252 WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS CHAP. 



birth, these huge creatures do not multiply in any great degree, 

 and their numbers in certain places, where they appear to have 

 assembled in large herds, must be accepted as periodical gatherings, 

 which are altogether exceptional, and by no means represent the 

 average area of a locality. 



I have seen a bend in the White Nile, during the dry season, 

 which was literally crowded with hippopotami ; and as the steamer 

 was coming down the stream at about nine miles an hour, I thought 

 it would be impossible to avoid a collision ; somehow they all made 

 way for our passage, and we passed through a crowd of heads, some 

 snorting and blowing jets, while others disappeared in their visual 

 instantaneous manner. 



A hippopotamus differs from most aquatic animals, as it sinks 

 backwards, and disappears by throwing its nose upwards ; all other 

 creatures dive head first. 



In such secluded places as the banks of the White Nile, where 

 dense masses of high reeds fringe the course of the river, far away 

 from any habitation, the hippopotami pass a considerable portion 

 of their time in marshy retreats among the canes ; such dens would 

 be impervious to human beings, and would not be observed unless 

 from a vessel upon the river. The tangled mass of vegetation is 

 pierced in numerous places by dark tunnels, which have been bored 

 out by the bulky forms of hippopotami, and these gloomy routes 

 form their channels of retreat, where they retire to sleep. Females, 

 with their calves, are especially fond of these impervious bowers, 

 where they are secure from all chances of molestation by man or 

 beast. 



Although this animal may be shot from the shore, without the 

 slightest danger of an attack upon the hunter, I have described a 

 sufficient number of casualties to exhibit the^tme ferocity of its 

 nature, when in the element which affords the greatest scope for 

 its activity. Upon one occasion I was a witness to a most un- 

 provoked aggression. We were swimming a herd of several hundred 

 cows across the White Nile, about 20 miles south of Gondokoro : 

 the natives as usual accompanied the cattle, sometimes holding on 

 to the horn, at other times by the tail of a cow, but as they swam 

 they directed the course of their animals by shouts and by the aid 

 of a stout bamboo. 



Suddenly the herd was invaded by several hippopotami, and I 

 myself saw their enormous heads and necks emerge from the water, 

 and with opened jaws they seized several cows and dragged them 

 beneath the surface, never to appear again. 



This was sheer rage, as the hippo is not carnivorous. It is 



