SEA-COW SHOOTING. 151 



paid me a visit ; and in the afternoon I rode down the 

 river, ordering my wagons to follow, and found the 

 fresh spoor of a mighty old bull elephant. 



I rode fortli at sunrise on the 2Sth, ordering my 

 wagons to follow in two hours. Seleka had sent men 

 down the river, before it was clear, to seek sea-cows ; 

 and they soon came running after me to say that they 

 had found some. I accordingly followed them to the 

 river, where, in a long, broad, and deep bend, were four 

 hippopotami, two full-grown cows, a small cow, and 

 a calf. At the tail of this pool was a strong and rapid 

 stream, which thundered along in Highland fashion 

 over large masses of dark rock. 



On coming to the shady bank, I could at first only 

 see one old cow and calf. When they dived I ran into 

 the reeds, and as the cow came up I shot her in the 

 head ; she, however, got away down the river, and I lost 

 her. The other three took away up the river, and be- 

 came very shy, remaining under the water for five min- 

 utes at a time, and then only popping their heads up 

 for a few seconds. I accordingly remained quiet be- 

 hind the reeds, in hope of their dismissing their alarms. 

 Presently the two smaller ones seemed to be no longer 

 alarmed, popping up their entire heads, and remaining 

 above water for a minute at a time ; but the third, 

 which was by far the largest, and which I thought must 

 be a bull, continued extremely shy, remaining under 

 the water for ten minutes at a time, and then just 

 showing her face for a second, making a blowing like 

 a whale, and returning to the bottom. I stood there 

 with ride at my shoulder, and my eye on the sight, un- 

 til I was quite tired. I thought I should never get a 

 chance at her, and had just resolved to fire at one of 

 the smaller ones, when she shoved up half her head and 



