own to the stream. "What is that?" I
asked, pointing to a huge mass on the opposite side. "Surely there lies
the body of an elephant; and what are those creatures near us on the
left?"

"Dey leopards," whispered limbo. "De captain hab been here and killed
dem, no doubt about dat."

Just as he was speaking, emerging from a clump of low wood, there
appeared directly before us a magnificent lion. The creature stopped
and lifted up his head, moving his tail slowly to and fro, as if about
to spring forward. Now he crept on and on. Presently he uttered a loud
roar. I stepped back, instinctively bringing my rifle to my shoulder;
but at that moment there was the flash of a gun, and a loud report came,
apparently out of the ground close in front of us, and the huge lion
sprang high up into the air. Scarcely, however, had the report ceased
echoing in our ears, than from another clump, a little way on our right,
I caught sight of an enormous rhinoceros, who seemed at that moment to
have discovered that he had an enemy close to him. I felt sure it was
Stanley who had fired. I shouted out to him. He answered me, "All
right!" not apparently perceiving the approach of a new assailant. On
dashed the huge rhinoceros, dipping his snout, as he descended into the
water, beneath the surface, his eyes alone remaining above it. He was
making directly for where I supposed Stanley lay hid. There was no time
for him to reload, and I felt sure that the monster would gore him or
trample over his body. I had never prided myself on my shooting, but I
felt now or never was the time to take steady aim, or the life of my
cousin might be sacrificed, while Timbo and I, indeed, were placed in no
little danger. Aiming at the creature's head, near its left eye, I
fired. Instantly it rose up, uttering a loud bellow, but still came
floundering on across the stream. "Up, Stanley, up!" I shouted out.
"Timbo, do you fire, or the captain may be killed!" Timbo drew his
trigger. Again the creature was hit, but still his progress was not
stopped. Wading or swimming, it had just reached the bank, close to
where Stanley lay. Again I shrieked out to him. He was attempting to
reload without getting up, for which, indeed, he had not time. In
another instant I expected to see the sharp horn of the rhinoceros
plunged into his side, when it suddenly stopped and rolled over into the
stream.

"A capital night's sport!" exclaimed Stanley, springing