XXII FALL INTO THE RIVER 487 



darkness to beat a retreat to some other part of the 

 river. One of the dead hippos was ah-eady in the 

 shallow water at the tail ot the pool, but the other 

 had been taken by the wind to the other side and 

 was now stationary against the bank exactly opposite 

 us. This was very awkward, as it necessitated our 

 carrying the meat nearly three-quarters of a mile 

 round the pool although the carcase was only 

 the breadth of the river (about 250 yards) from our 

 camp. Under these circumstances I determined to 

 go round and paddle the now inflated and buoyant 

 carcase to our side ; this I accomplished with 

 the aid of a thick stick for a paddle. It was 

 rather difiicult to keep one's balance, as the body 

 rolled most alarmingly from side to side, and when I 

 was just in the middle of the river, aided by a strong- 

 breeze, the slippery carcase heeled over so much, 

 that I could not maintain my seat astride of it, but 

 fell ofi^into the water. The pool was full of crocodiles, 

 or at any rate I thought it was, so I lost no time in 

 regaining my position, for the thought that my naked 

 legs might attract the attention of one of these 

 voracious monsters added tenfold to the strength ot 

 my exertions ; I then paddled quietly to the bank 

 just below our camp, and by sundown our boys had 

 cut up every scrap of the two hippos. I may here 

 mention that I shot my animal with a hollow 450 

 Express bullet. At dusk when I went down to the 

 remains of the carcase I found a lot of large barbers ^ 

 tugging away at the shreds of meat that still adhered 

 to the bones. 



The two following days we remained where 

 we were, drying the meat ; on the second day 



' A species of siluroid fisli, common, I believe, to most African 

 rivers, and called barbers by the Cape colonists. 



