054 



THE CLOVEN-HOOFED ANIMALS. 



At every snort the beast squirted copious jets of 

 blood over the boat. Then we finally made use of a 

 large stationary swivel gun which we had deemed 

 unnecessary, considering the short distance. But 

 only after five of its balls, fired at the distance of 

 several yards, had inflicted the most terrible wounds 

 in its head and body, did the giant breathe its last. 

 The darkness of night still increased the ghastliness 

 of the struggle." 



But without such weapons of offense, the native 

 hunter has from tipie immemorial attacked the mon- 

 ster with javelin ahd spear and followed the sport as 

 successfully as these arms permitted. In all essen- 

 tial respects the African sportsman proceeded and 

 still proceeds after the fashion of the ancient Egyp- 

 tians, with whose Hippopotamus hunts we are famil- 

 iar through the pictures on the monuments, and the 

 accounts given in the writings of several of the old 

 authors. The spear and a suitable harpoon provided 

 with a line and a buoy are the only weapons which 

 the inhabitants of the upper Nile country use against 

 the Hippopotamus even in the present day. At 

 about midnight the harpoon caster creeps along the 

 shore to the place at which the animals issue from 

 the water. He hides in the bushes to the leeward of 

 this place of egress and waits until an animal, return- 

 ing from pasture, has about half entered the river. 

 Then he throws the harpoon into its body with all 

 his force, and flees, hoping that the frightened ani- 

 mal will rush into the water. This is what usually 

 happens; but on the other hand the monster gener- 

 ally turns upon its assailant if attacked when going 

 up the shore. After the harpoon throwing, either 

 immediately or on the next morning, the sportsman 

 and his assistants enter one of the boats held in 

 readiness, and go in search of the wounded animal, 

 looking first for the spear-end protruding above the 

 water or the floating wooden buoy. As soon as they 

 have found these traces of the animal they cau- 

 tiously row near, with javelins and spears ready for 

 instant use, and the line is taken up. The slightest 

 pull causes the Hippopotamus to rise to the surface 

 in a paroxysm of pain and rage; it rushes at the 

 canoe, but is greeted by a shower of spears, which 

 frequently compels it to retreat. Yet it not infre- 

 quently happens that it reaches the boat and de- 

 stroys it with its tusks. In a fortunate case, however, 

 the beast is assailed with all the weapons, until it 

 succumbs to the wounds. 

 Economic Vali/e The profit of the chase is not slight. 



of the Hippo- The flesh of the monster, particularly 

 potamus. the fatter portion, is esteemed and 

 eaten by everybody. In the good old times the set- 

 tlers of Cape Colony could hardly imagine a greater 

 treat than a Hippopotamus hunt. The flesh and fat 

 were cut off the body of the slain gigantic creature 

 on the spot, and transported home by the cart-load. 

 Young animals are said to yield especially savory 

 meat and the fat of the old ones is reputed to be 

 preferable to fat pork; the tongue is considered a 

 delicacy, either fresh or smoked. This latter state- 

 ment nearly all sportsmen agree upon, but many are 

 of a different opinion concerning the flesh, which 

 some think insipid, soft and tasteless. In east Africa 

 the fat is considered the best ointment for the hair 

 or the body. The thick hide is manufactured into 

 excellent riding-whips, canes and shields; the teeth 

 are, according to Westendarp, in great request for 

 the manufacture of a number of fine turner's articles, 



as the composition of the tusks surpasses the gen- 

 uine Elephant's ivory in fineness of texture, hardness 

 and whiteness. The capture of the monster alive 

 requires a patient, skillful chase. Every Hippopot- 

 amus seen in captivity has, almost without excep- 

 tion, been taken while young, and it is scarcely nec- 

 essary to say that the mother of the little animal 

 must be first killed, before such a capture is possible. 

 The unreasoning affection of the clumsy, little crea- 

 ture for its mother facilitates the capture, however; 

 it follows its wounded mother anywhere and does 

 not even desert her dead body. A harpoon is then 

 thrown at some sensitive spot of its body, or the 

 hunter entangles it in a net, and thus it is pulled 

 ashore. At first it endeavors to free itself, uttering 

 yelling, piercing cries, like a Hog about to be killed, 

 and ofifers a great deal of resistance; but it soon be- 

 comes used to Man and follows its keeper aboi^l;. 

 The Hippopota- AH experiments show that the Hip- 

 mus Easily popotamus endures confinement 

 Tamed. readily and for a long time in the 



various temperate climates. When a couple of the 

 animals are installed in a place, where they can move 

 about in accordance with their natural propensities, 

 that is, can go into the water or be on 'shore as the 

 fancy takes them; and one may count on their hav- 

 ing offspring. They are satisfied with any kind of 

 food, especially with anything that is usually fed 

 to domestic Hogs. During my stay in Cairo I 

 saw the first captive Hippopotamus which has been 

 shipped to Europe in niodern times. It had become 

 so used to its keeper, that it ran after him like a 

 Dog and allowed itself to be easily managed. 

 [Since then many Hippopotami have been taken to 

 Europe and America.] 



Age and Develop- Behemoth hardly has another enemy 

 ment of the Hip- besides Man that could seriously im- 

 popotamus. peril its safety. In those places 

 which "Man does not reach with his torment" the 

 Hippopotamus probably attains a very great age. 

 Though its growth is comparatively rapid, it requires 

 many years before it attains its full size. Probably 

 it is capable of reproduction in its second year and 

 is certainly so in the third; but, as observations of 

 captive specimens have demonstrated; it continues 

 to grow steadily for several years, even after it has 

 borne young, and when the body has at last attained 

 its full size, the teeth at least continue to increase in 

 length and bulk. It is not known when the decay 

 incident to old age bagins, nor is it known how old 

 it may become in the free state. 

 The Liberian Hippo- The second existing representative 

 potamus a Smaller of the family, the Liberian Hippo- 

 Species. potamus, or, as it might be termed 



also, the Dwarf Hippopotamus {^Hippopotamus or 

 Chceropsis liberiensis) is very much smaller than the 

 preceding species, and is apparently restricted to a 

 small range in Upper Guinea. It differs from its 

 gigantic kinsman not only by reason of its much 

 smaller proportions but also by the lack of two in- 

 cisor teeth in the lower jaw. Buttikofer, who has 

 seen freshly killed specimens, says that the back is 

 of a slate-black hue, the abdomen a dingy, greenish 

 white, the sides a greenish slate-gray. An adult fe- 

 male, which he obtained, weighed, according to his 

 estimate, only eight hundred pounds, its height at 

 the shoulders was thirty and a half inches, its total 

 length seventy-four inches, nearly seven of which 

 were included in the tail. 



