The rhinoceros now turned and faced him; this gave me the
opportunity that I had expected, and I ran quickly to within
thirty yards, just in time to obtain a good shoulder shot, as
hearing my footsteps he turned towards me. Whiff! whiff! and he
charged vigorously upon the shot; but just as I prepared to fire
the remaining barrel, he ran round and round in a narrow circle,
uttering a short, shrill cry, and fell heavily upon his side. I
threw a stone at him, but he was already dead. Taher Noor
returned for the people, who shortly arrived with the camels. I
found that the last bullet of quicksilver and lead from my Reilly
No. 10 had passed completely through the body, just behind the
shoulder. The first shot was also a mortal wound, having broken
one rib upon either side, and passed through the posterior
portion of the lungs; the bullet was sticking under the skin on
the opposite flank. The hide of the rhinoceros is exceedingly
easy to detach from the body, as the quality is so hard and stiff
that it separates from the flesh like the peel of a ripe orange.
In a couple of hours, the hide had been detached in sections for
shields, and sufficient flesh was loaded upon the camel, together
with the vicious-looking head, which was secured by ropes upon
the saddle.
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