A FIGHT WITH "HIPPOS" 195 



below; they were moving slowly, merely drift- 

 ing along. Occasionally they would stop for 

 an instant and then start again, as if the object 

 to which they were attached was bumping over 

 the river bed. 



"The canoemen finally left the wreckage and, 

 paddling down-stream, caught the buoys and 

 began to tow the dead hippo ashore. As soon 

 as the body reached shallow water the natives 

 waded in and pulled out the spears so that they 

 should not be bent or broken; then they fast- 

 ened ropes to the body and hauled it out on 

 the bank, where the task of cutting up the meat 

 began. 



"With my boys I went back to the scene of 

 our first encounter with the hippos and, by div- 

 ing, recovered my rifle and some of the cooking 

 utensils. After purchasing from the natives 

 enough food to last us until we reached the next 

 army post, we continued our journey with the 

 mail." 



