But, as it turns out, my last hour has not yet come. On receipt of my fifth bullet my assailant swerves round and lays himself open to my sixth just as he decides to take flight. Off he speeds now, never to be seen again, though we spend an hour trying to mark him down—a task which it is the easier for us to undertake in that he has fled in the direction in which we have to continue our march.
Orgeich, in his good-humoured way, remarks drily, “That was a near thing.”
Such “near things” may fall to the lot of the African hunter, however perfectly he may be equipped.
On another occasion, two rhinoceroses that I had not seen until that moment made for me suddenly. In trying to escape I tripped over a moss-covered root of a tree, and fell so heavily on my right hip that at first I could not get up again. Both the animals rushed close by me, Orgeich and my men only succeeding in escaping also behind trees at the last moment.
To descry one or two rhinoceroses grazing or resting in the midst of the bare velt and to stalk them all by yourself, or with a single follower to carry a rifle for you, is, I really think, as fascinating an experience as any hunter can desire. At the same time it is one of the most dangerous forms of modern sport. An English writer remarks with truth that even the bravest man cannot always control his senses on such occasions—that he is apt to get dazed and giddy. And the slightest unsteadiness in his hand may mean his destruction. He has to advance a long distance on all fours, or else wriggle along on his stomach like a serpent, making the utmost use of whatever cover offers, and keeping note all the time of the direction of the wind. He has to keep on his guard all the time against poisonous snakes. And he has to trust to his hunter’s instinct as to how near he must get to his quarry before he fires. I consider that a distance of more than a hundred paces is very hazardous—above all, if you want to kill outright. I am thinking, of course, of the sportsman who is hunting quite alone.
PIECE OF VERY HARD STONE FROM THE SIRGOI MOUNTAIN IN BRITISH EAST AFRICA, PRESENTED TO ME BY ALFRED KAISER. RHINOCEROSES WHET THEIR HORNS AGAINST THIS KIND OF STONE, MAKING ITS SURFACE QUITE SMOOTH.
To-day I am to have an unlooked-for experience. A number of eland have attracted my attention. I follow them through the long grass, just as I did that time in 1896 when the flock of pearl-hens buzzed over me and I started the two rhinoceroses which nearly “did for” me.[5] These antelopes claim my undivided attention. The country is undulating in its formation, and my men are all out of sight. I am quite alone, rifle in hand. The animals make off to the left and in amidst the high grass. I stand still and watch them. It would be too far to have a shot at the leader of the herd, so I merely follow in their tracks, crouching down. Now I have to get across a crevice. But as I am negotiating it and penetrating the higher grass on the opposite slope, suddenly, fifty paces in front of me, I perceive a huge dark object in among the reeds—a rhinoceros.
It has not become aware of me yet, nor of the peril awaiting it. It sits up, turned right in my direction. Now there is no going either forwards or backwards for me. The grass encumbers my legs—the old growth (spared by the great fires that sometimes ravage the whole velt between two rainy seasons) mingling with the new into an inextricable tangle. Such moments are full of excitement. It is quite on the cards that a second rhinoceros—perhaps a third—will now turn up. Who knows? Moreover, I have absolutely no inducement to bag the specimen now before my eyes—its horns are not of much account. I try cautiously to retreat, but my feet are entangled and I slip. Instantly I jump up again—the rhinoceros has heard the noise of my fall and is making a rush for me, spitting and snorting. It won’t be easy to hit him effectively, but I fire. As my rifle rings out I hear suddenly the singing notes like a bird in the air above, clear and resonant, and I seem to note the impact of the bullet. Next instant I see the rhinoceros disappearing over the undulating plain.