After the drenching rains had saturated the earth with moisture, the natives gathered some jointed trailing vines from the plots of makwazi or sweet potatoes, which for three seasons had been running wild without bearing a single edible root, and these they planted in some of their prepared patches in the forest. In a short time they were growing richly, and the refreshing showers and bright rays of the sun soon developed such a harvest of tubers as had not been seen for many a long day. The famine was then a memory of the past.
It had, however, left an permanent mark on the wild Akamba race. They had lost that haughty look and proud bearing which characterized them when they ate bread to the full and their eyes stood out in fatness and they had more than their heart could wish. They were truly humbled, and at our meetings they often expressed repentance for the life of plunder, violence and murder in which they had formerly filled their days. There was quite a new interest seen in the Gospel message, and hope revived in our hearts of yet seeing many sheaves ingathered after the severe plowing and work of long pioneering years.
When food became once more plentiful, all the boys and girls who had been dependent upon us were allowed to return home to their nearest friends who had survived after the famine. We took this step after careful thought, knowing well the character of the Akamba. If we had continued to keep these young people in our charge as orphans, or in any way restrained their departure from us, the natives would have accused us of keeping slaves, or at least of taking valuable property, which, according to Kikamba custom, should fall into the possession of the nearest surviving male relative. We could have had hundreds of young people under our control, had it not been for the fact that we knew the tribe as a whole would be prejudiced against Christian Missionaries if we had so acted. In the broad interests of Christ's kingdom and of the Akamba people, we therefore refrained from exciting any bad feelings by continuing to hold control over any of those whose lives we had been able in the providence of God to save.
It was marvelous how the natives took to wearing a piece of cloth after the famine had passed by. During the previous years, beads and wire alone were in request, and we had just received a large supply of these before the dearth came, and our storeroom was well stocked with the usual varieties. These lay there for two years unsought by a single native. In fact, during that terrible time of trial, no native would have accepted a gift of all the valuable beads and wire we had in stock, which had cost a large sum of money in transport alone. The corpses of thousands of men and women were lying about the bush throughout the country, still covered with wire and beads, and yet no native would have attempted to touch these trinkets. Nor did they think it worth their while to lift from the ground the huge and valuable hip ornaments of kiketi beads, of which starving women in their dying agonies had unburdened themselves, throwing them into the jungle. I often thought so shall it be one day with some of our European sisters who now adorn their bodies to profusion with costly jewels and extravagant clothing. They too shall throw aside in disgust all their foolish things as unworthy of a thought or wish: while those women who are born of God and clothed in Christ’s righteousness whose adornment is the hidden man of the heart"—the day of their departure will be the day of their coronation, when they shall awake in His likeness.
When the famine passed by our entire stock of barter goods was as useless to us as if the storeroom had been filled with common rocks from the neighboring stream. Calico alone was then in demand. The men did not use it at all as a covering in the day time, but fringing the ends to a fingers length, they plastered the cloth on both sides with an unctuous mixture of oil and red earth, and. doubling it into a long fold of about four or five inches wide, they threw it over their neck and allowed it to hang down from their shoulders in front, like surplice bands. At night-time, when lying out during periods of hunting or travel, they would envelope themselves in the partially air and waterproof covering which shielded their bodies from the lowered temperature.
Shortly after the famine, one of our little boys was brought to the verge of the grave through a sickness of dysenteric fever. My husband and I had been laid low with attacks of fever so frequently that we had become used to them as a natural part of our life in tropical Africa. But apart from the terrible and excruciating agony suffered during the time of the plague of jiggers, our children had enjoyed wonderfully good health. Everything that my husband could do for the child had been done, and for many days and nights we watched by his bed while at the very point of death. When it seemed as if the boy could not recover and that the end was near, it pleased the Lord to stop the course of the disease and raise him up.
When recovered and strong enough to mount a donkey, he accompanied us on some of our itinerating tours. On one of these, when we were placed in a position of great danger, he acted with considerable calm under very hard conditions.
Towards the end of a hard day's march my husband and I were passing along a narrow native pathway with a caravan of porters, while our little boy rode before me on his donkey. As we were moving slowly forward in single file my husband, who was always keeping a sharp lookout for the safety of the caravan, saw some distance ahead of us a large number of vultures, which were devouring the remains of some carcass which had evidently been brought to earth by a lion. When we reached the place we found the huge, keen-eyed vultures greedily feeding in a cluster, about twenty yards from the path we were pursuing. My husband left the track, saying to me that he was going over to see what species of animal had been killed.
