KEYENGE OF AN ELEPHANT 
77 
generally kill tbenii At Senegal there was a servant wlio took 
pleasure in going to fight them ; but he often returned severely 
bitten and lacerated. He was once on the point of falling a 
prey to an animal of this description, which had rendered him 
hors de combat; but he was assisted just in time by his comrades. 
The elephants are less dangerous towards man, but do equal 
injury to his property. When they lie down in the mud to cool 
themselves, they pay no attention to people who pass near them ; 
and it is rare that they seek a quarrel : but when they are fired on 
and wounded, they begin to be enraged, and it is difficult to escape 
them. Excepting in this case, and when people wish to frighten 
them, they retire gravely as soon as they think proper. They 
look for a long time at those who disturb them ; then give two or 
three roars, and go away. When injured they are very ingenious 
in their means of vengeance, and uncommonly clever in executing 
them. It is asserted that the crew of a French vessel, which had 
arrived in the river of St. Domingo, observed an elephant stick- 
ing in the mud in such a manner that he could not disengage him- 
self : the sailors thought that it would be easy to take him, and 
accordingly fired muskets at him, which did not kill him, but 
put him in a rage. They could not get near enough to spear 
him; and being little accustomed to this kind of hunting, they 
did not know the parts at which he might be wounded with the 
greatest effect. The elephant could neither run away from, nor 
get towards his assailants ; he therefore in despair took up the 
mud with his trunk, and threw it in such quantities into the ship, 
that it was ready to sink, and the sailors were obliged to tow it 
oflf. As the tide set in, they observed the elephant disengage 
himself and swim to shore. 
The sea-horses or hippopotami which are found in all the wa- 
ters of Africa, abound more particularly in the rivers which I 
have just mentioned : they are easier dispersed than elephants. 
On seeing men or hearing a noise, they quickly retire to the ri- 
ver from which they issued, and plunge in head-foremost ; the 
next minute they re-appear at the surface, and neigh two or three 
times so loudly that they may be heard at a very great distance. 
This animal, which the ancients called hippopotamus, and of 
which they have transmitted to us several inaccurate descriptions, 
is not to be found in any other part of the world. I sliall there- 
foie give a complete description of it. It resembles in several 
respects both the ox and the horse ; and its tail is like that of a 
hog, except that it has no hair at the end. When it has attained 
its full size, it is higher, longer, and bigger, by about one third, 
than the largest of the French oxen ; and it is not uncommon to 
find hippopotami which weigh from 12 to 15 cwt : its body is 
tiiick, compact, and closely covered with short brown hair, which 
