A PLAYFUL HIPPOPOTAMUS. 47 



vidual of the male sex thrust his head out of the 

 reeds by the water's edge some fifty yards below us, 

 and commenced a conversation, which ultimately 

 ended in his bringing us some fowl and corn in a 

 canoe. We were soon friends, and shortly after the 

 opposite bank was occupied by a crowd of men, w^o- 

 men, and children, staring at us as if we were gorillas. 

 About 3 P.M. I halted by the river, and bivouacked 

 for the night. Taking the breech-loader, I strolled 

 along the bank in the hopes of getting a shot at an 

 antelope coming for his evening drink. On rounding 

 a bend in the river I saw five hippopotami enjoying 

 themselves in a shallow part of the stream some five 

 hundred yards ahead, the tops of their heads and 

 backs being alone visible. Having succeeded in getting 

 close to the bank, and within tAventy-five yards of the 

 nearest, without being observed, I lay on my face and 

 hands and watched them for some tune as they 

 played in the sun, every now and then disappearing 

 entirely under water. One old cow never moved 

 while I was there, though a young one, not much 

 bigger than a Newfoundland dog, tormented her by 

 its unceasing endeavours to get on to its mothers 

 back, a feat which it succeeded in accomplishing after 

 many vain attempts, during which I could not help 

 admiring its perseverance. The bulls were amusing 

 themselves by trying which could make the most 

 hideous grunt, or blow the water highest through 

 his nose. While watching them, the nearest (a bull) 

 raised himself high in the water, and with his ears 

 cocked just like those of a horse, looked full at me, or 

 the little bush behind which I lay, grunting loudly 



