Before we give a more exclusive attention to the “illustrious stranger,”
we think it will be advisable to present the reader with a brief
authentic account of the circumstances which led to the honour conferred
upon England by the visit of this extraordinary personage. These
circumstances are little known to the world; indeed, we have reason to
believe they have never before been published.
The British Consul at Cairo had frequently intimated to His Highness the
Pasha of Egypt, that a live hippopotamus would be regarded as a very
interesting and valuable present in England. Now, there were sundry
difficulties of a serious nature involved in this business. In the first
place, the favourite resort of the hippopotami is a thousand or fifteen
hundred miles distant from Cairo; in the second place, the hippopotamus
being amphibious, is not easily come-at-able; when he is environed, he
is a tremendous antagonist, by reason of his great strength, enormous
weight, his wrathfulness when excited, and we may add his prodigious
mouth with its huge tusks. We are speaking of the _male_ hippopotamus.
He is often slain by a number of rifle-balls (he only makes a comic grin
of scorn at a few) and laid low from a distance: but as to being taken
alive, that is a triumph which has scarcely ever been permitted to
mortal man of modern times. It is quite a different matter in respect of
the elephant. He cannot take to the water, and neither dive clean away,
nor upset your boat with a plunge of his forehead; besides which you
cannot get two tame renegade hippopotami to assist in the capture and
subjugation of a relative, as is the case with elephants. Accordingly,
His Highness the Pasha, not liking to compromise the dignity of
despotism, and his own position as sovereign of Egypt, by promising
anything which he might, perhaps, be unable to perform, turned a deaf
ear to the repeated overtures of the British Consul. He never refused
his request; he simply did not hear what he said, or could not be made
to have a clear understanding as to what the Consul really wanted. His
Highness had already given him the skin and bones of hippopotami, and
many other animals alive and dead. If he wished for any birds, he was
welcome to as many as he pleased!
It so chanced, however, that Abbas Pasha took it into his head, or
somebody told him, that we had in England several extraordinary breeds
of dogs, horses, and cows,—hounds that could catch a gazelle by sheer
fleetness, small fighting-dogs that would master a bull,—horses that
could compete with his finest Arabian steeds, and beat them in a hard
day’s hunt over rough ground. He bethought himself, therefore, of the
hippopotamus. One good turn of this kind might deserve another of a
different kind.
“So, Consul,” said the Pasha abruptly one day, when Mr. Murray was
dining with him, “so, you want a hippopotamus?”
“Very much, your Highness.”
“And you think that such an animal would be an acceptable present to
your Queen and country?”
“He would be accounted a great rarity,” said the Consul; “our
naturalists would receive him with open arms—figuratively speaking,—and
the public would crowd to pay their respects to him.”
Abbas Pasha laughed at this pleasantry of the Consul. “Well,” said he,
“we will inquire about this matter.” He half-turned his head over one
shoulder to his attendants: “Send here the Governor of Nubia!” The
attendants thus ordered made their salam, and retired.
Anybody, not previously aware of the easy habits of a despotic
sovereign, would naturally conclude that the Governor of Nubia was, at
this time, in Cairo, and at no great distance from the royal abode. But
it was not so. The Governor of Nubia was simply there—at home—smoking
his pipe in Nubia. This brief and unadorned order, therefore, involved a
post-haste messenger on a dromedary across the Desert, with a boat up
the Nile, and then more dromedaries, and then another boat, and again a
dromedary, till the Pasha’s mandate was delivered. We next behold the
Governor of Nubia, in full official trim, proceeding post-haste with his
suite across the Desert, and down the Nile, travelling day and night,
until finally he is announced to the Pasha, and admitted to his most
serene and fumigatious presence. The Governor makes his grand salam.
“Governor,” says the Pasha—and we have this unique dialogue on the best
authority—“Governor, have you hippopotami in your country?”
“We have, your Highness.”
Abbas Pasha reflected a moment; then said—“Send to me the Commander of
the Nubian army. Now, go!”
This was the whole dialogue. The Governor made his salam, and retired.
With the same haste and ceremony, so far as the two things can be
combined, he returned to Nubia by boat, and dromedary, and horse, and
covered litter; and the same hour found the Commander of the army of
Nubia galloping across the Desert with his attendants, in obedience to
the royal mandate.
