THE BEHEMOTH. 



to hold three persons, while the other structure was somewhat more buoyant: it 

 was, therefore, necessary to employ both means of ferriage. 



Pongo, Mr. Godkin and Jack Harvey took their places in the dug-out, thereby 

 taxing it to the utmost. The boys and Diedrick stepped upon the raft, the Hot- 

 tentot taking up the long pole. Pongo was an adept in handling the slender paddle, 

 and, since the men were eager to reach the other shore, in order to keep track, if 

 possible, of the hippopotamus, Pongo plied the implement with a skill that took 

 him rapidly away from his friends. He promised, however, that on landing the 

 gentlemen, he would come back to meet his young friends. 



There was no moon in the sky, though it was clear, and the stars shone with a 

 brilliancy almost unknown in the Northern hemisphere. Pongo reached land ere 

 the more cumbersome craft was half way across. 



They had disembarked, when Mr. Godkin, whose sense of hearing was unusually 

 acute, instantly stepped back in the boat, where, standing erect, he brought his gun 

 to his shoulder and fired at some object out in the river. 



The director had seen an immense female hippopotamus, swimming toward the 

 other shore with its young one on its back. He aimed at the mother and struck 

 her, for she instantly sank out of sight, all except her huge snout, and the nose of 

 the little one, which still clung to its support. Before any measures could be taken 

 to follow her, she vanished in the gloom. 



The fact that she was heading for the other shore, and that she had received a 

 shot that must have thrown her into a rage, caused some misgiving for Diedrick 

 and the boys that were approaching on the raft. 



Pongo was directed to take the dug-out and push off as fast as he could go. On 

 reaching the raft he was to take off the two boys and hurry back. 



Jack Harvey called out in a guarded voice the explanation of the rifle shot that 

 had just been fired, and cautioned the youths to keep quiet. Instantly their voices 

 were hushed, while the Hottentot plied the pole with such skill that it caused hardly 

 a ripple. A brief row brought Pongo to the side of the raft, where he invited the 

 boys to step in. Bob obeyed, but Dick drew back. 



"I don't see why," he said in a whisper, "one place isn't as good as another; 

 I'll keep company with Diedrick." 



The keen eyes that peered through the surrounding gloom failed to catch sight 

 of the monster. The fact that she had a young one with her seemed to be in favor 

 of a neutrality on her part until she could place it in some safe place, that would 

 leave her free to attack the hunters. 



Pongo kept the dug-out close to the raft, with a view of giving what help he 

 could in the event of attack. He believed the shot of Mr. Godkin was a mistake, 

 since the wounding of the mother would throw her into rage and lead her to attack 

 the hunters before they were in the best situation to dispose of her. 



He expressed the belief that she would deposit her little one in shallow water, 

 %mong the grass, and then turn about and assail the sportsmen wherever she could 

 reach them. 



