36s TRAVELS IN 
and the cunning animal remarking that they 
did not fire, kept continually on that fide. I 
therefore difpatched Pit, who had won the 
prize in fliooting at a mark, ordering him to 
crofs the river out of the animal's fight, to 
join his companions by going a little way 
about, and, above all, not to fire till he was 
fure of his aim : all which he executed with 
much intelligence. The animal, which on 
the other fide thought itfelf out of our 
reach, having no fufpicion, raifed its whole 
head fometimes out of the water, and at one 
of thefe moments. Pit direded his fhot fo 
well, that the hippopotamus received it, and 
immediately dived. It was feverely wound- 
ed, I am certain, for it appeared foon after 
with the greater part of its body above the 
furface, and agitated with convulfive motions. 
Embracing this opportunity, I fired, and 
lodged my ball in its breaft, upon which it 
again plunged, and did not appear till the ex- 
piration of twenty-feven minutes. Being 
then dead, it floated along with the current, 
and fome of my people having fwum to it, 
pufhed it towards us clofe to the bank. 
1 can fcarcely defcribe the joy which we all 
felt when we at length faw this monftrous 
animal 
