“Having despatched this boy back to the camp to tell the bearers to come and cut the buffalo 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 walked about loose in Wambe’s country, I just followed on the brute’s spoor.  He had crashed through the bush till he reached the little glade.  Then moderating his pace somewhat, he had followed the glade down its entire length, and once more turned to the right through the forest, shaping his course for the open land that lies between the edge of the bush and the river.  Having followed him for a mile or so further, 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 another quarter of a mile, and looked once more—­it was not the rhinoceros, but a big ant-heap.  This was puzzling, but I did not like to give it up, because I knew from his spoor that he must be somewhere ahead.  But as the wind was blowing straight from me towards the line that he had followed, and as a rhinoceros can smell you for about a mile, it would not, I felt, be safe to follow his trail any further; so I made a detour of a mile and 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 on the skyline, when suddenly at a distance of about three hundred yards from the ant-heap, and on its further side, I saw my rhino stand up in a patch of grass.

“‘Heavens!’ I thought to myself, ‘he’s off again;’ but no, after standing staring for a minute or two he once more lay down.

“Now 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 is perfectly aware, but he always makes the most of his natural gifts.  For instance, when he lies down he invariably does so with his head down wind.  Thus, if any enemy crosses his wind he will still be able to escape, or attack him; and if, on the other hand, the danger approaches up wind he will at least have a chance of seeing it.  Otherwise, by walking delicately, one might actually kick him up like a partridge, if only the advance was made up wind.

“Well, the point was, how on earth should I get within shot of this rhinoceros?  After much deliberation I determined to try a side approach, thinking that in this way I might get a shoulder 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 arrived within three hundred yards safely enough, and then the real difficulties began.  The grass