Six Hippos Shot for Food. 141 



chase after the elephants, I shot an impala ram. On 

 getting to the pool where we could hear the hippos grunting 

 and splashing, I sat down and killed five with consecutive 

 shots. The sixth cost me three cartridges, for after my 

 first shot at him he was only dazed, as he left the water and 

 stood on a sandbank, where I gave him two more bullets 

 which killed him. This may seem dreadful slaughter, but I 

 have mentioned that the hippos do great damage to the 

 crops, and, moreover, the inhabitants of the villages round 

 here were suffering from a famine, as they had finished 

 most of their last season's crop of grain. This supply of 

 meat, of which not a pound was wasted, would give them 

 food for some time, and put strength into those who were ill 

 from hunger. Instead of regretting such slaughter, I would 

 do the same again for the same purpose. 



Further, the natives are not allowed to kill large game 

 like elephants and hippos themselves, so it is a good action 

 on any white man's part to kill it for them, as long as 

 he does not exceed his allowance. 



However, as I do not believe, now-a-days, in giving the 

 natives great quantities of meat for nothing, and as they had 

 plenty of goats and I wanted the milk as much as they 

 wanted the hippo meat, I told them that I would give one 

 hippo for one milch goat, and they were quite agreeable, 

 and the different headmen went off to bring the goats. A 

 large hippo weighs quite 65oolb., and a big goat certainly 

 not more than 8olb., so they had certainly the best of the 

 bargain. 



Two of the headmen produced billy goats, saying they 

 had no nannies, which I expect was a fib, so to square 

 matters they had each to bring six fowls as well. This was 

 only fair to the men who produced nannies, which are 

 considered more valuable. 



Another man who had no goats produced a pair of khaki 

 trousers, which he said he had given fifteen shillings for in 

 Salisbury, and on my refusing a hippo for them, as I told 

 him I could not wear them, he almost exploded in tears, 

 and begged me to take the pants and give him a hippo, for 



