216 AFRICAN GAME TRAILS 



ment, I hit it at the base of the ear, a brain shot which 

 dropped it in its tracks. Meanwhile Kermit was busily tak- 

 ing photos of it as it charged, and, as he mentioned after- 

 ward, until it was dead he never saw it except in the "find- 

 er" of his camera. The water was so shallow where I had 



killed the hippo that its body projected slightly above the 

 I 



surface. It was the hardest kind of work getting it out from 



a 



^among the water-lilies; then we towed it to camp behind 

 tffhe launch. 



5" ^ 



The engineer of the launch was an Indian Moslem. 



3 



gl'he fireman and the steersman were two half-naked and 



3 d, 



z -r^nuch-ornamented Kikuyus. The fireman wore a blue bead 



5 to 



I -j-huin on one ankle, a brass armlet on the opposite arm, 



y J> 



2. % belt of short steel chains, a dingy blanket (no loin cloth), 



tr 2^ 



&nd a skull cap surmounted by a plume of ostrich feathers. 

 p'he two Kikuyus were unconsciously entertaining com- 

 \ |>anions. Without any warning they would suddenly 

 [ a song or chant, usually an impromptu recitative of what- 



l fiver at the moment interested them. They chanted for 



S. 

 ftalf an hour over the feat of the "B'wana Makuba" (great 



jso ^ 



% faster or chief, my name) in killing the hippo; laying 

 f especial stress upon the quantity of excellent meat it would 



^- 



I furnish, and how very good the eating would be. Usually 

 ^ one would improvise the chant, and the other join in the 

 chorus. Sometimes they would solemnly sing compli- 

 mentary songs to one another, each in turn chanting the 

 manifold good qualities of his companion. 



Around this camp were many birds. The most note- 



>rthy was a handsome gray eagle owl, bigger than our 



horned owl, to which < sely akin. It did not 



ho ream, its voice being a kind of grunt, followed in 



