Page 127 - Adventures in Africa

As meat was wanted, several of the party proposed
to set off at an early hour to bring- in some from the
animals we had killed; my uncle, Jlr. Welbourn,

and Harry going also. As I did not like to be left
behind, I begged to be allowed to mount a horse and
to ride with them. I should have been wiser to have
remained quietly at the camp, but I wanted to revisit

the scene of our encounter the previous day. Jan
followed behind with several of the blacks, who were
to be loaded with our spoils. As we neared the spot,

I heard my friends exclaiming in various tones—-
u Where is it f What has become of the creature \ ”—*
j i
and, pushing forward, I caught sight of the elephant
and the dead lion at a distance, but nowhere was the
rhinoceros to be seen. It was very evident that it

could not have been killed as we had supposed, and
that, having only been stunned, it, at length recover­
ing itself, had made off.
Toko cried out that he had discovered its spoor,

and I saw him hurrying forward evidently hoping to
find the creature. The other blacks meanwhile set to
work to cut out the tusks, and select a few slices off
such parts of the body as were most to their taste,

including the feet, the value of which we knew from
experience.
While they were thus occupied, my three white
friends were busy in flaying the lion. I kept my eye

on Toko, expecting that, should he discover the rhino­
ceros, 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