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THE ROGUE-HIPPOPOTAMUS. 419 



this, which when full-grown attains a length of eleven or twelve 

 feet, and nearly the same colossal girth, affords a truly appalling" 

 spectacle when enraged, and that a nervous person may well 

 lose his presence of mind when suddenly brought into contact 

 with the gaping monster. Even Andersson, a man accustomed 

 to all sorts of wild adventure, felt rather discomposed when 

 one nig^ht a hippopotamus, without the slightest warning, 

 suddenly protuded its enormous head into his bivouac, so that 

 every man started to his feet with the greatest precipitation, 

 some of the party, in the confusion, rushing into the fire and 

 upsetting^ the pots containing the evening meal. 



As among the elephants and other animals, elderly males 

 are sometimes expelled the herd, and, for want of company, 

 become soured in their temper, and so misanthropic as to attack 

 every boat that comes near them. The ' rogue-hippopotami ' 

 frequent certain localities well known to the inhabitants of the 

 banks, and, like the outcast elephants, are extremely dangerous. 

 Dr. Livingstone, passing a canoe which had been smashed . to 

 pieces by a blow from the hind foot of one of them, was in- 

 formed by his men that, in case of a similar assault being made 

 on his boat, the proper way was to dive to the bottom of the 

 river, and hold on there for a few seconds, because the hippo- 

 potamus, after breaking a canoe, always looks for the people on 

 the surface, and if he sees none, soon moves off. He saw some 

 frightful gashes made on the legs of the people who, having 

 had the misfortune to be attacked, were unable to dive. 



In rivers where it is seldom disturbed, such as the Zambesi, 

 the hippopotamus puts up its head openly to blow, and follows 

 the traveller with an inquisitive glance, as if asking him, like 

 the ' moping owl ' in the elegy, why he comes to molest its 

 ' ancient solitary reign ' ? but in other rivers, such as those of 

 Londa, where it is much in danger of being shot, it takes good 

 care to conceal its nose among water-plants, and to breathe so 

 quietly that one would not dream of its existence in the river, 

 except by footprints on the banks. Notwithstanding its stupid 

 ook — its prominent eyes and naked snout giving it more the 

 ppearanee of a gigantic boiled calf s head than anything else 

 — the huge creature is by no means deficient in intelligence, 

 knows how to avoid pitfalls, and has so good a memory that, 

 when it has once heard a ))all whiz about its ears, it never after 



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