204 THE STORY OF THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 



The ancient Egyptians were in the habit of harpooning' the hippopota- 

 mus, and this custom is still kept up by the Sudanis on the upper Nile. The 

 usual plan when a party of these animals has been observed in the river, is 

 for a couple of hunters, each armed with a harpoon to which a line is 

 attached, to enter the river some distance above, and swim cautiously down 

 on the herd. When within striking distance, both men hurl their weapons 

 at the same time. To each is attached a wooden float, which marks the 

 position of the animal while below the surface, and the chase is taken up 

 by other hunters on the bank armed with harpoons and lances. By an 

 ingenious arrangement, the float is at length captured by a rope and the 

 animal dragged to shore, where it is despatched with lances. This, however, 

 is frequently not accomplished without the death of one or more of the 

 intrepid hunters. In Central Africa, on the other hand, the hippopotamus 

 is harpooned from canoes. In other parts the favorite method is to suspend 

 a weighted spear, frequently tipped with poison, over a branch of a tree 

 near the tracks of the hippopotamus, and to make fast the end of the line, 

 to which it is attached to stakes on either side of the path. When the 

 animal comes along, it strikes against the line, the stakes are loosened, and 

 the heavy spear comes down with a thud on its head or back. 



