hinoceros, as soon as
he had found his legs again, set to work to run after me. Now no man on
earth can run so fast as an irritated rhinoceros can gallop, and I knew
that he must soon catch me up. But having some slight experience of
this sort of thing, luckily for myself, I kept my head, and as I fled
I managed to open my rifle, get the old cartridges out, and put in two
fresh ones. To do this I was obliged to steady my pace a little, and by
the time that I had snapped the rifle to I heard the beast snorting and
thundering away within a few paces of my back. I stopped, and as I did
so rapidly cocked the rifle and slued round upon my heel. By this time
the brute was within six or seven yards of me, but luckily his head was
up. I lifted the rifle and fired at him. It was a snap shot, but the
bullet struck him in the chest within three inches of the first, and
found its way into his lungs. It did not stop him, however, so all I
could do was to bound to one side, which I did with surprising activity,
and as he brushed past me to fire the other barrel into his side. That
did for him. The ball passed in behind the shoulder and right through
his heart. He fell over on to his side, gave one more awful squeal--a
dozen pigs could not have made such a noise--and promptly died, keeping
his wicked eyes wide open all the time.

"As for me, I blew my nose, and going up to the rhinoceros sat on his
head, and reflected that I had done a capital morning's shooting."

III--THE FIRST ROUND

"After this, as it was now midday, and I had killed enough meat, we
marched back triumphantly to camp, where I proceeded to concoct a stew
of buffalo beef and compressed vegetables. When this was ready we ate
the stew, and then I took a nap. About four o'clock, however, Gobo
woke me up, and told me that the head man of one of Wambe's kraals had
arrived to see me. I ordered him to be brought up, and presently he
came, a little, wizened, talkative old man, with a waistcloth round his
middle, and a greasy, frayed kaross made of the skins of rock rabbits
over his shoulders.

"I told him to sit down, and then abused him roundly. 'What did he
mean,' I asked, 'by disturbing me in this rude way? How did he dare to
cause a person of my quality and evident importance to be awakened in
order to interview his entirely contemptible self?'

"I spoke thus because I knew that it would produce an impression on him.
Nobody, except a really great man, he would