THE HIPPOPOTAMUS--A DUEL--SHOOTING ON THE RIVER--NEARLY UPSET--A
NIGHT-HUNT ON LAND--MY COMPANION FIRES AND RUNS--APPEARANCE AND
HABITS OF THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.
What have we yonder in the water? A flock of hippopotami! Their bodies
look for all the world like so many old weather-beaten logs stranded on
a mud-bank or a sand-bar.
Every thing was still. The sun was very hot, and all nature seemed
to repose. I was concealed on the banks of the river, under a very
shady tree, watching them. Suddenly, not far from me, two huge beasts
rose as by enchantment to the surface of the water and rushed towards
each other. Their vast and hideous mouths were opened to their utmost
capacity, showing their huge crooked tusks, which gave their mouths
a savage appearance. Their eyes were flaming with rage, and each of
them put forth all his power to annihilate the other. They seized each
other with their jaws; they stabbed and punched with their strong
tusks, lacerating each other in a frightful manner; they advanced
and retreated; now they were at the top of the water, and now they
sank down to the bottom. Their blood discoloured the river, and their
groans or grunts of rage were hideous to listen to. They showed little
power of strategy, but rather a piggish obstinacy in maintaining their
ground, and a frightful savageness of demeanour. The combat lasted
an hour. It was a grand sight. The water around them was sometimes
white with foam. At last one turned about and made off, leaving the
other victorious and master of the field. A few days after, I killed a
hippopotamus, and its thick hide was lacerated terribly. Doubtless it
was one of the beasts I had seen fighting.
The hippopotamus is found in most of the rivers of Africa which empty
themselves into the Atlantic or Indian Ocean, but in none but the Nile
of those which empty themselves into the Mediterranean; and in the Nile
it is only met far up the river. Many as there were of them on the
Fernand-Vaz, they were more numerous on the Ogobai.
How much sport I have had with them! How often have I studied their
habits! And now I must give you some account of my encounters with them.
About five miles above my little settlement at Washington there was a
place in the river shallow enough for them to stand and play around,
and there they remained all day playing in the deep water, sometimes
diving, but for the most part standing on the shallows, with only their
ugly noses or heads lifted out of the water.
One fine morning I went towards them. We approached slowly and with
caution to within thirty yards of them without seeming to attract the
slightest attention from the sluggish animals. One might have asked
himself, "Are they hippopotami or not?" Stopping there I fired five
shots, and, so far as I could see, I killed three hippopotami. The ear
is one of the most vulnerable spots, and this was my mark every time.
The first shot was received with very little attention by the herd; but
the struggles of the dying animal I had hit, which turned over several
times and finally sank to the bottom, seemed to rouse the others, who
began to plunge about and dive down into deep water. The blood of my
victims discoloured the water all around, and we could not see whether
those who escaped were not swimming for us.
Presently the canoe received a violent jar, and, looking overboard, we
perceived that we were in the midst of the herd. "The hippopotami are
coming upon us!" shouted the men; "they are going to attack us!" We
pulled out of the way as fast as we could, none of us being anxious to
be capsized. It would have been a comical sight to see us swimming in
the midst of a flock of hippopotami, and some of us, perhaps, raised up
on the back of one as he came to the surface, or lifted, maybe, with
his two crooked tusks in our body.
We were soon out of the way, and looking back to see where were the
animals I had killed, I saw nothing. They had sunk to the bottom, and
of the three, only one was recovered. It was found two days afterwards
on a little island near the river's mouth. Seeing this, I resolved
never to shoot hippopotami while they are in the water, for I did not
want to kill these animals for nothing; I wanted their skins and their
skeletons to enrich our museums.
Some time after Joe had died, I determined to go on a night hunt after
hippopotami. These animals come ashore by night to feed.
The Fernand-Vaz runs for many miles parallel with the seashore,
separated from the sea by a strip of sandy prairie. On this prairie
the hippopotamus feeds. He is sometimes called the sea-horse, for when
his head is out of the water it looks from a distance exactly like the
head of a horse. The "walk" of a herd is easily discernible. It looks
very much like a regular beaten road, only their immense footprints
showing who are its makers. In their track no grass grows. They always
return by the same path they go out on. This gives the hunter a great
advantage.
I chose moonlight night, and paddled up to the vicinity of one of
these "walks." There Igala, my hunter, and I set out by ourselves.
I had painted my face with a mixture of oil and soot, which is a
prudent measure for a white hunter in Africa. The beasts there seem
to have a singularly quick eye for anything white. I made myself look
exactly like Igala. We both had black faces and black hands. I was
dressed in the usual dark suit of clothes for the night; people there
must not go hunting in light-coloured garments. We chose the windward
side of the track, for the hippopotamus has a very keen scent, and is
easily alarmed at night, feeling, probably, that on land his sluggish
movements, huge bulk, and short legs have their disadvantages.
We lay down under shelter of a bush and watched. As yet none of the
animals had come out of the water. We could hear them in the distance
splashing about in the water, their subdued snort-like roars breaking
in upon the stillness of the night in a very odd way. It was the only
noise we heard--no, I cannot say the only noise, for the mosquitoes
were busily buzzing around, and feeding upon us, taking advantage,
apparently, of our anxiety to keep perfectly quiet.
The moon was nearly down, and the watch was getting tedious, when I
was startled by a sudden groan. Peering into the distance, I saw dimly
a huge animal looking doubly monstrous in the uncertain light. It was
quietly eating grass, which it seemed to nibble off quite close to the
ground.
