502 LITTLE DANGER WHILE ON THE KAFT. 



barb at the side, having a strong rope of considerable length 

 attached to its upper end, and running over the notched sum- 

 mit of a wooden shaft, which was inserted into the head or 

 blade like a common javelin. It was thrown in the same 

 manner, but, on striking, the shaft fell, and the iron head 

 alone remained in the bodj of the animal, which, on receiv- 

 ing a wound, plunged into deep water, the rope having been 

 immediately let out. When fatigued by exertion, the hip- 

 popotamus was dragged to the boat, from which it again 

 plunged, and the same was repeated till it became perfectly 

 exhausted, frequently receiving additional wounds, and being 

 entangled by other nooses, which the attendants held in read- 

 iness as it was brought within their reach." 



To return : If the hippopotamus hunt, as just described 

 by me, was conducted altogether from the reed-raft, one's per- 

 sonal safety would be little, or not at all, endangered; for, 

 on account of the great size, buoyancy, and elasticity of the 

 raft, the animal, however wickedly inclined, could neither 

 "board" nor capsize it. But when one pursues him in a ca- 

 noe — though far the most exciting way — the peril, as shown, 

 is considerable. One morning, when descending the Teoge, 

 we met a party of hippopotami hunters, one of whose canoes 

 had been upset by one of those animals, whereby the life of 

 a man was sacrificed. Indeed, similar mishaps are of con- 

 stant occurrence on that river. 



Our own safety, moreover, was considerably jeopardized 

 by a hippopotamus. One afternoon, about an hour before 

 sunset, I sent a canoe, with several men, in advance, to look 

 out for a bivouac for the night, and to collect fuel. They 

 were scarcely out of sight when an immense hippopotamus, 

 with its calf, rushed out from among the reeds, where she 

 had been concealed, and, passing under our raft, almost im- 

 mediately afterward made her appearance on the surface of 

 the water. Upon seeing this, I lost no time in firing, but, 

 though to all appearance mortally wounded, we lost sight 



