HIPPOPOTAMUS 197 



bodies out of water to examine the phenomenon. The 

 last stage, at this period, they did under water. But day 

 by day, since we never molested them, confidence increased 

 and soon they all swam boldly by, passing within stone's- 

 throw. 



Half an hour after dark their gruntings and blowings 

 had ceased, and the silence of the tropic night was only 

 broken by the distant wail of a hyena or, later, by the low 

 soughing call of a questing lion. Still there always remain 

 in the river a certain number of hippos (for what reason, I 

 suggest later), and these one also hears. 



During the last moments at which it was possible to 

 see anything at all, I twice at this spot (and several times 

 at other points on Nile) observed hippos emerge from the 

 cane-fastnesses on the bank and enter the river at the very 

 moment when all the rest were just leaving it. At the 

 time, these incidents seemed inexplicable. They reversed 

 the normal course of daily life and habit ; but presently 

 I learned that these particular hippos habitually spent the 

 whole day ashore (as explained later in this chapter), and 

 only came down to the river for a drink, before setting 

 forth on their nocturnal foray. 



I slept on deck- my "stretcher," with mosquito-curtain 

 (for we were here in the Sudd region), set up on the poop. 

 Punctually as Abdullah brought my morning tea, the 

 returning hippos were more punctual still and earlier. 

 Each morning in the black darkness that precedes the 

 dawn the noisy amphibians awoke me as they returned, 

 full-fed and exuberant, to the river. Sometimes, when 

 there was a waning moon, I could half distinguish their 

 dusky forms and the spray as, bellowing and splashing, they 

 plunged down their " meskra" or prepared landing-place 

 and forgetful of our presence passed within 20 yards of 

 the ship. Even so, they displayed rather curiosity than 

 fear. Not all of these hippos, when returning to the river 

 at dawn, used the regular meskra, for twice or thrice I 

 heard the crunching of canes on the main shore just 



