158 CHILDREN'S BOOK FOR SABBA TH HOURS.

ceiving, just as he disappeared in the walked carelessly up to the body, with
thick screen of thorns, a fearful gash his gun swung over his shoulder, when
from a sword, about a foot long, upon his there suddenly leaped from the other side
hind quarters. of the prostrate animal, its full-grown
 Mr. James Greenwood, in his book on calf, as big as a heifer, which, after
"The Wild Sports of the World," says: making one or two offensive demonstra-
"At the time of the birth, the rhinoceros tions, rushed bellowing into the forest,
is about the size of a full-grown mastiff, leaving the sportsman little hurt, but
and, as a baby quadruped is certainly as much frightened. The young rhinoce-
unhandsome a beast as ever was seen, ros is, however, not very formidable be-
not even excluding the infant donkey. fore his horns grow. He can defend
Its body is pig-shaped, its legs are un- himself only with his teeth, and by but-
symmetrical as those of a butcher's block, ting with his unwieldy head. At this
and its head like that of an ox-calf, a stage of his existence, the wild dogs and
very young calf, with its face much hyenas have little fear of him, and hunt
swollen and out of shape. On its blunt, him down, or, at least, maul his poor
square-shaped nose, is the merest indi- ears so that he carries their teeth-marks
cation of a horn, which is of such slow till the day of his death. Very few rhi-
growth that, when the animal is six years noceroses are taken that do not bear
old, this formidable weapon is only nine such brands."
inches long. The remarkable affection God made the rhinoceros. It is one
of the rhinoceros for its young is recip- of the wonders of this curious world
rocated. Should the parent beast be which he made by the word of his power;
killed, its calf will lie down by the body and, like every other object and creature
all through the day and night, till the that we behold, it shows forth his handy-
lions come out, when it is driven off to work.
the nearest cover, there to have its baby The Psalmist says: But my horn
heart rent by the sound of the lion voices shalt Thou exalt like the horn of a uni-
in fierce dispute over the carcass of its corn."
mamma. When it grows old enough, it Moses, in blessing the children of
fights for its parents, as a dutiful son Israel before his death, said of Joseph:
should. A modern traveler was con- His glory is like the firstling of his bul-
vinced of this fact in a manner more lock, and his horns are like the horns of
forcible than pleasant. Having, one unicorns; with them he shall push the
moonlight night, shot a female rhinoce- people together to the ends of the earth."
ros, it sheered off; but, as he knew it Balaam, in his parable, said: "God
was mortally wounded, he followed its brought them (the children of Israel)
'spoor,' or trail, and presently found it out of Egypt; he hath, as it were, the
lying dead amongst the bushes. He strength of a unicorn."