THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 237 



" In a short time I heard louder splashing. I again got up, and 

 I perceiyed him about eighty yards distant, walking slowly across 

 the river in the shallows. Haying a fair shot at the shoulder, 

 I fired right and left with the No. 8 Reilly rifle, and I distinctly 

 heard the bullets strike. He nevertheless reached the right bank, 

 when he presently turned round and attempted to re-cross the 

 shallow. This gave me a good chance at the shoulder, as his body 

 was entirely exposed. He staggered forward at the shot, and fell 

 dead in the shallow flat of the river 



" On the following morning I made a postmortem examination. 

 He had received three shots in the flank and shoulder ; four in 

 the head, one of which had broken his lower jaw ; another had 

 passed through his nose, and passing downward, had cut off one of 

 his large tusks, I never witnessed such determined and unprovoked 

 fury as was exhibited by this animal — he appeared to be raving 

 mad. His body was a mass of frightful scars, the result of con- 

 tinual conflicts with bulls of his own species ; some of these wounds 

 were still unhealed. There was one scar about two feet in length, 

 and about two inches below the level of the surface skin, upon the 

 flank. He was evidently a character of the worst description, but 

 whose madness rendered him callous to all punishment. I can 

 only suppose that the attack upon the vessels was induced by the 

 smell of the raw hippopotamus flesh, which was hung in long 

 strips about the rigging, and with which the zinc boat was filled. 

 The dead hippopotamus that was floating astern, lashed to the 

 diahbeeah, had not been molested. 



" We raised the zinc boat, which was fortunately unhurt. The 

 dingy had lost a mouthful, as the hippopotamus had bitten out a 

 portion of the side, including the gunwale of hard wood; he had 

 munched out a piece like the port of a small vessel, which he had 

 accomplished with the same ease as though it had been a slice of 



toast." 



The hippopotamus is a vegetable feeder, living entirely on 

 grass, young reeds, and roots, and is very particular in its choice 

 of a good pasturage, for it often travels a considerable distance 

 along the river-bank to obtain it. During its nocturnal visits on 

 shore in search of food it commits sad havoc in the rice and grain 



