvould have it, of coursethe animal put its hora in the way of the bullet, which cut olean through it about three inches above the root, and then glanced off into space. After that thiugs got rather serious. My gUn was empty, and the rhinoceros was rapidly arriving- so rapidly, indeed, that I carne to the conclusión that I had moka way for him. Accordingly I jumped to my feet and ran to the right as hard as 1 couM go. As I did so, ha arrived full tilt, l;uocked my friendly a;it heap flat, and for the second time that day went a most magnificent cropper. This gave a few seconds' start, and I ran down wind- my word, I did run. Unfortunately, howerer, my modest rctreat was observed, and the rhinoceras, as soon us ho got his legs again, set to work to run after me. Now no man on earth can run as fast as au initated rhinoceros can gallop, and I knew that he must soon catch ino up. But having somo slight experience of this sort of tning, I, luckily tor myself , kept my head, and as I fledl managed to open my riflo, get the old cartridges out, and put two fresh ones in. To do this I had to steady my pace a little, and by the time that I had snappcd theriüe to I heard him snorting and tbundering away within a few paces of mv back. I stopped, and as I did so rapidly "cocked the riflle and slowed around upon my heeL By this time the brute was within six or seven yards of me, but luckily his head was up. I lifted the rifle and fired at him. It was a Bnap shot, but tho bullet stnick hira in the chest withiu three inches of tho first, nd found its way into his lungs. It did notstop him, however, so all I eould do was to bound to one side, which I did with surprising aotivity, and, as ho brushed past me, fire the other barrel into his side. That did for him. Tho bali passed in behind the shoulder and right through his heart He feil over on to his side, gavo one most awful squeal- a dozen pigs could not have made such a noise -and promptly died, keeping his wieked eyes wide open all the time. "As for rao, I blew my nose, and, going up to the rhinoceros, sat on his head and reflected that I had had a capital monúne's shooting. [TO BE COSTHnTESl.]