" HIPPOS " 155 



long enough to fill his lungs and then sinks, but 

 if you have hidden yourself, he may stay in 

 sight for a minute or more before disappearing. 



We were introduced to hippos at McMillan's 

 ranch, where, one evening, we walked through 

 the garden to the banks of the Athi River, at 

 this point not more than thirty -five feet wide 

 but having numerous enlargements of still, deep 

 water where hippos lived. At intervals along 

 the bank well-worn hippo paths led from the 

 river bank inland for several rods and then 

 dwindled out where the animals had diverged 

 to feed. Throughout the undergrowth directly 

 bordering the stream, for a distance of fifty 

 yards from shore, was a network of hippo trails. 



It was at McMillan's ranch, not many years 

 ago, that the gardener, one moonlight evening, 

 was awakened in his little grass shack at the 

 border of the garden. He stepped to the door 

 and discovered a hippo feeding upon the veg- 

 etables he had so carefully cultivated and 

 guarded. An argument immediately took place 

 but was abruptly terminated by the hippo biting 

 off the man's head with a single snap of its jaws. 

 Now they have another gardener at McMillan's. 



The gardens of villagers living near waters 



