CHAP. iv. ELEPHANT. 189 



took place ; and when, by heaping on bundle after bundle 

 of reed stems, I had secured sufficient heat, I cut two 

 long stripes from the ribs of the animal, and stuck them 

 up to roast before the embers. I had hardly sat down 

 after doing so, with the purpose of turning the ashes over 

 and keeping their hottest side towards the meat, when I 

 heard the report of a gun, followed at a short interval by 

 another, and I recognised by its peculiar deadened, dull 

 sound that it had been fired as a signal, with the barrels 

 close to the ground. Of course, I joyfully and immediately 

 answered with two shots, and then by heaping a lot of 

 the green reeds on to a portion of the fire, so as to create 

 a great smoke, which I knew they would at once see, and 

 in about ten minutes I heard a shrill whistle, which, as 

 being more likely to strike the ear, is often used by the 

 natives in preference to shouting ; and after some little 

 time having elapsed, owing to the difficult nature of the 

 ground that intervened, five of my hunters walked up, 

 and, standing in a body leaning on their guns, looked first 

 at me and then at the hippopotamus, as if they had dis- 

 covered some new species of animal. Of course, I had an 

 idea of what their astonishment meant, and I was laughing 

 before I asked, " Well, did you never see a hippopotamus 

 before ? " to "which was only deigned the usual ejaculatory 

 exclamation of surprise, "Wau." There was more intended 

 than mere surprise at finding me alive and in such good 

 case after a night spent in these reeds. There was also 

 the feeling of a nurse whose charge has been missing some 

 time, when she discovers it in safety, and seemingly uncon- 

 scious of its danger, in some position of great peril half of 

 thankfulness at the relief, half of anger at its daring. 



