The Rhinoceros Hunt part 2/4
Within three days the
viceroy and other high officials of the district came for a rhino hunt. Our
master summoned the headmen of the surrounding villages, together with many hunters and trackers and
porters, as an escort for the dignitaries.
After everyone had gathered
together at dawn, we set out for
the forest, The officials were on horseback and
the village people followed behind, carrying spears and knives and bamboo drums.
Porters carried food
in bags and baskets made of bark and string; otherwise, they were unarmed except for their machetes.
Now, hunting rhinos
is quite different from hunting other animals. You have to set up a base of operations in the forest and bring enough food for three
or four days. So we brought along many bags of rice and pots to cook it in,
besides the rice that was already prepared.
"And what was your load?" I asked.
"So you didn't carry
any food?"
"No, those of us who were personal attendants of the master had to depend upon
him for our food. But he was always very generous
about giving us plenty of leftovers." And the old man went on with his story: It was
still morning when we reached the forest;
the day was just beginning to get
hot. We started building some huts, strong enough for overnight
shelter, in a wide, open field. When
the villagers arrived, they were divided
into several groups. Then they set out in different directions, leaving behind only the men working on the huts. Each group was led by a village
headman and an official with a rifle. There were about twenty rifles in all.
The viceroy and
the rest of the officials set off
for the place of ambush. This was an open field where a platform already stood-no, not
just a platform, but more of a hut built above
the ground with live trees
for poles. Branches that had
grown around the hut were cut away to
give a good view, and the riflemen climbed
into the hut to wait. It was a
very pleasant place for an
ambush. If a rhino showed himself anywhere
in that vicinity, a single well-aimed
shot would soon bring him down.
All day long the
bamboo drums could be heard faintly in the distance as the beaters
searched for the rhinos; it seemed as though the sound would never end. Nothing happened all
that first day. Things began again the next morning; the surrounding circle of beaters with their drums grew gradually smaller. But again night came without any
sign of a rhino.
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