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 ¢hree 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 salis. 
