ht wid a human man, and tried hard to ate him."

"Why that shows what stuff you are telling us, Dinny. A rhinoceros
wouldn't eat a man; he'd trample him to death," cried Dick, who had been
a studious boy for years. "A rhinoceros is an herbivorous beast, and
has a prehensile upper lip."

"A what sort o' baste?" said Dinny, staring.

"Herbivorous."

"Shure an' what's that got to do wid it? I tell you it tried to ate me
at one mouthful, in spite of his what sort o' upper lip. Shure the poor
baste couldn't help having that the matter wid his lip. Why as soon as
I set eyes on him, `Ah, Dinny,' I says, `yer work's cut out, me boy,' I
says, `for if ever there was a baste wid a stiff upper lip that's the
one.'"

"But I said a prehensile upper lip, Dinny," cried Dick.

"Shure I heard what ye said, Master Dick. I know. And a pretty
rampaging baste he was. Wirra! If ye'd seen him foight. If ye'd heard
him roar, and saw how I battled wid him till I'd laid him low wid tin
bullets in his jacket. Ah, it was wonderful. But ye shall see the
baste."

"Yes, I want to see him, Dinny," said Jack.

"Shure an' I'll be glad to take ye, Masther Jack, as soon as it's light.
But he was a brave baste, and fought well; and I felt sorry-like when I
seen him go down."

"Did you though, Dinny?"

"Shure an' I did, Masther Dick, for I says to myself, `Ye're a brave
boy, an' I dessay ye've got a mother somewhere as is very proud of ye,
just as I've got wan meself. But I must shute ye,' I says, `for the
sake of the gintlemen wid the waggon, and the mischief ye've done,' and
so I did; an' there he lies, Masther Dick, stretched out on his side;
and pace to his ashes. I've done."

"Well, boys," said Mr Rogers, speaking for the first time for some
minutes, "I think we ought to congratulate ourselves upon the great
accession we have discovered in Dinny. In future he shall accompany us
in our attacks upon the lions and other furious beasts. I should not
think of going after elephant now without Dinny."

That gentleman's face was a study, as he listened to his master's words.
His nostrils twitched, his brows grew full of wrinkles, and his jaw
dropped, letting his pipe fall from his lips; and though he picked it up
directly after, the tobacco had gone out, and Dinny looked as if all the
enjoyment had gone out of his life.

Beyond the roaring of a lion or two, the night passed off very quietly,
and as soon as it was broad day Chico