As he walked towards the flock of bare-necked, rapacious birds, whose continually moving feathers were glistening in the bright sun, he felt his eyes somewhat dazzled by the glimmer, and, just as he turned his head to one side to rest them for a moment, there arose before his feet—not more than three yards away—an immense lion who seemed desperately angry and bowled out a deep, rumbling growl.
My husband, having nothing in his hand, was transfixed for the moment, and I and my little boy, who reined in his donkey, stood in awe and blank amazement, but neither of us spoke a word. Our men seemed utterly confused at the situation. To raise any fuss or noise would certainly have meant the immediate death of my husband and probably of others in our party.
The infuriated beast, who was becoming more angry at every moment, switching his tufted tail from side to side, seemed about to spring, but my husband kept his position as if he were an immovable statue, with his eyes sternly fixed upon the lion.
Seeing him cautiously put his hand behind his back as if feeling for something, I whispered to the man near to me to take the rifle to the Bwana. He looked amazed at the request, but immediately made his way there, rifle in hand, seeking to hide himself from the lion's view behind the figure of my husband. The suspense grew more intense with every moment. I sought in prayer the aid of my loving Heavenly Father, and momentarily the lion moved two or three steps away but turned again as if loath to leave the intruder, whose relentless gaze was still fixed upon the King of Beasts. Just before the native reached the spot the great feline again moved slowly away, though stopping now and again and looking back as if still inclined to charge. My husband was too excited to shoot with precision, and, fearing he might only wound him and thus hazard the lives of the whole caravan, he allowed the huge lion to pass on unmolested.
If my husband had lost his nerve or withdrawn from the lion his fixed gaze or assumed any offensive attitude, then, humanly speaking, he would have been smitten to earth and mortally mauled in a moment. The lion's courage, which knows no dread and heeds no repulse, can only be subdued, under the providence of Almighty God, by exercising the power that rests in the human eye which was bestowed upon man by the Omniscient Creator. Even then, without God’s help, such an encounter can be deadly.
Proceeding for several hours with our tired and hungry porters through the rolling wilds of some wooded jungle, we were eager of getting some meat for the camp, as on our shoulders rested the responsibility of the commissariat department, but nothing fit for the pot came within view. The caravan was skirting the thick, dense, and almost impassable growth which sprung from the banks of a river bed. The country around was fairly well wooded with huge, overspreading trees which studded the landscape, and underneath these great umbrella acacias the ground was dotted with a scrubby undergrowth which blocked the vision. Along the way the spoor of pachyderms had been seen, and several rhinoceros bowers or resting-places were passed in which these gigantic, solitude-loving animals enjoyed their daily rest. We were therefore hopeful that some of them might be found.
Hark! What is that crackling, rustling noise in the dry, dense bush? Some mammoth beast must be emerging from his lair! Every eye was turned towards the place from which the sound emanated, and the gunbearer exclaimed in an agony of despair, "Bwana! Tazama! Mabuzya manene maili mekuuka kwitu!" (Sir! Look! Two huge rhinoceroses are coming for us!) and no sooner were the words uttered than every native was ready to flee for his life except the gunbearer.
My husband saw within ten yards of him the two enormous rhinos, charging furiously unto the point of the rifle which he had just lifted. There was not the slightest chance of shooting any vulnerable part of the infuriated animals, for they came rushing with lowered head, which blocked any aim for the heart and lungs, while the two huge horns which mounted their prominent head shielded the brain. Within six yards of the spot where my husband stood, a thick, leafless bush rose out of the dry earth; and, as the beasts avoided this in their onward rush, they swerved a little, and just at that moment he got a side shot at the heart of one of them, who immediately fell, turning right over on his back with his four pillar-like legs straight up in air. The second continued his course a few yards beyond the fallen beast, and then turned right round to see what had become of his mate, when three well-directed shots, as quickly fired as the trigger could be pulled, laid him low within a short distance of his dead companion.
Our camp was then pitched underneath a giant tree whose umbrageous limbs stretched out over a wide area. Lions were very numerous in that part of the bush, and it was necessary to keep up large fires during the night. Huge piles of dry, fallen timber were gathered in heaps around the camp.
In the fading hours of evening, our native porters are busy handling their crude iron blades in cutting up the meat, and whittling sticks on which they will soon roast it over the red-hot embers of the fires.
