uld, and then, showing himself, turn them towards
me. In a short time I heard his shout, and on they came bounding
towards me. I selected a young one, handsomely marked; for I thought
that the skin would be lighter, and suit better for a cloak than that of
an old one. I fired at its breast, and over it fell, scarcely
struggling for a moment. The shot put the rest to flight. I, however,
had gained my object. We at once skinned the animal, and then set to
work to scrape the skin as clean and thin as possible. This done, Bigg
hung it on to the end of a stick, which he carried over his shoulder,
that it might thus dry in the sun and air as we walked along.

Soon after this I killed a fine deer, which we skinned to serve as a
robe for Bigg. I thought that he would be soon tired if he had to carry
both skins, and so I proposed at once cutting them into the shape of the
robes we required. This we did with our knives, and two very
fine-looking garments we produced. I, however, was not satisfied that
my appearance would be sufficiently regal, so I proposed, if I could, to
obtain a lion-skin with which further to deck myself. We marched on,
however, without encountering a lion all day.

Towards the evening we reached a water-hole, where we determined to
encamp. Near it stood the huge hollow trunk of a tree. This, with a
little addition and cleaning out, would make us, we agreed, a very
comfortable hut for the night. We examined it thoroughly, to see that
there were no snakes in it, and soon had it fit for our reception. We
put a roof to it of leaves, and stuck some stout stakes into the ground
in front of it, to keep off any wild beasts which might be disposed to
leap on us unawares.

By the time we had got a fire lighted to cook our tea it was almost
dark. Just then I saw a huge white rhinoceros come up to drink. We
were inside our hut. I let him drink his fill, and as he was about to
turn aside I fired and hit him on the side of his vast head. He did not
fall, but looked about him as if to see whence the injury had come, and
in what direction to charge, and so I was afraid that the bullet had
glanced off. I therefore fired again. The rhinoceros trotted off a
little way from the pool, looking angrily around, but suddenly stopped,
and then, much to our satisfaction, down he came to the ground. The
body lay still within point-blank range of my rifle. This was a matter
of great importance. It must be under