454 THE FOREST AND THE FIELD. 



in their domain, and then, as if suddenly awaking 

 to a sense of their peril, they plunged, panic 

 stricken, into the water, many of the cows ha\qng 

 young ones perched upon their backs. As they 

 were rushing about in the greatest confusion, I 

 killed a cow with a couple of shot well admi- 

 nistered behind the ear, and she fell on her side in 

 shallow w^ater. Her young one remained near her, 

 and, reloading my breech-loading rifle, I killed it, 

 after my people had made several vain attempts to 

 catch it alive. 



Whilst this was going on, I heard a loud cry of 

 terror at the head of the creek, and shortly after- 

 wards one of the villagers came running up with 

 the news that the hippopotami had attacked the 

 canoes, and had capsized one of them. 



Luckily all the fellows got safely on shore, or 

 there would have been " a palaver." It appears 

 that when the villagers heard the reports of my 

 gun, they attempted to enter the creek, but were 

 met at the mouth of it by the whole school of hip- 

 popotami, who were making for the deep water ; 

 and the female I had wounded made a vigorous 



