Off to the Wilds Part 42

"Shure an' it's a big shtone, and nothing else, and--murther, it's moving, and coming here."

Dinny hardly knew himself how he did it, but in a kind of desperation he took aim at the rhinoceros, and drew trigger.

The result was a sharp crack, that seemed to echo into distance far away, and mingled with the echoes there was a furious grunting roar.

For Dinny had hit the rhinoceros. In fact, aiming at it as he did, with the barrel of his piece upon the large trunk, it would have been almost impossible to miss. But as he heard the roar Dinny turned and ran, stumbled, saved himself, and hid behind a tree.

"Murther, but it's awful work," he muttered, as his trembling fingers placed a second cartridge in the rifle.

Then, all being silent, Dinny stole out, and peering cautiously before him, crept towards the prostrate tree.

"Shure, I belave I've shot him dead," he muttered, as he peered out into the open glade; but as he showed his face in the moonlight there was a furious snort, and Dinny turned and fled; for the rhinoceros charged right at the white face behind the prostrate tree, thrusting its monstrous head between the two huge limbs; and then, in spite of its prodigious strength being unable to get any further, it drew back, charged again, placed one hoof on the tree--but its efforts were in vain. Then it wrenched its head back, and retiring a short distance charged once more, Dinny watching it from behind a tree with blanched face and hands, trembling with excitement.

A practised hunter would have sent bullet after bullet crashing into the monster's brain; but Dinny was not practised, and it was not until he had thoroughly convinced himself that the animal could not get through, that he stole out, and bending down, cautiously advanced nearer and nearer to the huge beast, which snorted, and grunted, and squealed in its futile efforts to get at its a.s.sailant.

If it had gone twenty yards to its left, it could easily have pa.s.sed the obstacle; but it was pig-like enough in its nature to keep on trying to force itself through the obstacle it had tried to pa.s.s, and seeing this, Dinny went on, gaining a little courage the while.

"Shure I'll go close enough to make quite sartain," he muttered; "but it's like having a bad dhrame, that it is. Now where had I better shute him--in the mouth or the eye?"

He decided for the eye, and raising the rifle at last he took a long aim at not six feet distance, when the great beast uttered so furious a roar that Dinny turned once more, and fled behind the tree.

"Shure and what'd I be freckened of?" he said angrily. "Not of a baste like that." And walking out once more he repeated his manoeuvres, approaching cautiously; and as the rhinoceros began straining, and sprang to force its way through, Dinny took careful aim at the monstrous beast, and fired.

"Shure it's aisy enough," he said, as the beast started back; and placing a fresh cartridge in his piece, he fired again at where the animal stood in the full moonlight swaying its head to and fro.

It was impossible to miss; and Dinny fired again and again, nine shots in all, growing encouraged by his success; and the result was that the monster fell over upon its side at last with a heavy thud, just as Chicory dropped to the ground, and made the hero jump by touching him on the back.

"Ah, be aisy; what are ye thrying to frecken a man for like that?" said Dinny. "But look at that, ye little haythen; that's the way to shute.

Now let's go back and tell them they needn't be alarmed about the big pig, for its Dinny himself that has done the thrick."

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX.

DINNY RELATES HIS ADVENTURE.

Dinny's story was hardly believed when he walked into camp, but Chicory was there to corroborate his words, and the astonishment felt was intense.

"You--you shoot a rhinoceros, Dinny!" said his master.

"Shure and why not, yer hanner?" said Dinny. "Didn't I borry the gun a'

purpose for that same? and didn't the big baste stale my gyarments in the most ondacent way?"

"But how? Where? Where?" was asked by father and sons, in a breath.

"Shure an' I'm the laste bit weary wid my exertions," said Dinny, "and I'll jist light me pipe and sit down and rest, and tell ye the while."

All in the most deliberate way, Dinny proceeded to light his pipe and rest; and then, with Chicory sitting in front with his arms tightly embracing his knees, and his eyes and mouth open, Dinny related his adventure with the rhinoceros.

The late Sir Walter Scott in speaking of embellishing and exaggerating a story called it adding a c.o.c.ked-hat and walking-stick.

