"After that things got rather serious. My gun was empty and the
rhinoceros was rapidly arriving, so rapidly indeed that I came to the
conclusion that I had better make way for him. Accordingly I jumped
to my feet and ran to the right as hard as I could go. As I did so he
arrived full tilt, knocked my friendly ant-heap flat, and for the
third time that day went a most magnificent cropper. This gave me a few
seconds' start, and I ran down wind--my word, I did run! Unfortunately,
however, my modest retreat was observed, and the rhinoceros, 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."