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The Land of Footprints-Part7_Stewart Edward White(1873-1946)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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degree. So the big game hunter must determine by actual trial

whether it so happens that the great excitement of danger renders



his hand shaky or steady. The excitement in either case is the

same. No man is ever "cool" in the sense that personal danger is of



the same kind of indifference to him as clambering aboard a

street car. He must always be lifted above himself, must enter an



extra normal condition to meet extra normal circumstances. He can

always control his conduct; but he can by no means always



determine the way the inevitableexcitement will affect his

coordinations. And unfortunately, in the final result it does not



matter how brave a man is, but how closely he can hold. If he

finds that his nervousexcitement renders him unsteady, he has no



business ever to tackle dangerous game alone. If, on the other

hand, he discovers that IDENTICALLY THE SAME nervousexcitement



happens to steady his front sight to rocklike rigidity-a

rigidity he could not possibly attain in normal conditions-then



he will probably keep out of trouble.

To amplify this further by a specificinstance: I hunted for a



short time in Africa with a man who was always eager for exciting

encounters, whose pluck was admirable in every way, but whose



nervousreaction so manifested itself that he was utterly unable

to do even decent shooting at any range. Furthermore, his very



judgment and power of observation were so obscured that he could

not remember afterward with any accuracy what had happened-which



way the beast was pointing, how many there were of them, in which

direction they went, how many shots were fired, in short all the



smaller details of the affair. He thought he remembered. After

the show was over it was quite amusing to get his version of the



incident. It was almost always so wide of the fact as to be

little recognizable. And, mind you, he was perfectlysincere in



his belief, and absolutelycourageous. Only he was quite unfitted

by physicalmake-up for a big game hunter; and I was relieved



when, after a short time, his route and mine separated.

Well, we clambered up that slope with a fine compound of tension,



expectation, and latentuneasiness as to just what was going to

happen, anyway. Finally, we raised the backs of the beasts,



stooped, sneaked a little nearer, and finally at a signal stood

upright perhaps forty yards from the brutes.



For the first time I experienced a sensation I was destined many

times to repeat-that of the sheer size of the animals. Menagerie



rhinoceroses had been of the smaller Indian variety; and in any

case most menagerie beasts are more or less stunted. These two,



facing us, their little eyes blinking, looked like full-grown

ironclads on dry land. The moment we stood erect B. fired at the



larger of the two. Instantly they turned and were off at a

tearing run. I opened fire, and B. let loose his second barrel.



At about two hundred and fifty yards the big rhinoceros suddenly

fell on his side, while the other continued his flight. It was



all over-very exciting because we got excited, but not in the

least dangerous.



The boys were delighted, for here was meat in plenty for

everybody. We measured the beast, photographed him, marvelled at



his immense size, and turned him over to the gunbearers for

treatment. In half an hour or so a long string of porters headed



across the hills in the direction of camp, many miles distant,

each carrying his load either of meat, or the trophies.



Rhinoceros hide, properly treated, becomes as transparent as

amber, and so from it can be made many very beautiful souvenirs,



such as bowls, trays, paper knives, table tops, whips, canes, and

the like. And, of course, the feet of one's first rhino are



always saved for cigar boxes or inkstands.

Already we had an admiring and impatientaudience. From all



directions came the carrion birds. They circled far up in the

heavens; they shot downward like plummets from a great height



with an inspiring roar of wings; they stood thick in a solemn

circle all around the scene of the kill; they rose with a heavy



flapping when we moved in their direction. Skulking forms flashed

in the grass, and occasionally the pointed ears of a jackal would






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