THE. HIPPOPOTAMUS. 293 



he walks as in the open air; and, when he 

 comes out of it to pafture, he eats fugar canes, 

 rufhes, millet, rice, roots, &C. of which he con- 

 fumes great quantities, and does much damage 

 in the cultivated fields. But, as he is more ti- 

 mid on land than in the water, it is not difficult: 

 to drive him off. His legs are fo fhort, that, 

 when at a diitance from water, he cannot efcape 

 by flight. When in danger, his only refource is 

 to plunge into the water, and travel under it a 

 great way before he again appears. When 

 hunted, he generally Hies; but, when wounded, 

 he returns with fury, darts boldly againft the 

 boats, feizes them with his teeth, tears pieces oft 

 them, and fometimes finks them *. * I have 

 ' known/ fays a traveller f, • the hippopota- 



* mus open his mouth, and fet one tooth on the 

 4 gunnel of a boat, and another on the fecond 

 ' ftrake from the keel (which was more than 



* four feet diftant), and there bit a hole through 



* the plank, and funk the boat ; and, after he 



* had done, he went away fhaking his ears. His 

 ' flrength is incredibly great; for I have feen 



* him, in the wafh of the more, when the fea 

 1 has toffed in a Dutchman's boat with fourteen 



* hogfheads of water in her, upon the faid beaft, 



T 3 ' and 



three fathoms water, and remain there more than half an 

 hour, before he returned to the furface ; Id. ib. 



* Hippopotmaus cymbis infidiatur quae mercibus cnuftae 

 fecundo Nigro feruntur, quas dorfi frequentibus gyris agita- 

 tas demergit; Leon. Afric. Defcript. to?n. 2. />. 758. 



f Dampier, vol. 2. part 2. p. 105. 



