140 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 



for I could almost .have touched his broad back 

 as he passed. It was under these exasperating- 

 conditions that I saw a hippo for the first time, and 

 without doubt he is the ugliest and most forbidding 

 looking brute I have ever beheld. 



The moment the great beast had passed our tree, 

 he scented us, snorted loudly, and dived into the 

 bushes close by, smashing through them like a 

 traction engine. In screwing myself round to 

 watch him go, I broke the creepers by which I was 

 holding on and landed on my back in the sand at 

 the foot of the tree none the worse for my short 

 drop, but considerably startled at the thought that 

 the hippo might come back at any moment. I 

 climbed up to my perch again without loss of time, 

 but he was evidently as much frightened as I was, 

 and returned no more. Shortly after this we saw- 

 two rhino come down to the river to drink ; they 

 were too far off for a shot, however, so I did not 

 disturb them, and they gradually waddled up-stream 

 out of sight. Then we heard the awe-inspiring- 

 roar of a hungry lion close by, and presently 

 another hippo gave forth his tooting challenge a 

 little way down the river. As there seemed no 

 likelihood of getting a shot at him from our tree, I 

 made up my mind to stalk him on foot, so we both 

 descended from our perch and made our way slowly- 

 through the trees in the semi-darkness. There 



