FEROCITY OP THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 503 



of her at the time. A few minutes afterward, however, on 

 coming to a bend of the river, we fell in with the canoe that 

 had been sent on, bottom uppermost, and found, to our great 

 consternation, that the wounded beast, in going down the 

 stream, had caught sight of the canoe, and, instantly attack- 

 ing it, had, with one blow of her head, capsized it. The men 

 saved themselves by swimming, but all the loose articles were 

 either lost or spoiled by the water. Fortunately for me, how- 

 ever, I had taken the advice of the Bayeye to remove the 

 most valuable of my things, such as books, instruments, &c., 

 to the raft previous to the canoe leaving. 



Innumerable instances, showing the ferocity of the hippo- 

 potamus, are on record. "Lieutenant Vidal," says Captain 

 Owen, in his Narrative of Voyages, and when speaking of 

 the Kiver Temby, "had just commenced ascending this stream 

 in his boat, when suddenly a violent shock was felt from un- 

 derneath, and in another moment a monstrous hippopotamus 

 reared itself up from the water, and, in a most ferocious and 

 menacing attitude, rushed, open-mouthed, at the boat, and, 

 with one grasp of its tremendous jaws, seized and tore seven 

 planks from her side ; the creature disappeared for a few 

 seconds, and then rose again, apparently intending to renew 

 the attack, but was fortunately deterred by the contents of 

 a musket discharged in its face. The boat rapidly filled, but, 

 as she was not more than an oar's length from the shore, the 

 crew succeeded in reaching it before she sank. The keel, in 

 all probability, touched the back of the animal, which, irri- 

 tating him, occasioned the furious attack ; and had he got 

 his upper jaw above the gunwale, the whole broadside must 

 have been torn out. The force of the shock from beneath, 

 previously to the attack, was so violent that her stern was 

 almost lifted out of the water, when the midshipman steer- 

 ing was thrown overboard, but, fortunately, rescued before 

 the irritated animal could seize him." 



Tn justice, however, to the poor hippopotamus, who, in 



