366 THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 



dable. 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 hippo- 

 potamus never ventures beyond the mouth of 

 fresh water rivers, it is most probable that these 

 engagements never occurred : it sometimes hap- 

 pens, 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 number, we have not been particularly in- 

 formed. If this animal ;be attacked on land, and 

 finding itself incapable of vengeance from the 

 swiftness of its enemy, it immediately returns to 

 the river, where it plunges in head foremost, and 

 after a short time rises to the surface, loudly bel- 

 lowing, either to invite or intimidate the enemy : 

 but though the Negroes will venture to attack 

 the shark, or the crocodile, in their natural ele- 

 ment, 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 the river, and all others 

 fly from its approach, or become an easy prey. 



As the hippopotamus lives upon fish and vege- 

 tables, so it is probable the flesh of terrestrial 

 animals may be equally grateful : the natives of 

 Africa assert, that it has often been found to de- 

 vour children and other creatures that it was able 

 to surprise upon land ; yet as it moves but slowly, 

 almost every creature, endued with a common 

 share of swiftness, is able to escape it ; and this 

 animal, therefore, seldom ventures from the river 