The Pasha, knowing that all means of speed will be used, and what those
means will be, together with the nature of the route, is able to
calculate to a day when the Commander ought to arrive—and therefore
_must_ arrive,—at his peril, otherwise. The British Consul is invited to
dine with his Highness on this day.
Duly, as expected, the Commander of the Nubian army arrives, and is
announced, just as the repast is concluded. He is forthwith ushered into
the presence of the sublime beard and turban. Coffee and pipes are being
served. The Commander makes his grand salam, shutting his eyes before
the royal pipe.
“Commander,” says the Pasha, without taking his pipe from his mouth, “I
hear that you have hippopotami in your country.”
“It is true, your Highness; but——”
“Bring me a live hippopotamus—a young one. Now, go!”
This was actually the dialogue which took place on the occasion—and the
whole of it. The Commander of the Nubian forces made his grand
salam—retired—and returned as he came,—“big” with the importance of his
errand,—but also not without considerable anxiety for its result.
Arriving at Dongola, the Commander summoned his chief officers and
captains of the Nubian hosts to a council of war on the subject of the
hippopotamus hunt, on the result of which—he intimated—several heads
were at stake, besides his own. A similar communication was speedily
forwarded to the chief officers of the right wing of the army, quartered
in their tents at Sennaar. The picked men of all the forces having been
selected, the two parties met in boats at an appointed village on the
banks of the Nile, and there concerted their measures for the
expedition.
The Commander divided the chosen body into several parties, and away
they sped up the Nile. They followed the course of the river, beyond the
point where it branches off into the Blue Nile, and the White Nile. Good
fortune at length befel one of the parties; but this cost much time, and
many unsuccessful efforts—now pursuing a huge savage river-horse, with
rifle-balls and flying darts; now pursued by him in turn with foaming
jaws and gnashing tusks—all of which may readily be conjectured, from
the fact that they did not fall in with their prize till they had
reached a distance, up the White Nile, of one thousand five hundred
miles above Cairo. In the doublings and re-doublings of attack and
retreat, of pursuit and flight, and renewed assault, they must of course
have traversed in all, at least two thousand miles.
Something pathetic attaches to the death of the mother of “our
hero,”—something which touches our common nature, but which such hunters
as Mr. Gordon Cumming would not be at all able to understand. A large
female hippopotamus being wounded, was in full flight up the river; but
presently a ball or two reached a mortal part, and then the maternal
instinct made the animal pause. She fled no more, but turned aside, and
made towards a heap of brushwood and water-bushes that grew on the banks
of the river, in order (as the event showed) to die beside her young
one. She was unable to proceed so far, and sank dying beneath the water.
The action, however, had been so evidently caused by some strong impulse
and attraction in that direction, that the party instantly proceeded to
the clump of water-bushes. Nobody moved—not a green flag stirred; not a
sprig trembled; but directly they entered, out burst a burly young
hippopotamus-calf, and plunged head foremost down the river banks. He
had all but escaped, when amidst the excitement and confusion of the
picked men, one of them who had “more character” than the rest, made a
blow at the slippery prize with his boat-hook, and literally brought him
up by burying the hook in his fat black flank. Two other hunters—next to
him in presence of mind and energy—threw their arms round the great
barrel-bellied infant, and hoisted him into the boat, which nearly
capsized with the weight and struggle.
In this one circumstance of a hippopotamus being ordered by his Highness
Abbas Pasha, has been pleasantly shown the ease and brevity with which
matters are managed by a despotic government. We complain at home—and
with how much reason, everybody knows too well—of the injurious and
provoking slowness of all good legislative acts; but here we have a
beautiful little instance, or series of little instances, of going
rather too fast. Things are settled off-hand in the East by a royal
mandate—from the strangling of a whole seraglio, to the suckling of a
young hippopotamus.
Returning down the Nile with their unwieldy prize, for whose wounded
flank the best surgical attendance the country afforded, was of course
procured, it soon became a matter of immense importance and profound
consultation as to how and on what the innocent young monster should be
fed. He would not touch flesh of any kind; he did not seem to relish
fruit; and he evidently did not, at present, understand grass. A live
fish was put into his mouth, but he instantly gave a great gape and
allowed it to flap its way out again and fall into the water. Before
long, however, the party reached a village. The Commander of the army
saw what to do. He ordered his men to seize all the cows in the village,
and milk them. This was found very acceptable to their interesting
charge, who presently despatched a quantity that alarmed them, lest they
should be unable to keep up the due balance of supply and demand. The
surplus milk, however, they carried away in gourds and earthen vessels.