There was another bush between us and our prey, and we crawled up to
this in dead silence. Arrived there, we were but eight yards from
the great beast. How terrible he looked! The negroes who hunt the
hippopotami are sometimes killed; I thought that one of us might be
killed also. The animal, if only wounded, turns savagely upon his
assailants, and experience has taught the negro hunters that the only
safe way to approach him is from behind. He cannot turn quickly, and
thus the hunter has a chance to make good his escape. This time we
could not get into a very favourable position; but I determined to have
my shot nevertheless, eight yards being a safe killing distance, even
with so poor a light as we had by this time.
We watched the hippopotamus intently, looking at each other as if to
say, "Are you ready?" We then raised our guns slowly. Igala and I
both took aim. He fired and, without waiting to see the result, ran
as swiftly as a good pair of legs could carry him. I was not quite
ready, but fired the moment after him, and before I could get ready for
running (in which I had not Igala's practice) I saw there was no need
for it. The beast tottered for a moment, and fell over with a booming
sound, dead.
This closed our night's sport, as none of the herd would come this
way while their companion lay there. So we returned home. Poor Igala
remonstrated with me for not running as he did. It appears that running
was considered one of the chief accomplishments of the hippopotamus
hunter. Our good luck created great joy in the village, where meat
was scarce. The men went out at daylight and brought the flesh home.
Basket after basket came in, and as each one arrived all shouted except
those who did not eat the hippopotamus. It is _roonda_ for them. Some
of their ancestry had a long time ago given birth to a hippopotamus,
and if they were to eat any, more births of hippopotami would come to
them, or they would die. These shouted, "I wish he had killed a bullock
instead of a hippopotamus."
The meat does not taste unlike beef, but was not so red. It was rather
coarse-grained, and in the case of this animal it was not fat. It makes
a welcome and wholesome dish. I tried to have some steaks; I must say
they were rather tough, and did not go down easily. The broth was
better, and I enjoyed it very much. There was something novel in having
hippopotamus soup.
I have killed a good many hippopotami. It is a very clumsily-built,
unwieldy animal, remarkable chiefly for its enormous head, whose
upper jaw seemed to be movable, like the crocodile's, and for its
disproportionately short legs. The male is much larger than the female;
indeed, a full-grown male sometimes attains the bulk, though not the
height, of the elephant. In the larger specimens the belly almost
sweeps the ground as they walk.
The feet are curiously constructed to facilitate walking among the
reeds and mud of the river bottom, and swimming with ease. The hoof is
divided into four short, apparently clumsy and unconnected toes; and
they are able, by this breadth of foot, to walk rapidly even through
the mud. I have seen them make quick progress, when alarmed, in water
so deep that their backs were just at the surface.
The colour of the skin is a clayey yellow, assuming a roseate hue under
the belly. In the grown animal the colour is a little darker. The skin
of an adult hippopotamus is from one and a half to two inches thick on
the middle of the back. It is devoid of hair, with the exception of a
few short bristly hairs in the tail, and a few scattered tufts, of four
or five hairs each, near the muzzle.
All along the Fernand-Vaz there were scattered herds of hippopotami;
and I used to watch them from my house. I could see them at any time
during the day. After they have chosen a spot, they like to remain
there day after day, and month after month, unless they are disturbed,
or their food becomes scarce. These animals consort together in herds
of from two to thirty. They choose shallows in the rivers, where the
depth of the water allows them to have their whole body submerged when
standing. There they remain all day, swimming off into the deep place,
diving for their grassy food, or gambolling in the waves. From time to
time they throw up a stream of water two or three feet high. This is
done with a noise like blowing, and it is doubtless an effort to get
breath. It is pleasant to watch a herd peacefully enjoying themselves,
particularly when they have two or three young ones among them. Some
of the little fellows look very small, and are comically awkward. They
chase each other about the shoals or play about their dams; and I have
often seen them seated on the back of their mother in the water. How
careful their mothers seemed to be when they were swimming about, and
carrying their young in the way I have described. It is a sight worth
seeing; sometimes the whole herd of hippopotami will disappear for a
long time under the water.
They prefer parts of the rivers where the current is not very swift,
and are therefore to be found in all the lakes of the interior. They
prefer to be near grass fields. They are very fond of a particular
kind of coarse grass which grows on these prairies, and will travel
considerable distances to find it. They always return, however, before
daylight. Their path overland is very direct. Neither rocks nor swamps
nor bushes can prove formidable obstacles to a water beast of such
bulk. I have seen their path lie through the thickest woods. Unless
much pursued and harassed, they are not much afraid of man. If troubled
by hunters they move their encampment, or go into countries where they
can be more quiet.
Some of their favourite grass was growing on a little plain at the back
of my house; and several times I found hippopotami tracks not more than
fifty yards from the house. They had not feared to come as near as
this; though probably, if the wind had been blowing towards them, they
would have avoided the place.
They always choose a convenient landing-place, where the bank has a
long and easy incline. This landing-place they use till they have eaten
up all the provender which can be found in that vicinity. Before going
ashore, they watch for an hour, and sometimes for two hours, near the
landing, remaining very quiet themselves, and listening for danger.
The slightest token of the hunter's presence, or any other suspicious
appearances on such occasions, will send them away for that night.
If no danger appears they begin to wander ashore in twos or threes. I
never saw more than three of a herd grazing together; and, during their
stay ashore, they place more dependence on their ears than on their
eyes. I have watched them closely in many hunts; and I am sure that the
beast walks along with his eyes nearly shut.
When playing in the water, this animal makes a noise very much
resembling the grunt of a pig. This grunt it utters also when alarmed
by the approach of man. When enraged, or suddenly disturbed, it utters
a kind of groan--a hoarse sound--which can be heard at a considerable
distance. They are quite combative among themselves, as you have seen
in the case of the fight I have described.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: MARABOUTS, STORKS, AND PELICANS.
CHAP. XXV.]
[Illustration]