154 AD"VENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



now greatly alarmed, and on'y occasionally put up their 

 heads, showing but a small part, remaining but a few 

 seconds at a time. I, however, managed to select one 

 of the three remaining ones, and, making a most per- 

 fect shot, sent a bullet crashing into her brain. This 

 caused instantaneous death, and she sank to the bot- 

 tom. I then wounded two more sea-cows in the head, 

 both of which I lost. The others were so alarmed and 

 cunning that it was impossible to do any thing with them. 

 The one I had first shot was now resting with half 

 her body above water on a sand-bank in the Limpopo, 

 at the mouth of the other river Lepalala, which was 

 broad, clear, and rapid. From this resting-place I start- 

 ed her with one shot in the shoulder and another in the 

 side of the head ; this last shot set her in motion once 

 more, and she commenced struggling in the water in 

 the most extraordinary manner, disappearing for a few 

 seconds, and then coming up like a great whale, setting 

 the whole river in an uproar. Presently she took away 

 down the stream, holding to the other side ; but, again 

 returning, I finished her with a shot in the middle of 

 the forehead. This proved a most magnificent speci- 

 men of the female of the wondrous hippopotamus, an 

 animal with which I was extremely surprised and de- 

 lighted. She far surpassed the brightest conceptions I 

 had formed of her, being a larger, a more lively, and in 

 every way a more interesting animal than certain writ- 

 ers had led me to expect. On securing this fine sea- 

 cow, I immediately cut off her head and placed it high 

 and dry : this was a work of considerable difficulty for 

 four men. We left her body in the water, being, of 

 course, unable to do any thing with it there. It was 

 well I secured the head when I did, for next morning 

 the crocodiles had dragged her away. 



