Forest and Frontiers | Page 2

the river, which, although
narrow, I knew they would be very reluctant to do.
I now sat in my saddle, anxiously waiting the arrival of my dogs; and
whilst thus momentarily disengaged, I was much struck with the
majestic and truly appalling appearance which these four noble lions
exhibited. They were all full-grown immense males; and I felt, I must
confess, a little nervous, and very uncertain as to what might be the
issue of the attack. When the dogs came up I rode right in towards the
lions. They sprang to their feet, and trotted slowly down along the bank
of the river, once or twice halting and facing about for half a minute.
Immediately below them their was a small determined bend in the
stream, forming a sort of peninsula. Into this bend they disappeared,
and next moment I was upon them with my dogs. They had taken
shelter in a dense angle of the peninsula, well sheltered by high trees
and reeds. Into this retreat the dogs at once boldly followed them,
making a loud barking, which was instantly followed by the terrible
voices of the lions, which turned about and charged to the edge of the
cover. Next moment, however, I heard them plunge into the river, when
I sprang from my horse, and, running to the top of the bank, I saw three
of them ascending the opposite bank, the dogs following. One of them
bounded away across the open plain at top speed, but the other two,
finding themselves followed by the dogs, immediately turned to bay.
It was now my turn, so, taking them coolly right and left with my little
rifle, I made the most glorious double shot that a sportsman's heart
could desire, disabling them both in the shoulder before they were even
aware of my position. Then snatching up my other gun from Carey,
who that moment had ridden up to my assistance, I finished the first
lion with a shot about the heart, and brought the second to a standstill
by disabling him in his hind quarters. He quickly crept into a dense,
wide, dark green bush, in which for a long time it was impossible to
obtain a glimpse of him. At length, a clod of earth falling near his
hiding-place, he made a move which disclosed to me his position, when
I finished him with three more shots, all along the middle of his back.
Carey swam across the river to flog off the dogs; and when these came

through to me, I beat up the peninsula in quest of the fourth lion, which
had, however, made off. We then crossed the river a little higher up,
and proceeded to view the noble prizes I had won. Both lions were well
up in their years; I kept the skin and skull of the finest specimen, and
only the nails and tail of the other, one of whose canine teeth was worn
down to the socket with the caries, which seemed to have affected his
general condition.
Mr. Cumming Hunting Rhinoceroses.
Mr. Cumming thus describes his encounter with some rhinoceroses and
an eland, in the country of the Bechuanas.
It was on the 4th of June, 1844, that I beheld for the first time the
rhinoceros. Having taken some coffee, I rode out unattended, with my
rifle, and before proceeding far I fell in with a huge white rhinoceros
with a large calf, standing in a thorny grove. Getting my wind she set
off at top speed through thick thorny bushes, the calf, as is invariably
the case, taking the lead, the mother guiding its course by placing her
horn, generally about three feet in length, against its ribs.
My horse shied very much at first, alarmed at the strange appearance of
"Chukuroo," but by a sharp application of spur and jambok I prevailed
upon him to follow, and presently, the ground improving, I got
alongside, and, firing at the gallop, sent a bullet through her shoulder.
She continued her pace with blood streaming from the wound, and very
soon reached an impracticable thorny jungle, where I could not follow,
and instantly lost her. In half an hour I fell in with the second
rhinoceros, being an old bull of the white variety. Dismounting, I crept
within twenty yards, and saluted him with both barrels in the shoulder,
upon which he made off, uttering a loud blowing noise, and upsetting
every thing that obstructed his progress.
Shortly after this I found myself on the banks of the stream, beside
which my wagons were outspanned. Following along its margin, I
presently beheld a bull of the borele, or black rhinoceros, standing
within a hundred yards of me. Dismounting from my horse, I secured
him to a tree, and then stalked