THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 223 



the Nile was covered, apparently, for mile?, as boat straggled 

 behind boat, strung out until those in front could not be seen by 

 the navigators of those in the rear. A few days after starting, 

 one of the troopers, while lazily dangling his feet over the side 

 of a boat, in the water, was seized by a crocodile and carried off, 

 the poor fellow having no time to make any outcry ; a little blood 

 on the water was the last sign left of him. Three days later 

 great excitement was created on the flag steamer by the attack 

 of a hippopotamus. 



ATTACKED BY A HIPPOPOTAMUS. 



BAKER says : " At 1 P. M., as we were steaming easily, I hap- 

 pened to be asleep on the poop-deck, when I was suddenly 

 awakened by a shock, succeeded almost immediately by the cry, 

 * The ship 's sinking !' A hippopotamus had charged the steamer 

 from the bottom, and had smashed several floats off her starboard 

 paddle. A few seconds later he charged our diahbeeah, and 

 striking her bottom about ten feet from the bow, ho cut two 

 holes through the iron plates with his tusks. There was no time 

 to lose, as the water was rushing in with great force. Fortu- 

 nately, in this land of marsh and floating grass, there were a 

 few feet of tolerably firm ground rising from the deep water. 

 Running alongside, all hands were soon hard at work discharging 

 cargo with great rapidity, and bailing out with every conceivable 

 utensil, until we obtained assistance from the steamer, whose 

 large hand-pump and numerous buckets at longth so far overcame 

 the rush of water that we could discover the leaks." 



A few days later, while the boats were passing through a lake, 

 or sudden broadening of the river, Baker saw a hippopotamus 

 emerge from a bank of high grass. Being in need of meat, he 

 took a small boat and went after the behemoth. A few strokes 

 placed him near the spot where the animal entered the water, and 

 a moment after, with a snort, it arose to the surface fifty yards 

 distant. A shot from his rifle was followed by the disappearance 

 of the animal, and frequent soundings failed to discover the 

 body. The boats lay by until morning, as it was now quite late, 

 and just as dawn appeared the great beast was seen floating 



