" HIPPOS " 165 



not count on the hippos; but there they were, 

 hippos and crocs, cuddled up together in peace 

 and comfort. 



Such a scrambling and splashing as the 

 crowd made when we came into view defies 

 description. The crocs were out of sight in an 

 instant, but the bulky hippos almost reached 

 the boat before the water became deep enough 

 to submerge them. 



Thinking if we pulled in alongside the papy- 

 rus and waited, some of the crocodiles might 

 come to the surface in a few minutes and give 

 us a shot, we ran the prow of the boat into the 

 weeds and watched. Three minutes must have 

 passed when, suddenly, the head of a hippo 

 appeared, not fifteen feet from our boat. He 

 gave one look and, throwing himself out of the 

 water, fell back and sank, and the next time he 

 came to the surface he was a hundred yards out 

 in the Nile. The animal must have been one 

 of the herd which, on seeing the boat block- 

 ing the entrance when we first appeared, had 

 rushed into the deep water and, fearing to dive 

 under our craft, had remained there in hope 

 that we would pass on, as no doubt he had before 

 seen hundreds of boats do. 



