-^ The Hippopotamus 



most part with hij)popotamuses which had already been 

 shot at more than once. 



It is only natural that so big- and easy a target 

 should be in oeneral favour with travellers who are not 

 genuine sportsmen, especially in the dry weather, when 

 the animals are forced to resort to the small lakes or to 



THE MAWKNZl MOUNTAIN AND KILIMANJARO 



the deep pools in rivers, thus offering a welcome oppor- 

 tunity to such gentry. 



As hippopotamuses which have been mortally hit go 

 under at once, to rise a^ain to the surface in an hour 

 and a half or two hours, according to the warmth of 

 the water, through the action of the decomposing gases 

 inside them, a far greater number of them are killed 

 than even the bond fide sportsman often supposes. 



An officer in the East African colonial police, who 



265 



