274 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



only stunned by the first shot, and went floundering and plung- 

 ing down stream, he ran along the bank, a little below the beast, 

 and got on to a rock, in order to have a better shot with his 

 8-bore as it passed him. It, however, recovered itself before 

 it got to him, and seeing him so close to the water's edge, came 

 straight at him, but he dropped it dead with a bullet in the 

 head when within a few feet of him. The only case I know of 

 a man being killed by a hippo was at Mumia's, in Kavirondo. 

 This man was an envoy, sent by Mwanga of Uganda to meet 

 us, and he was so severely hurt that he died next day. He had 

 gone out with other men, one of whom managed to wound 

 a hippo, and. as it kicked and plunged about, he waded out 

 into the water waist deep, when, having recovered, it charged 

 him with open mouth, catching him by the face in its jaws, 

 and crushing it to such a frightful extent that he was quite 

 unrecognisable. 



I do not think that a hippo would ever attempt to follow a 

 man on dry land, though I once read of a case where one 

 of a school, living in a small lake near Mombasa, and 

 having a very bad reputation for viciousness, actually left the 

 water before being shot at and chased the man three hundred 

 yards. As this sporting scribe also stated that he shot 

 buffaloes, lions, giraffes, elands, &c. &c. within ten miles of 

 Mombasa town so late as 1890, and that he used to send the 

 meat into the town to sell, I think that this, with other startling 

 facts (!) mentioned by him, may be taken cum grano salts. 



