that assurance was fulfilled, for when the hampton party arrived on the scene tall warriors armed with spears and with clappers for producing a particularly atrocious racket already had spread in a wide circle around the marsh.
mabele who had preceded them came running up with the intelligence that a huge rhinoceros, the largest seen in that district for a long time, had been observed entering the marsh the preceding night. although a plains animal, yet it resembles its river-loving brother, the hippopotamus, in its regard for cool damp spots. and this marsh was a noted haunt of the rhinos.
many acres in extent, the marsh stretched away ahead in an expanse of tall reeds and low trees. and although the boys knew at least two score beaters were converging toward the plain edging the marsh where they had taken their station, yet they could not see them. now and then, however, the sound of a clapper could be heard. nor was there any sign of the rhino.
three motion picture cameras had been brought along, so as to photograph every phase of the hunt. and niellsen, jack and frank were to operate them. bob, the best shot of the three boys, and mr. hampton constituted the armed hunters of the party. they were not to kill the monster until good pictures had been obtained first of the rhino emerging from the swamp and of the beaters converging upon his lair.
as the most expert of the operators, niellsen had elected to go into the marsh with his camera and follow up the beaters. and mr. hampton accompanied him as his protector. this left the three boys alone in the plain.
it was a morning of blazing sunshine and, early though the hour, the day already had become uncomfortably warm. frank suffered especially, as he lugged his big camera to a vantage point some distance from jack so that they would be able to take in the scene from various angles.
“if the rhino charges you, what will you do?” asked bob, carrying frank’s film box.
“i’m going to run,” said frank. “what d’you think?”
“doesn’t a sense of duty to your employers fill your breast?” demanded bob, as if in surprise. “i should think you’d stick on the burning deck and let the rhino charge right over you in order to get a picture of him in action.”
“you’ve got another think coming,” replied frank, coming to a halt and adjusting the tripod. “guess this is far enough away from jack.”
“but just think,” persisted bob, “of what a gorgeous picture it would make. imagine sitting in a theatre at home and suddenly seeing a huge rhino come lumbering toward you, as if he were going to charge right out of the screen and into the audience.”
“talk to jack,” said frank coolly. “i can’t hear you. whoo, it’s hot. wish the battle would begin.”
close at hand in the marsh, as if his words had been a signal, a tremendous uproar of cries broke out interspersed with the racheting sound of the clappers in the hands of the native beaters.
“better get ready,” advised bob. “that sounds pretty close.”
frank leaped to his feet, all eagerness, the lassitude of the moment before forgotten, and took his place at the camera.
“see anything yet?” he called.
“no,” said bob. “and i don’t hear any shots, either. so i suppose jack’s father isn’t potting away. but what an infernal din those beaters are putting up.”
the noise died down, became more remote, and frank relaxed his tense attitude at the camera, while bob once more laid down his rifle.
“huh. guess the rhino headed for another direction.”
“i suppose so,” said frank. “certainly the beaters are withdrawing.”
once more they were alone on the sunny plain with its tall buffalo grass, alone except for jack whose head and chest only could be seen above the tall grass some distance away. he waved a hand and they replied similarly, but he was too far away to make himself heard except by shouting and so did not call to them.
perhaps five minutes had elapsed during which no immediate sounds except the drone of huge flies and the tiny hum of insects broke the somnolent stillness. the boys spoke now and then in low voices, but in the main were silent. bob’s keen glance played continually along the edge of the marsh, but frank had taken seat on the film box and was sunk in revery.
suddenly bob’s hand gripped his shoulder, and bob’s voice whispered low:
“sh. here he comes.”
frank sprang to his feet and gazed in the direction indicated by bob.
a huge brute with dark, dun-colored hide had parted the reeds of the marsh not fifty yards away. he stood sideways at the edge of the plain, formidable horned head lifted as if listening to the distant sounds of the beaters.
“he eluded them in some way,” whispered frank. “what a picture.”
swinging the lens of the camera about until he brought the rhino into focus, he began to turn the crank.
the rhino abandoned his listening attitude and, dropping his head, began to move slowly forward on a line bringing him midway between jack and frank. although his legs were short and ponderous, so huge was his body that it towered above the buffalo grass which parted before him like water before a scow.
over him fluttered a perfect cloud of small birds, like a swarm of bees hiving on a bough. they made continual darts at the huge back, picking off ticks and performing his toilet for him. the boys had heard this phenomenon described, but had never witnessed it, the only rhinos they had seen heretofore being those captives in zoos.
now and again as he moved slowly along, the huge beast would lift his head. and at such times he gave the watching, spell-bound boys the impression that he was sniffing the air as if in search of his arch-enemy, man.
realizing that should the rhino become aware of jack’s presence and charge him, his comrade would be without protection as he had the sole rifle of the outfit, bob crouching low began making his way to a point in the rear of the rhino where he could afford protection to jack as well as frank.
and well it was that he took this precaution. for a time the rhino continued his slow advance on the line which would avoid both boys, stopping occasionally to repeat his gesture of lifting his head as if to sniff. bob suddenly recalled that, although the day was calm, still there was a bit of breeze blowing, and that it came from jack’s direction. frank, therefore, was to leeward of the rhino and fairly safe from detection, as the great beast is short-sighted. but jack was to windward and might be detected.
remembering what he had heard of rhinos to the effect that they are short-tempered and fearless, bob hurried the more and presently found himself in the broad trail beaten down by the rhino and not far behind him. ahead, not twenty yards away, he could see the grotesque, broad quarters of the beast.
“the thinnest spot in the rhino’s armor is immediately behind the foreleg, and that is his most vulnerable spot,” mr. hampton had said on parting.
bob remembered. he remembered, too, that the high-powered rifle he carried was guaranteed to shoot a steel-jacketted bullet that would penetrate even rhino hide. and the range was close enough. he breathed more freely, now that he had come to such close quarters. his momentary panic at thought of jack’s danger began to disappear.
anyhow, he said to himself, the rhino appeared likely to stalk clear out of the picture, without ever spotting the presence of his photographers to either side.
but bob was mistaken. suddenly the monster swerved to the right without warning and charged with amazing swiftness directly toward jack who was not more than thirty yards away. his great head jerked at every lurch.
bob started running through the grass at a tangent which would place him close to the beast before the latter could arrive at jack’s post. he cast a glance in jack’s direction, expecting to see the latter pick up his camera and decamp, but was amazed and alarmed to see jack busily grinding away.
“great guns,” he muttered, “that rhino must be charging directly into the camera. why doesn’t jack run?”
but jack continued at his post, and the truth was, as bob dashing forward in alarm suspected, that in making the most of his wonderful opportunity to obtain a film of the rhino charging head-on he had forgotten for a moment the important consideration of looking out for his own safety.
