216 
AFRICAN GAME TRAILS 
ment, I hit it at the base of the ear, a brain shot which 
dropped it in its tracks. Meanwhile Kermit was busily tak¬ 
ing photos of it as it charged, and, as he mentioned after¬ 
ward, until it was dead he never saw it except in the find¬ 
er’’ of his camera. The water was so shallow where I had 
killed the hippo that its body projected slightly above the 
surface. It was the hardest kind of work getting it out from 
among the water-lilies; then we towed it to camp behind 
the launch. 
The engineer of the launch was an Indian Moslem. 
The fireman and the steersman were two half-naked and 
much-ornamented Kikuyus. The fireman wore a blue bead 
chain on one ankle, a brass armlet on the opposite arm, 
a belt of short steel chains, a dingy blanket (no loin cloth), 
and a skull cap surmounted by a plume of ostrich feathers. 
The two Kikuyus were unconsciously entertaining com¬ 
panions. Without any warning they would suddenly start 
a song or chant, usually an impromptu recitative of what¬ 
ever at the moment interested them. They chanted for 
half an hour over the feat of the ‘'B’wana Makuba” (great 
master or chief, my name) in killing the hippo; laying 
especial stress upon the quantity of excellent meat it would 
furnish, and how very good the eating would be. Usually 
one would improvise the chant, and the other join in the 
chorus. Sometimes they would solemnly sing compli¬ 
mentary songs to one another, each in turn chanting the 
manifold good qualities of his companion. 
Around this camp were many birds. The most note¬ 
worthy was a handsome gray eagle owl, bigger than our 
great horned owl, to which it is closely akin. It did not 
hoot or scream, its voice being a kind of grunt, followed in 
