Twice were members of his
band mauled, and one was killed by a huge and bellicose rhinoceros;
but the instant the action was over, it was as though it never had
occurred. The dead man was stripped of his belongings and left
where he had died; the carnivora would take care of his burial.
The trophies that these Kro-lu left to the meat-eaters would have
turned an English big-game hunter green with envy. They did, it
is true, cut all the edible parts from the rhino and carry them
home; but already they were pretty well weighted down with the
spoils of the chase, and only the fact that they are particularly
fond of rhino-meat caused them to do so.
They left the hide on the pieces they selected, as they use it
for sandals, shield-covers, the hilts of their knives and various
other purposes where tough hide is desirable. I was much interested
in their shields, especially after I saw one used in defense against
the attack of a saber-tooth tiger. The huge creature had charged
us without warning from a clump of dense bushes where it was lying
up after eating. It was met with an avalanche of spears, some of
which passed entirely through its body, with such force were they
hurled. The charge was from a very short distance, requiring
the use of the spear rather than the bow and arrow; but after the
launching of the spears, the men not directly in the path of the
charge sent bolt after bolt into the great carcass with almost
incredible rapidity.
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