MOTHER AND BABY 129 



One day in January 1919, I went across to Damba fly 

 beach from the east end of Kome Isle, but as a high wind 

 had raised a considerable sea, it was necessary to find a 

 sheltered spot for landing, and then walk round to the 

 exposed beach, where the noise of the waves and of the 

 wind in the belt of forest behind the beach drowned the 

 sound of footsteps. Consequently a hippo mother with 

 her baby that was sleeping in the forest did not take alarm 

 at first. I was standing on the beach, observing the 

 changes that had occurred since the last visit in 1914, 

 when suddenly a loud snorting was heard, and the huge 

 beast rushed past me into the water, closely followed by 

 the tiniest baby hippo I had ever seen. It bleated in a 

 most comical manner, rather reminding one of a toy, 

 and was so small that it was still quite weak, and stumbled 

 on to its knees several times before it reached the water. 

 Though so young it was not pink, but dark brownish 

 grey. I was so taken by surprise by their sudden 

 appearance that the chance of catching the baby was lost : 

 but it remained in shallow water just beyond the breaking 

 waves, putting up its nose at short intervals for a breath 

 of air. The mother was further away, evidently rather 

 anxiously watching the fate of her little one, and though 

 the boys with me wanted to go into the water and catch 

 the baby, I thought it better to say no, lest the mother 

 should attack. 



This was the same part of Damba coast, as that where 

 a mother was seen in the water apparently suckling her 

 young, as described ; perhaps it is a favourite nursery. 



One night on Damba I woke up hearing a curious noise 

 which, in my sleepy condition, I could not define at first. 

 Presently it resolved itself into the grinding of teeth, and 

 I realized that a large hippo was grazing on the choice 

 grass just by the tent. As I was afraid he might blunder 

 into the ropes and bring down the tent, I went out with a 

 towel and waved it vigorously, and the huge beast moved 



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