 Reference Base  Hunting the elephant in Africa and other recollections of... |
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Stigand, C.H., 1913. Hunting the elephant in Africa and other recollections of thirteen years' wanderings. London, MacMillan, pp. i-xv, 1-379
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| Location: |
Africa - Eastern Africa |
| Subject: |
Distribution - Hunting |
| Species: |
African Rhino Species |
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I find in my Diary for 5th November, 1907, 'Came near to Maboloni Hill. Saw seven rhino grazing near the hill and steered the caravan safely past, leaving four about a hundred yards up wind and three about four hundred yards down wind.' The next day I find 'Met twelve rhino all in our immediate path. Two were lying down close to where I wanted to set up the plane table. After great difficulty they were persuaded to move, and I began setting up the table when another appeared. Leaving here we came on a party of three lying down near a river bed, one bull, a cow, and a calf. 1 watched the bull making advances to the cow, which were not favourably received, as she got up and prodded him away. They lay down again, and then suddenly all three jumped up and rushed off; I do not know what alarmed them. Going up a narrow spur I met one, and steering round to avoid him came suddenly on two others lying just over the edge of the ridge.
'The cook went down to the river and said that he saw eleven and had to get up a tree.'
On the next day I met two rhino on a spur, the farthest one of which started walking towards us. It was very comical to see the man carrying my plane table, who had only seen the latter, hurriedly put down his load and bolt from the farther one right into the arms of the nearer one, which he had not noticed. On the day following this I was out early after lion, and hearing a noise behind me, saw a female rhino and small calf racing towards me, so I hurriedly got up a tree and let them pass. Later in the day when trekking along with my porters the same thing happened again; a female and calf appeared out of some thorn and raced after us. Loads were hurled down and there was a general sauve qui peut, but they turned off again when they reached the loads and dashed back into the thorn. Just after that I saw one with an immensely long posterior horn, much longer than the anterior, standing under a tree in our road. I went forward and shouted and whistled till it moved on, and then we proceeded, only to find another about a hundred yards down wind of where we wished to pass.
We were so bored with making constant detours to avoid these animals that we waited till he had grazed on about another 150 yards and then made a slight detour upwind so as to pass about 350 yards from him. When the leading part of the caravan got up wind of him, he went on peacefully grazing, but when about half had passed, he suddenly got our wind. Instead of going away he came towards us. I had shot my two rhinos for the year before we met any of the above-mentioned animals, and so I had been trying to avoid them as much as possible. I now stationed myself in front of the caravan, hoping that he would turn off, but he came steadily on.
When he got to about 80 yards distant he still had his head up. I fired, missing him on purpose, hoping that it would frighten him, but it seemed only to encourage him, as he then put down his head and came in earnest, wavering slightly from side to side to keep the wind. His head and horns covered his heart and brain, so at 50 yards I put a shot into the side of his shoulder, and at 30 yards I put another, which fortunately disabled his right shoulder so that he stumbled. He picked himself up and came on again, but now slowly, and the danger was past, as he was disabled and could be easily dodged.
As I was surveying, and not shooting, and had no intention of shooting at a rhino, having shot all I was allowed, I had only three cartridges in my rifle, which I had now fired. My pockets were so full of pencils, notebooks, etc., that I had handed over all my cartridges to a Mkamba guide, who could be found nowhere. I called out for more cartridges, and meanwhile the rhino came slowly stumping on and I retreated before him. He had just reached the spot at which the porters had thrown down their loads, and I expected to see him begin to amuse himself with them, when my dog, who had only been a spectator so far, thought it about time to join in. He rushed barking at the rhino and the beast turned round and round, facing him, while the dog rushed round and round trying to get at his heels. Whilst this diversion was in progress the head man discovered the Mkamba guide up a tree, secured the cartridge bag, and came running up with it. Getting a convenient side shot, I finished the rhino. We cut oil the horns with a hatchet to hand in at the next government station we passed, and continued our march.
I have only mentioned a few of the rhino incidents which happened when I was sketching in that country. It must be remembered that we were not looking for them, but rather trying to avoid them, as they delayed our marches and hampered my work.
In the same country a rhino suddenly started up and came rushing towards us. When we shouted at him he thought better of it and turned round to make off, disclosing the fact that he had no tail. This seemed to tickle the porters very much, and as he disappeared with his small stump, in place of a tail, sticking straight up, he was sped on his way with shouts of derision. They seemed to imagine that his lack of a tail made it specially impertinent of him to have attempted to come for us.
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