he
discover the rhinoceros, he would summon some of the party to his
assistance. I saw him look suspiciously into a thicket, then he turned
to fly. The next moment a huge beast rushed out, which I had no doubt
was the rhinoceros we fancied that we had killed on the previous day.
Toko made for a tree behind which he could shelter himself. I called to
my friends to draw their attention to the danger in which he was placed,
but to my dismay before he could reach the tree the rhinoceros was upon
him. There was no time to leap either to the one side or the other, but
as the animal's sharp horn was about to transfix him, he made a spring
as if to avoid it, but he was not in time, and the animal, throwing up
its head, sent him and his rifle floating into the air to the height of
several feet. The rhinoceros then charged on towards the men cutting up
the elephant, when my uncle and his companions, having seized their
rifles, began blazing away at it. Fortunately one of their shots took
effect, and before it had reached the blacks, down it sank to the
ground. While Harry hastened on to where Toko lay, my uncle and Mr
Welbourn, quickly reloading, fired into its head and finished its
existence.

I had ridden up to the Makololo, expecting to find every bone in his
body broken. As I approached, to my satisfaction I saw him get up; and
though he limped somewhat, after shaking himself and picking up his
rifle, he declared that he was not much the worse for the fearful toss
he had received, and was as ready as ever for work.

He soon rejoined the rest of the men, and assisted in packing the oxen
with the tusks and meat. Some of the flesh of the rhinoceros was also
cut off, and with the lion-skin packed up. Rhinoceros meat, though
tough, is of good flavour. The portions we carried off were from the
upper part of the shoulder and from the ribs, where we found the fat and
lean regularly striped to the depth of two inches. Some of the skin was
also taken for the purpose of making some fresh ox-whips. We of course
carried away the horns, which are about half the value of ivory.
Altogether, the adventure which at one time appeared likely to prove so
disastrous, afforded us no small amount of booty.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

The constant mutterings and roarings which saluted our ears during the
night, made us suspect that we should not obtain much game in the
neighbourhood, besides which we should run a great risk of being
attack