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 cliaiged, 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 
I among the water-lilies; then we towed it to camp behind 
° the launch. 
I I The engineer of the launch was an Indian Moslem, 
I ^ The fireman and the steersman were two half-naked and 
I ^ much-ornamented Kikuyus. The fireman wore a blue bead 
I chain on one ankle, a brass armlet on the opposite arm, 
i l-a belt of short steel chains, a dingy blanket (no loin cloth), 
^ la 
I I and a skull cap surmounted by a plume of ostrich feathers. 
% I The two Kikuyus were unconsciously entertaining com- 
I I panions. Without any warning they would suddenly start 
I ^a song or chant, usually an impromptu recitative of what- 
I gever at the moment interested them. They chanted for 
I (^half an hour over the feat of the ‘'BVana Makuba” (great 
^ to* 
I ^master or chief, my name) in killing the hippo; laying 
^ l^especial stress upon the quantity of excellent meat it would 
% ^Furnish, and how very good the eating would be. Usually 
I one would improvise the chant, and the other join in the 
I 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 