But they found it would not keep: it became sour butter, and melted into
oil. They were, therefore, compelled, after a milking, to carry off with
them one of the best cows. In this way they returned fifteen hundred
miles down the Nile, stopping at every village on their way—seizing all
the cows and milking them dry. By these means they managed to supply the
“table” of the illustrious captive, whose capacities in disposing of the
beverage appeared to increase daily.
The hunting-division of the army, headed by the Commander-in-Chief,
arrived at Cairo with their prize on the 14th of November, 1849. The
journey down the Nile, from the place where he was captured, _viz._, the
White Nile, had occupied between five and six months. This, therefore,
with a few additional days, may be regarded as the age of our
hippopotamus on reaching Cairo. The colour of his skin, at that time,
was for the most part of a dull, reddish tone, very like that (to
compare great things with small) of a naked new-born mouse. The
Commander hastened to the palace to report his arrival with the prize to
his royal master, into the charge of whose officers he most gladly
resigned it. His Highness, having been informed of the little affair of
the succession of “cows,” determined to place the vivacious un-weaned
“infant prodigy” in the hands of the British Consul without a moment’s
delay.
The announcement was accordingly made with oriental formality by the
chief officer of Abbas Pasha’s palace, to whom the Honorable Mr. Murray
made a suitable present in return for the good tidings. A lieutenant of
the Nubian army, with a party of soldiers, arrived shortly after,
bringing with them the animal, whose renown had already filled the whole
city. He excited full as much curiosity in Cairo, as he has since done
here, being quite as great a rarity. This will be easily intelligible
when the difficulties of the capture, and the immense distance of the
journey are taken into consideration, with all the contingencies of men,
boats, provisions, cows, and other necessary expenses.
The overjoyed Consul had already made all his preparations for receiving
the illustrious stranger. He had, in the first place, secured the
services of Hamet Safi Cannana, well known for his experience and skill
in the care and management of animals. A commodious apartment had then
been fitted up in the court-yard of the Consul’s house, with one door
leading out to a bath. As the winter would have to be passed in Cairo,
proper means were employed for making this a warm, or tepid bath. Here
then our hippopotamus lived, “the observed of all observers,” drinking
so many gallons of milk a day (never less than twenty or thirty quarts)
that he soon produced a scarcity of that article in Cairo. Nor will this
be so much a matter of surprise, when it is considered that they do not
understand there the excellent methods of manufacturing enough milk to
answer any demand, which obtains with us in London, where such an event
as a scarcity of milk was never known by the oldest inhabitant.
Meanwhile active preparations were making for his arrival in Alexandria,
to be shipped on board the Ripon steamer. The vessel was furnished with
a house on the main-deck, opening by steps down into a tank in the hold,
containing four hundred gallons of water. It had been built and fitted
up at Southampton from a plan furnished by Mr. Mitchell, Secretary of
the Zoological Gardens in the Regent’s Park, to whose energies and
foresight we are indebted for the safe possession of this grotesque,
good-tempered and unique monster. The tank, by various arrangements,
they contrived to fill with _fresh_ water every other day. A large
quantity was taken on board in casks; a fresh supply at Malta; and,
besides this, which was by no means enough, they made use of the
condensed water of the engines, which amounted to upwards of three
hundred gallons per day. As there are some hippopotami who enjoy the sea
on certain coasts of the world, it is not improbable but our friend
would soon have got used to sea-water; but Mr. Mitchell was determined
to run no risks, prudently considering that, in the first place, the
strength of the salt water, to one whose mother had been accustomed, and
her ancestors for generations, to the mild streams of Nilus, might
disagree with “young pickle;” and secondly, if he chanced to take to it
amazingly, how would he bear the change when he arrived at his mansion
in the Regent’s Park. Fresh water, therefore, was provided for his bath
every other day throughout the voyage.
The British Consul began to prepare for the departure of his noble guest
at the end of April; and in the early part of May, the Consul took an
affectionate leave of him, and would have embraced him, but that the
extraordinary girth of his body rendered such a demonstration
impossible.