How weird the camp looks when twilight is about to be swallowed up by the oncoming darkness. The naked forms of the dusky natives are seen moving with soft, silent footsteps over the grassy turf, making preparations for the approaching night. Sounds ring out on the still atmosphere of the tropical evening which are never heard throughout the hours of sunshine. Insects and reptiles that are inactive, and birds and animals that are dormant during the day, now begin to call and whistle and chirp and laugh and growl and roar.
As the gloaming light vanishes, and it vanishes very rapidly on the equator, the great, rolling vegetation around assumes fantastic and phantom-like forms. The smoke of the kindling campfires now curls underneath the spreading trees, and soon the red blaze breaks forth from the piles of dry wood, and the flame leaps higher and higher until the surrounding forest is transformed by the ruddy light.
On the ground, creeping forms that would delight the heart of any eager naturalist buzz and croak and hum. The hyena howls with a monotonous dismal tone. The jackal gives forth his peculiar and invariable cry of "Em-bay-wa," always accenting and prolonging the first syllable. Zebra chuckle with a whinnying giggle. Leopards grunt; and a sound which drowns and overwhelms every other sound is the bellowing sound of the King of Beasts, which rolls throughout the forest, and lends to the tropical night its greatest mysterious enchantment.
Beyond the lighted circle of our encampment everything is wrapped in invisible blackness, where roam the prowling animals of the forest. Rhinos crash through the intertwining creepers and matted bush in their night-time wanderings. The experienced traveler is aware of the rapidity with which one of these pachyderms may plunge into the heart of the camp, and of the stealthy steps with which the great lions approach, when careless watchers allow the fires to get low or go out.
As we retire to rest the guards pitch some fresh logs of wood upon the flickering flames, and showers of sparks rise up to meet the twinkling stars, which sparkle in the midnight sky. With the dawning of the morning the work of a new day has begun, and we are off through the long grass, which is heavily covered with the dew of the night. Our clothing is soon drenched right up to the waist, but the red ball, which is causing the fragments of light cloud that hang over the eastern horizon to blush, will, in a short space of time, chase away every trace of moisture from the dew-covered grass. When these diamonds of the morning have disappeared in the heated atmosphere, our garments too will be comfortably dry.
On we march through thrilling scenes of animated nature. Antelopes of many species pasture and sport together in large numbers among the scattered bushes which dot the plain. Sleek-coated and beautifully marked gazelles strut along in stately procession, led by half a dozen bucks, whose heads are decorated with heavy and graceful horns. Three or four stray giraffe move across the landscape with their heads towering above the acacias, from which they lop their food. On one hand, hundreds of zebra with their beautiful glittering stripes stand out enchantingly against the dark green plant life of the clumps of vegetation which border their pasture ground. The scene is flanked on the other side by a countless herd of playful and frolicsome wildebeest with their long, shaggy manes and frontal tufts, which they manage to pitch from side to side in a whimsical and, indeed, odd manner.
One could watch for hours with pleasure and profit these charming animals which adorn the solitudes of the wilderness. From them our thoughts go up to the beneficent Creator upon whose bounty they exist. "The eyes of them all wait upon Thee and Thou givest them their food in due season. Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing."
Entering a low, depressed valley, we were soon entangled in thick growth, through which it was difficult to make much progress. There were no tracks except those of rhinoceroses, and these bulky inhabitants of the forest on their browsing rambles often travel in a circle, so that the passages they had beaten through the bush were not of much use to us. Our course was directed towards a populated tract of country, which we desired to reach before sundown. Sometimes we came to impassable barriers in the shape of deep gullies, in which wild boars rolled and reveled to their hearts' content. Again we marched right up to the brink of a deep and steep ravine, where monkeys swayed and swung from tree to tree.
Changing our direction, we skirted these natural obstructions and pushed forward towards our goal. Although it was several hours past midday, the red sun beamed in the heavens in all his equatorial splendor and power, and the hot air was so sultry and oppressive that we could not overcome the feeling of weariness and sleepiness, which had been induced by the relaxing heat and the exertions of the march.