Dinny put not merely a c.o.c.ked-hat and walking-stick to his story, but embellished it with a crown, sceptre, and royal robes of the most gorgeous colours. It was wonderful what he had done; the furious conduct of the rhinoceros, the daring he had displayed, the precision with which he had sought out vital parts to aim at. A more thrilling narrative had never been told, and Chicory's eyes grew rounder and his mouth wider open in his astonishment and admiration, the hero going up wonderfully in the boy's esteem, especially as he read in Dinny's looks the promise of endless snacks and tastes when he was hungry.

But all the same, Dinny's flights of fancy grew a little too lofty for his other hearers.

"Oh, I say, Dinny, come now," said d.i.c.k, as his father sat back listening with a good-humoured smile upon his lip. "I'm not going to believe that a rhinoceros rose up on its hind legs and fought at you with its fore paws, while you stood still and aimed at it."

"Shure, Masther d.i.c.k, dear, did you ever know me say anything that wasn't thrue? If ye doubt me word, there's Masther Chicory there, as brave a boy as ever stepped in--I mane out of shoe leather, and spread his little black toes about in the sand. He was there all the toime, and ye can ax him if he didn't see it."

"Yes," said Chicory, "nosros try to get through big tree, and Dinny shoot um."

"There," said Dinny triumphantly, "what did I tell you? Why, if ye don't believe me, there's the baste itself lying as dead as a hammer where I shot him."

"Then it's only a little pig or a young rhinoceros, Dinny," said Jack.

"Little pig!" cried Dinny. "By this an' by that, he's as big as the waggon there, tub an' all. Sure a bigger and more rampaging baste niver fought wid a human man, and tried hard to ate him."

"Why that shows what stuff you are telling us, Dinny. A rhinoceros wouldn't eat a man; he'd trample him to death," cried d.i.c.k, who had been a studious boy for years. "A rhinoceros is an herbivorous beast, and has a prehensile upper lip."

"A what sort o' baste?" said Dinny, staring.

"Herbivorous."

"Shure an' what's that got to do wid it? I tell you it tried to ate me at one mouthful, in spite of his what sort o' upper lip. Shure the poor baste couldn't help having that the matter wid his lip. Why as soon as I set eyes on him, `Ah, Dinny,' I says, `yer work's cut out, me boy,' I says, `for if ever there was a baste wid a stiff upper lip that's the one.'"

"But I said a prehensile upper lip, Dinny," cried d.i.c.k.

"Shure I heard what ye said, Master d.i.c.k. I know. And a pretty rampaging baste he was. Wirra! If ye'd seen him foight. If ye'd heard him roar, and saw how I battled wid him till I'd laid him low wid tin bullets in his jacket. Ah, it was wonderful. But ye shall see the baste."

"Yes, I want to see him, Dinny," said Jack.

"Shure an' I'll be glad to take ye, Masther Jack, as soon as it's light.

But he was a brave baste, and fought well; and I felt sorry-like when I seen him go down."

"Did you though, Dinny?"

"Shure an' I did, Masther d.i.c.k, for I says to myself, `Ye're a brave boy, an' I dessay ye've got a mother somewhere as is very proud of ye, just as I've got wan meself. But I must shute ye,' I says, `for the sake of the gintlemen wid the waggon, and the mischief ye've done,' and so I did; an' there he lies, Masther d.i.c.k, stretched out on his side; and pace to his ashes. I've done."

"Well, boys," said Mr Rogers, speaking for the first time for some minutes, "I think we ought to congratulate ourselves upon the great accession we have discovered in Dinny. In future he shall accompany us in our attacks upon the lions and other furious beasts. I should not think of going after elephant now without Dinny."

That gentleman's face was a study, as he listened to his master's words.

His nostrils twitched, his brows grew full of wrinkles, and his jaw dropped, letting his pipe fall from his lips; and though he picked it up directly after, the tobacco had gone out, and Dinny looked as if all the enjoyment had gone out of his life.

Beyond the roaring of a lion or two, the night pa.s.sed off very quietly, and as soon as it was broad day Chicory stood ready to lead the party to see the rhinoceros.

"Come, Dinny, aren't you ready?" cried d.i.c.k.

"Shure an' I don't want to go, Masther d.i.c.k. I seen enough of the baste last night."