ELEPHANT AND HIPPOPOTAMUS 



had been made by the natives in the dry season, but 

 now it was hardly discernible, being covered with long 

 tangled grass, and water in places up to our waists. For 

 four hours we travelled through this swamp that was 

 only about three miles across : boys tumbled and slipped 

 about, every now and then stumbling into an old elephant 

 hole lying hidden beneath the water, huge roots and 

 plants were trodden under, myriads of tadpoles and 

 frogs swam in the water, all around us were large fish 

 that had been washed out from overflowing rivers, 

 carcases of buck, birds and rats in all stages of putre- 

 faction floated by us, everything stank terribly in the 

 glare of the sun. I espied several of the harbingers of 

 sleeping sickness, the tsetse fly, and the inevitable 

 mosquito lent additional discomfort to our slow progress. 

 Silwali, Kalakese, and Karetese dropped their loads and 

 refused to budge when dry land was not more than half a 

 mile ahead of us. I got them going again, but alas ! 

 Kalakese became entangled with a submerged root and 

 dashed headlong into the putrid water where he lay 

 howling and begging to be left to die. I soon had him 

 on his feet again, when suddenly the cringing, skulking 

 coward of a moment before became possessed of an over- 

 whelming rage, and picking up a long stick he came for 

 me with a bound, his nostrils distended and his great 

 lips firmly set. I dodged the swinging blow and as he 

 tried to dash past caught him a smashing right-hander 

 behind the ear : he fell face downwards in the grass and 

 water, and for a second lay almost submerged. On seeing 

 this I ordered the boys to drag him out and lay him on a 

 stout patch of roots and grass close by. His eyes were 

 wide open, but not a muscle moved as he lay staring 

 blankly at the heavens above. The whole safari was now 

 murmuring away, regarding me with sullen countenances 

 and on the point of mutiny : some dropped their loads 

 in the water purposely. Seeing this I snatched the 



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