While resting for some time in the shade of the forest trees, one of our natives, who had climbed a little hill that rose suddenly from the surface of the wooded area on which we rested, beckoned to the Bwana to come to him, while meantime he fell flat on his face to earth. Thinking that the man had seen some lions, for we were in the midst of a lion-infested district, my husband clutched his rifle and went forward towards the mound on which the native lay. Removing his helmet, he crawled up the elevated surface of the hill pushing his rifle before him; and when the eye gained the top he saw, not more than a hundred yards beyond, a herd of boars wallowing in a luxurious, lily-covered swamp, while their white, curved tusks gleamed in the bright sunlight. With their flat-disked snouts they delved underneath the rich-tinted flowers, and gleefully splashed one another with mud, stumbling and floundering in swinish joy.
My husband thought the men would like a change of food, and, selecting a sturdy boar who turned his jowl towards the rifle, he covered him and fired. When the animal dropped there was an exciting and lively scene. In the stampede which followed the crack of the rifle, every pig of the troop, with tail high in air, sought to get ahead of every other pig in the terrible rush for cover and safety. Seized with fright and overcome with terror, they jostled against one another in their headlong and hasty flight, and never stopped till the bush covered every hog from our view.
When our men had rested their weary limbs, and regaled themselves with the pork chops which they had roasted over the fire, we started out in the cool of the evening to reach the human habitations which lay beyond the wooded wilderness. Every effort was put forth to accomplish our projects, for we encountered, with alarming frequency, the spoor of lions and rhinoceroses, while the jungle was so thick that there was no opportunity of becoming aware of what lurked but a few yards from our footsteps.
We had our Muscat donkeys with us, but only on short stretches could I ride, as it was impossible in places to mount the animal without getting torn and lacerated by the intertwining branches, so that a good part of our long journey had to be done on foot. Our little son was put on a carrying-chair, and it was with the greatest difficulty at times that the carriers could manage to pull it through the dense bush.
When the sun set we were still within a good many miles of our destination, and, as the blanket of night fell around us, we were much uncomfortable in our attempts to press forward. A few of the men were almost paralyzed with fear, and at every sound they were ready to pitch down their loads and give themselves up to fear. We had our candle lantern lighted, but this was only a safeguard against carnivores to the men in front, while, to those in the rear, it only made the darkness seem still more dense and offered them very little assurance of protection. The thick jungle was intersected, at intervals, with long, narrow swamps of about fifteen to twenty feet wide. What length they were we knew not. Often we tried to run parallel with them, in the hope that we might find their longitudinal bounds and so avoid having to cross the marsh, but we were doomed to disappointment every time.
It was a difficult task to cross these narrow bogs, for our men sunk in them at times over the knee; and on more than one occasion we had to pull out bodily our Muscat steeds, who got implanted in the soft vegetation. The men usually carried my son in his chair, and, leaving him on the further bank, came back for me, but on one occasion the forward man sank so deeply that it was with great difficulty he was able to struggle to the opposite bank, leaving me and the chair in the middle of the swamp. The man in the rear of the chair attempted to take me on his shoulder, and as he did so, he seemed in the darkness of the night to disappear underneath me, and left me floundering in the mud. In some way he reached the other side, for ultimately the two men caught hold of me and hauled me out of the spongy mire. My husband was taken across in the same manner as myself, but, being heavier than he, I fared much worse, and we were both spattered with muddy slime.
On we pressed, hoping still to emerge from the thick jungle and camp on the pathway ahead, but in the pitch darkness we and our men were continually stumbling, because of the variation of the surface of the ground.
Due to the large number of rhinoceroses which ranged the bush, and carnivores being especially abundant in that particular district, we thought it wiser to pitch camp at once than to run the risk of going on any further. Our cook had already dropped by the way with fear, thinking every moment that one of the many lions which prowled in the vicinity might spring upon him.
Striking a little bit of ground where there were no trees blocking our path, we gave orders for a fire to be kindled. It was impossible, in the black darkness of the night, for the men to procure firewood without running considerable risk to their lives. A little grass, however, was first lighted, and then some bramble and dry twigs were added to the flames; and as the surrounding blackness was gradually lighted the increasing light, large, dry limbs of fallen trees were obtained, and soon there was a roaring fire, around which the men gathered in joy after their difficult and dangerous experiences.
The tent was pitched, and underneath the natural, leafy bowers of the jungle additional fires were made, and the meat which had been brought to camp was soon frizzling over the coals. While the men were enjoying their evening rest, in the comparative security which was furnished by the blazing fires, the forest was echoing with the various sounds of the night animals and carnivorous birds. The many species of owls add considerably to the volume of night-time noise, and these have often disturbed my needed rest with their penetrating and persistent hooting. Some of their notes are so deep and sad as to make the lonely forest weep with sheer melancholy, while others shriek and hiss and scream until midnight arrives with their noisy clamor. There goes the most monotonous note of all, as it sounds my African name in loud but mournful tempo, "Beebee! Beebee! Beebee!"
