we'll bag him."

Not far from the jackal was one of the tall hills made by the white
ants. As these are hard as rock and often eight or ten feet high they
make excellent shelter for hunters. Critch caught up a gun and ran after
Burt hastily.

When they reached the ant hill they located the jackal in a patch of
brush below them. Only his head was visible, but the two boys aimed and
fired together and he dropped.

"Bet I got him in the eye!" cried Critch as they ran toward the spot.
"Got a dandy bead on him."

"Hello! What's that?" Burt stopped suddenly and pointed to a patch of
trees a hundred yards farther on. Above the stunted growth they saw a
number of little birds flying erratically about.

"Look at that--golly!" whispered Critch. "What's that big black thing--"

"Elephant!" returned Burt fumbling at his gun.

"Elephant nothing! Look at the birds--ain't any birds on elephants--it's
a rhino! Come on!"

An indistinct shape showed through the bush as they made their way
forward but they could not make out what it was and hesitated to fire.
They knew that the rhinoceros is guarded by numbers of tick birds and
concluded from the birds flying above the bushes that this was a rhino.
They got to within eighty yards before alarming the beast. Then came a
crashing and swishing of the bush and out stalked a big rhino, sniffing
the wind and advancing slowly toward them.

"Get behind that ant hill!" exclaimed Critch. Separating, they took up
positions beside two of the conical mounds. "Got your big gun? Go to
it!"

Lifting his rifle, Burt fired. He had aimed at the shoulder of the great
beast but to his dismay the shot seemed to have absolutely no effect.
Instead of dropping, the rhino threw up its tail and ears, gave a
little squeal and started for Burt.

Burt fired again at fifty yards. His bullet struck the rhino in the head
and glanced off, serving only to increase the rage of the brute. He
broke into a lumbering gallop and Burt yelled to Critch to fire.

The latter obeyed but in his haste missed entirely with his first bullet
and with his second only tore the rhino's left ear slightly. Burt raised
his own gun and aimed at the eye. Again his shots had no effect, for he
missed the delicate mark afforded by the eye and both bullets glanced
from the armor.

"Duck!" yelled Critch, dancing up and down. "He can't see! Duck!"

Burt ducked, for the rhino was within ten yards and thundering straight
at him. Dropping