My First Voyage to Southern SeasKingston, William Henry Giles
General
My First Voyage to Southern Seas
Kingston, William Henry Giles
Oceania -- Juvenile fiction; Voyages and travels -- Juvenile fiction
There are four varieties of the rhinoceros--two white and two black.
The black are smaller, and by far the fiercer of the two. They will
turn round and charge their pursuers, ploughing up the ground with their
horns. They are subject to paroxysms of rage, when they will attack a
bush or a tree, and with loud snorts and blowing they will plough up the
ground round it, and charge it till they have broken it in pieces. Is
not this the animal referred to by Job when he says, "Canst thou bind
the unicorn with his hand in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys
after thee? Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt
thou leave thy labour to him? Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring
home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn?" (Job xxxix. 10-12).
Not finding water as we expected, we had to walk on till it was very
nearly dark, when we came to a large pool fed by a stream which appeared
never to be dry. On going round it, however, to find a convenient place
to dip in our water-bottles, we discovered so many traces of lions,
elephants, rhinoceroses, and other savage animals, that we agreed it
would be wiser to pitch our camp at some distance from the spot. We
accordingly pushed on an eighth of a mile or so out of sight of the
water, and built our hut and lighted our fire.
We were cooking some of our antelope flesh, and I had put on our
saucepan to boil the water for our tea, when by some carelessness I
upset it. To go without our tea would have been most disagreeable, so I
at once jumped up and said that I would go off and replenish it. Bigg
wanted to go and let me stay.
"No, no," I answered; "it was through my fault that the water was lost;
it is my duty to get some more. You keep up the fire and take care of
the camp." Just as I was going off I took up my rifle. "I'll have my
old friend with me," I observed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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