As we start out in the early dawn, tortoises of various shades and coloring are busily engaged feeding upon the tender, dew-covered plants of the morning. Sometimes our men toss them over with their feet, when they instantly withdraw their head and limbs underneath their beautifully-tinted armor plates. So hard is their shell, that even the powerful tusks of a hyena cannot crush it, although these scavengers freely chew the bones of the rhinoceros.
Along the river bank large water tortoises lurk and lay their eggs, burying them in the sand after the manner of the crocodile. Some of these are very ravenous reptiles and live primarily on flesh and fish.
As we move along, flocks of guinea fowl and shy bustards seek to get out of our path. Yonder stalks the secretary bird with his feather behind his ear. How bold and stately is his step! The native tribes of the interior almost worship this bird, for with great dexterity he accomplishes daily a feat which very few natives would ever attempt, that of killing a snake. Sometimes he will strike the deadly serpent on the head with his beak and then greedily eat it. If the snake is very alert and too difficult to conquer, the secretary will rise up about twenty feet in air and swoop down upon the reptile with lightning speed, catch it by the neck in his beak, and soaring to a great height will let it fall to earth, and then, following it, will feast upon it.
Reaching the goal of our journey very early in the day, we pitched our tent among the natives of the district. In a short time there was a fairly large gathering around us, and we told them to go and bring all their friends as we had some glad news to deliver to them. Soon we had a large audience, mostly of men of mature age, for the women were busy in the gardens at that time of day.
We were greatly struck with the vast change which had passed over the people of the district, since my husband had delivered his former message in that part of the country. They were now quite eager to hear the message of God's love to them, as manifested in the Lord Jesus Christ. They listened as men who had been brought to the brink of the grave, for every individual in that crowd had recently been in the agonizing grasp of the great and terrible famine.
God alone knows what the harvest may be; but we believe that the hills and valleys of that country shall soon echo with the praises of men and women who have rejoiced in the knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Continuing our homeward course, we struck out over a bare plain, which terminated in sparsely-wooded glades, within several miles of, and about one thousand feet below, our Mission Station. There on that treeless expanse, two Europeans, whom we knew intimately, had recently lost their lives through meeting with lions. The first was Captain Godfrey, who had been sent out by the Government in command of some native soldiers. My husband was very much friends with him, as he had helped to save his life one day, when he had fallen seriously ill in the jungle and was unable to move.
The Captain, who had several soldiers with him, was out shooting, and seeing a lion in the distance he immediately fired at it, hitting it well but not giving it a fatal stroke. The lion immediately charged, and Captain Godfrey was able to send another bullet through the heart. The fierce feline, however, came forward with a plunge, and caught the European by the center of the body in his huge jaws, and carried him away. The soldiers who were alongside the Captain when he was caught, started striking the lion on the head with the butt-ends of their rifles, as they were afraid to shoot, fearing they might hit their officer. Dropping the Captain out of his mouth, the lion jumped upon one of the native soldiers and mauled him, when one of his comrades fired, shooting the fierce animal through the brain. It was then found that Captain Godfrey was beyond hope, as the infuriated beast had crunched through his vitals at the first bite.
The second gentleman who lost his life on the same plain was a Mr. Lucas, who, with two other men, were mounted upon horses. While riding along, Lucas found that he was approaching a lioness, and, raising his rifle from the saddle, he fired at the animal and wounded her severely. All the same, she immediately charged and leaping upon the horse, brought him and his rider instantly to the ground. The feline then let go the horse and caught Lucas, who in a moment of time was torn and lacerated in a frightful manner. One of his friends shot the lioness, tossing her over, but already her deadly work had been done and poor Mr. Lucas died.
Many others have since lost their lives on the same bare plateau, and, just as these notes are being put together for this book, there comes the news that Mr. Gray, the brother of our Foreign Secretary, has fallen a victim to one of the lions of this carnivore infested plain.
