C72 



THE GREAT THICK-SKINNED ANIMALS 



The best time to hunt hippo is at night and the place a *'run" or 

 path by which they go to water. There are flattened places on the 

 banks often where the big ugly brutes come out to roll. The easiest 

 and best thing to do is to climb a tree before moonrise near this run or 

 rolling place and wait until the hippo's peculiar tooting challenge is 

 heard or the noise of the great beast crashing through the forest or 

 pounding along the run. This is the best sort of an opportunity to 

 get a specimen, as, if the shooting has to be done from an island or from 

 the bank on foot, a charge by the hippo may result very seriously. 



a^S.^j^ 



A BATTLE BETWEEN A BUFFALO AND A HIPPOPOTAMUS 



Though the enormous ungainly body is carried on very short legs, 

 it is capable of considerable speed for a short distance on land and of 

 swimming with perfect ease, and not only the rush but an attack with 

 the heavy tusks placed on both sides of the big, thick, square head is 

 to be feared. 



Hippos are comparatively numerous, and Mr. Cunninghame will 

 undoubtedly take care that Air. Roosevelt secures at least one specimen. 

 The tusks are much valued as trophies, and the natives are very fond 

 of the flesh. Another familiar use of the hippo in South and East 

 Africa is to supply the hide for making the sjambok, the terrible 



