TO LAKE NAIVASHA 267 



ponder the subject, for twenty feet away the water bubbled 

 and a huge head shot out facing me, the jaws wide open. 

 There was no time to guess at its intentions, and I fired on 

 the instant. Down went the head, and I felt the boat quiver 

 as the hippo passed underneath. Just here the lily pads 

 were thick; so I marked its course, fired as it rose, and 

 down it went. But on the other quarter of the boat a beast, 

 evidently of great size it proved to be a big bull now 

 appeared, well above water; and I put a bullet into its 

 brain. 



I did not wish to shoot again unless I had to, and stood 

 motionless, with the little Springfield at the ready. A head 

 burst up twenty yards off, with a lily pad plastered over one 

 eye, giving the hippo an absurd resemblance to a discom- 

 fited prize-fighter, and then disappeared with great agita- 

 tion. Two half-grown beasts stupid from fright appeared, 

 and stayed up for a minute or two at a time, not knowing 

 what to do. Other heads popped up, getting farther and 

 farther away. By degrees everything vanished, the water 

 grew calm, and we rowed over to the papyrus, moored our- 

 selves by catching hold of a couple of stems, and awaited 

 events. Within an hour four dead hippos appeared: a very 

 big bull and three big cows. Of course, I would not have 

 shot the latter if it could have been avoided; but under the 

 circumstances I do not see how it was possible to help it. 

 The meat was not wasted; on the contrary it was a god- 

 send, not only to our own porters, but to the natives round 

 about, many of whom were on short commons on account 

 of the drought. 



Bringing over the launch we worked until after dark 

 to get the bull out of the difficult position in which he lay. 

 It was nearly seven o'clock before we had him fixed for 

 towing on one quarter, the row-boat towing on the other, 

 by which time two hippos were snorting and blowing within 

 a few yards of us, their curiosity much excited as to what 

 was going on. The night was overcast; there were drench- 

 ing rain squalls, and a rather heavy sea was running, and I 



