ing in a bed of thick grass.
Here was a discovery! The party had not tasted the flesh of animals for
weeks past, and had not tasted pork since they left the _Hooghly_. He
shouted as loud as he could, to attract the attention of Lavie and the
others. Failing to do this, he discharged his gun at the hog, intending
at once to kill the animal and induce his fellow-travellers to return.
He waited for some minutes, but without hearing anything but a distant
halloo. Resolving not to lose so valuable a booty, he took the
creature, heavy as it was, on his shoulders and set out, as fast as he
could walk, under the burden, in the direction which they had gone.

He staggered along until he had cleared the thicket, and was moving on
towards the thorn patches, when he heard a voice at some distance
shouting to him. He looked up and saw Lavie running towards him at his
utmost speed. Presently the voice came again.

"Drop that, and run for your life. There's a rhinoceros chasing you."

Nick did drop his load, as if it had been red hot iron, and glanced
instinctively round. On the edge of the thicket which he had quitted, a
large black rhinoceros was just breaking cover, snorting with fury, and
evidently making straight for him. Nick's gun was empty, and even if it
had been loaded, he would hardly have ventured to risk his life on the
accuracy of his aim. He threw the gun away, and took to his heels, as
he had never done since he left Dr Staines's school. He was swift of
foot, and had perhaps a hundred yards start. But the rhinoceros is one
of the fleetest quadrupeds in existence. Notwithstanding the lad's most
desperate exertions, it continued to gain rapidly on him. Nick felt
that his only chance was to get within gun-shot of his companions, when
a fortunate bullet might arrest the course of his enemy. He tore
blindly along, until he found himself within twenty yards of the thorn
bushes, which had so excited his curiosity shortly before. The next
minute he felt himself passing between two of the bushes, the rhinoceros
scarcely thrice its own length behind him, its head bent down, and its
long horn ready to impale him.

He gave himself over for lost, and only continued to dash along from the
instinct of deadly terror. As he rushed between the bushes, he suddenly
felt the earth shake and give way under him. Staggering forward a few
paces, he fell flat on his face, tearing up the ground from the force of
the fall. A