On one occasion, while passing along a good way ahead of the caravan and quite unarmed, my husband had a wonderful and thrilling experience. He saw in the dim distance an animal coming trotting towards him, which from its size he at first took to be a young rhinoceros. As it approached nearer to him, however, he could see its long mane shaking with every movement of its body and he realized that it was an immense lion, the largest he had ever seen in the wilds of Africa. When the lion got within about sixty yards of my husband he ceased to trot, and then walked towards him in an angry mood, lashing the air with his tufted tail. On came the ferocious-looking monster with steady and determined step, which increased by one hundred-fold the fears which already had found a place in my husband's heart. His great proportions were more truly understood as he strode nearer, with his huge shoulder-blades moving the mane up and down at every tread of his powerful paws. My husband fixed his eyes steadily upon him, as every footfall brought him more immediately near; and raising up his heart to God, he prayed for that protection which had been so often granted to him in the hour of need.
Some yards away from the place where my husband stood, there rose from the bare plain a solitary bush of wait-a-bit thorn. When the lion reached this shrub he paused behind it, hiding his face from view, while his great loins were fully visible. In one or two minutes' time he turned and walked away, leaving my husband standing gazing at his retreating form.
Those who are only familiar with the imperfectly developed lions, which from their infantile cubhood have been brought up with broken spirits, behind iron bars, or within caged enclosures, where exercise has been impossible and the conditions of existence so contrary to the laws of nature, cannot possibly form a correct idea of the huge size and mighty energy of a mature lion of the forest wilds, who is daily obliged to range over scores of miles of jungle growth ere he has an opportunity of pouncing upon his very watchful prey.
With one blow of that strong, sinewy paw that has never been shackled or enslaved in a zoo, he can with the greatest ease throw over a sturdy zebra, or, seizing a powerful wildebeest by the throat in his teeth, shortly drag him to the earth. My husband has seen the King of Beasts carry off an animal of six hundred pounds' weight in his jaws, and the burden seemed no more to him than a rat would be to a dog. At times, with a terrific and incredible spring of twenty-five feet, he will throw himself upon the prey, knocking it flat to the ground, when he tears open the abdomen with his mighty claws, and with one stroke rakes out the vitals.
As the caravan proceeded on its way over some deep earth rifts, the sides of which were covered with great, weather-beaten boulders, we struck a long, flat strip of grassy land which ran for a great distance between two of these clefts. Along this stretch of green, lush grass our porters made their homeward way, until one of them called attention to a rhinoceros and her calf, which were browsing some distance ahead. We were anxious to get home that evening, and did not wish to shoot any more meat for our men, as it would prevent us reaching the Mission Station that night.
The wind was blowing strongly from us towards the rhinoceros, and already she was aware of our presence. This was seen by the way she rushed to and fro, sometimes charging towards us, and again rushing back for her calf. One thing was certain, she was not likely to enter the deep ravine on either side, whose precipitous slopes were bestrewn in great confusion with huge blocks of stone, for the feet of the pachyderms can get no hold upon a rocky surface, and they never risk situations of that nature.
The enraged animal, who was desperately anxious to protect her young, must either charge towards us or retire from off the narrow, confined plateau. She seemed dubious as to which way she ought to adopt. I suppose she was anxious to charge and scatter her human foes to the winds, but then what about her baby? She must vigilantly guard it from danger.
Our men had already thrown down their loads, and were anxiously waiting the course of events, while my husband scanned through his field glasses the movements of the animal, who was then about four hundred and fifty yards distant.
In another moment the die was cast, and the huge beast had decided to make straight for us. She first started at a walking pace, with head erect, sniffing the air, and then broke into a determined charge. Dropping the glasses, my husband seized his rifle; and asking the gunbearer to stand in front of him, he leaned the weapon upon the native's shoulder to wait an opportune moment for pulling the trigger. The beast immediately whirled her head around to see if the baby was following, when he covered her neck and fired. She instantly dropped.
Once more the glasses were used, but no trace of movement could be discerned save that the baby trotted up to her side. There she lay like a mass of black rock with her young one standing by. We could not believe that she was dead, as we thought the distance too great to accomplish so much with a small rifle, for the animal was fully four hundred yards away.
Gradually approaching the fallen animal, my husband fired at the carcass, but there was no response. He forthwith sent his men to catch the baby rhino, who charged them gallantly, with the result that every man fled helter-skelter from the scene. Inasmuch as the calf could not survive without his mother, he was brought to earth with a bullet.
We left the majority of the porters to camp beside the meat, while we, with a smaller number of men, reached the station that evening, and sent a crowd of willing natives the following morning to carry the flesh to the hearths of their wives and children among the Ukamba hills.