FEARLESSNESS SAGACITY HABITS. 491 



of the timidity they showed when these beasts made their 

 appearance. But on my return journey I very frequent!}- 

 encountered the hippopotamus.. More than once I narrowly 

 escaped with life, and found that the men had good reason 

 to fear a contest with this truly formidable animal. 



In regions not much visited by the European hunter and 

 his destructive companion, the firelock, the hippopotamus 

 appears as a comparatively fearless animal, not unfrequently 

 abiding the approach of man, whom he apparently surveys 

 with a curious and searching look, as much as to say, 

 " Why this intrusion upon my native haunts, which I have 

 enjoyed in undisturbed tranquillity from time immemorial ?" 

 But man is cruel, and by his relentless persecutions a na- 

 ture, once unsuspicious and confiding, is soon changed to 

 that of the most timid and circumspective, causing the ani- 

 mal to take instant refuge in the water on hearing the least 

 noise. 



The sagacity of the hippopotamus is very considerable. 

 Indeed, if we are to credit the testimony of Plinius, the cun- 

 ning and dexterity of this beast is so great that, when pur- 

 sued, he will walk backward in order to mislead his enemies, 

 " The habits of the animal," says Dr. Andrew Smith, " are 

 opposed to our becoming intimately acquainted with it ; yet, 

 from what has been noticed of its adroitness in guarding 

 against assailants, in avoiding pits dug purposely to entrap 

 it, in conducting its young both in and out of the water, and 

 in migrating from localities which it may have discovered 

 are not to be longer held without serious danger to others 

 not exposed to such inconveniences — even though to reach 

 those it may require to make long journeys — are all evidences 

 that it is far from the stupid animal it has been frequently 

 described." 



It is asserted that if a hippopotamus be shot dead just 

 after calving, the offspring will immediately make for the 

 water, an element which it has never yet seen ! 



