The Next Afternoon, Accordingly, Mahina And
I Made Our Way Back To The Place, And By
Dusk We Were Safely
But uncomfortably perched
among the branches directly over the path.
We had scarcely been there an hour when to
our
Delight we heard a great rhino plodding
along the track in our direction. Unfortunately
the moon had not yet risen, so I was unable
to catch sight of the monster as he approached;
I knew, however, that there was light enough
for me to see him when he emerged from the
bushes into the little clearing round the foot of
our tree. Nearer and nearer we heard him
coming steadily on, and I had my rifle ready,
pointing it in the direction in which I expected
his head to appear. But, alas, just at that moment
the wind veered round and blew straight from
us towards the rhino, who scented us immediately,
gave a mighty snort and then dived madly
away through the jungle. For some considerable
time we could hear him crashing ponderously
through everything that came in his way, and
he must have gone a long distance before he
recovered from his fright and slowed down to his
usual pace. At any rate we neither heard nor
saw anything more of him, and spent a wakeful
and uncomfortable night for nothing.
My next attempt to bag a rhino took place some
months later, on the banks of the Sabaki, and was
scarcely more successful. I had come down from
Tsavo in the afternoon, accompanied by Mahina,
and finding a likely tree, within a few yards of the
river and with fresh footprints under it, I at once
decided to take up my position for the night in
its branches. Mahina preferred to sit where he
could take a comfortable nap, and wedged himself
in a fork of the tree some little way below me,
but still some eight or ten feet from the ground.
It was a calm and perfect night, such as can be
seen only in the tropics; everything looked
mysteriously beautiful in the glorious moonlight,
and stood out like a picture looked at through
a stereoscope. From my perch among the
branches I watched first a water-buck come to
drink in the river; then a bush-buck; later, a
tiny paa emerged from the bushes and paused
at every step with one graceful forefoot poised
in the air - thoroughly on the alert and looking
round carefully and nervously for any trace of a
possible enemy. At length it reached the brink
of the river in safety, and stooped to drink. Just
then I saw a jackal come up on its trail and
begin carefully to stalk it, not even rustling a
fallen leaf in its stealthy advance on the poor
little antelope. All of a sudden, however, the
jackal stopped dead for a second, and then made
off out of sight as fast as ever he could go. I
looked round to discover the cause of this hurried
exit, and to my surprise saw a large and very
beautiful leopard crouching down and moving
noiselessly in the direction of our tree.
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