444 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
to stop our “ way,” but the depth of water defeated 
their efforts. As I fired, the hippo nearly struck the 
bow. Then quick as lightning he dived, the canoe 
passing over him, so that for a moment I felt as though 
we were passing over a torpedo. Little more than a 
second elapsed before he was up again, this time along¬ 
side, erecting.his ugly head high out of the water. 
Another shot, with better direction than the first, was 
followed by a tremendous splashing of water, which 
frothed and seethed as though it was in a boiling 
cauldron, and amidst the trembling confusion we saw 
the last of the formidable brute. 
This herd consisted of about ten hippos, all playing 
and romping in blissful contentment whilst this exciting 
bother was in progress. 
The incident was nearly the cause of the total wreck 
of the Leviathan ; for during the strenuous endeavours 
of the boys to stop her, the stern swung out, and now 
the canoe lay athwart the stream, a most unmanageable 
position, considering her great length. 
Down we went. The poles could find no bottom. A 
promontory jutted out from the bank in front, forming 
the whirl of a strong eddy, the two currents flowing in 
opposing directions with equal velocity. 
“ Thunder and lightning, Fred ! This will break 
us up.” 
The backwater, running like a mill race, caught the 
Leviathan’s nose, while the strong central current swept 
her stern in the opposite direction. Round she spun 
like a top, and came into violent collision with the 
abutting bank, which met her like the ram of an iron¬ 
clad. The cranky craft struck with a heavy thud, and 
heeled over, threatening to discharge both crew and 
cargo without further ceremony. We clung to the long 
reeds which inclined invitingly towards our eager hands, 
and managed to get a hold just in time to prevent a 
repetition of the pirouette movement, and the certainty 
of the craft going to the bottom. 
Considerable delay resulted from this unforeseen mis¬ 
chance. Water, which had been shipped, had to be 
