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daring to resist their invader. Their chief method is 

 by lighting fires, striking drums, and raising a cry to 

 frighten it back to its favourite element. But if they 

 happen to wound it, it then becomes formidable to all 

 that oppose it, overturning whatever it meets. It pos- 

 sesses the same inoffensive disposition in its favourite 

 element that it is found to have upon land; it never 

 attacks the mariners in their boats as they go up or 

 down the stream ; but should they inadvertently strike 

 against it, there is much danger of its sending them at 

 or.ce to the bottom. '* I have seen/' says a mariner, 

 u one of these animals open its jaws, and seizing a 

 boat between his teeth, at once, bite and sink it to the 

 bottom. I have seen it upon another occasion, place 

 itself under one of our boats, and rising under it, over- 

 set it with six men which were in it, who, however, 

 happily received no other injury." Such is the great 

 strength of this animal : and from hence, probably, 

 the imagination has been willing to match it in com- 

 bat against others more fierce aud equally formidable. 

 The crocodile and shark have been said to engage with 

 it, and yield an easy victory ; but as the shark is only 

 found at sea, and the hippopotamus never ventures 

 beyond the mouth of fresh water rivers, it is most pro- 

 bable that these engagements never occurred ; it some, 

 times happens, indeed, that the princes of Africa 

 amuse themselves with combats on their fresh water 

 lakes, between this and other formidable animals; but 

 -whether the rhinoceros or the crocodile are of this num- 

 ber, we have not been particularly informed. If this 

 animal be attacked at land, and finds itself incapable 

 of vengeance, from the swiftness of its enemy, it im- 

 mediately returns to the river, where it plunges in head 

 foremost, and after a short time rises to the surface, 

 loudly bellowing, either to invite or intimidate the 

 enemy ; but though the negroes will venture to attack 

 the shark or the crocodile in their natural element, and 

 there destroy them, they are too well apprized of the 

 force of the hippopotamus to engage it; this animal^ 

 - therefore^ continues the uncontrolled master of tA 