So, our hippopotamus departed from Grand Cairo in a large padded cart.
He had refused a very nice horse-box which the Consul had provided for
him. Some feeling about his dignity, we suppose; though Hamet Safi
Cannana considered the objection arose from a certain care of his skin,
which might have got a little chafe or hard rub in the horse-box. It was
a lesson to Mr. Murray for life. No effort, of course, was made to
compel the great personage to enter this machine, because it is one of
Hamet’s principles of management never to irritate an animal—always to
keep him in good temper—never, directly and immediately to thwart his
will in anything that is not injurious, impracticable, or particularly
unreasonable. Very delightful all this! Who would not be a hippopotamus?
Who that was not Caesar, would not wish to be Pompey?
On arriving at Alexandria, full ten thousand people rushed out into the
streets to see our hippopotamus pass. If no one had ever seen the
amphibious prodigy in Cairo, it is not to be wondered at that the mental
condition of Alexandria was in the same lamentable degree of darkness.
The crowd was so great, that the British Consul (whose feelings had so
mastered him on taking leave of his guest, that he had been obliged to
follow the _cortége_) was under the necessity of applying to the
Governor of Alexandria for an escort of troops. This was forthwith
granted, and down they came galloping along the streets of Alexandria,
with waving scimetars! It was well the hippopotamus did not see them
from his padded cart, where he lay asleep—it might have caused a little
misunderstanding.
Order being restored, and a great lane made in the crowd, Hamet Safi
Cannana commenced the gradual and delicate process of awaking the great
personage. In the course of an hour or so, during which time the escort
of soldiers all “stood attention,” the excited feelings of the anxious
lane of population were gratified by the sight of the Arab ceremoniously
advancing in gentleman-usher fashion, while close behind him slowly
lounged the hippopotamus.
He embarked on board the Ripon, where he was soon joined by his
Excellency General Jung Bahadoor Ranajee, and the Nepaulese princes, his
brothers. These latter personages would have been great objects of
attraction under any other circumstances; but what could stand against
such a rival as the occupant of the great house and bath on the
main-deck?
During the voyage, “our fat friend” attached himself yet more strongly
to his attendant and interpreter, Hamet; indeed, the devotion to his
person which this assiduous and thoughtful person had manifested from
his first promotion to the office, had been of a kind to secure such a
result from any one at all accessible to kindly affections. Hamet had
commenced by sleeping side-by-side with his charge in the house at
Cairo, and adopted the same arrangement for the night during the first
week of the voyage to England. Finding, however, as the weather grew
warmer, and the hippopotamus bigger and bigger, that this was attended
with some inconvenience, Hamet had a hammock slung from the beams
immediately over the place where he used to sleep—in fact, just over his
side of the bed—by which means he was raised two or three feet above his
usual position. Into this hammock got Hamet, and having assured the
hippopotamus, both by his voice, and by extending one arm over the side
so as to touch him, that he was there as usual at his side, and “all was
right,” he presently fell asleep. How long he slept Hamet does not know,
but he was awoke by the sensation of a jerk and a hoist, and found
himself lying on the bed in his old place, close beside our fat friend.
Hamet tried the experiment once more: but the same thing again occurred.
No sooner was he asleep than the hippopotamus got up—raised his broad
nose beneath the heaviest part of the hammock that swung lowest, and by
an easy and adroit toss, pitched Hamet clean out. After this, Hamet,
acting on his rule of never thwarting his charge in anything reasonable,
abandoned the attempt of a separate bed, and took up his nightly
quarters by his side as before.
As for the voyage, it was passed pleasantly enough by the most important
of the illustrious strangers on board. His Excellency the Nepaulese
ambassador, together with the prince his brother, were uncommonly
seasick; but as for our fat friend, he enjoyed himself all the way. He
liked his bath, for which there was no lack of fresh water supplies, and
his provisions were equally satisfactory. Two cows and ten goats had
been taken on board for his sole use and service; these, however, not
being found sufficient for a “growing youth,” the ship’s cow was
confiscated for the use of his table; and this addition, together with
we forget how many dozen sacks of Indian corn meal, enabled him to reach
our shores in excellent health and spirits.
A word as to the title of “river-horse,” when taken in conjunction with
his personal appearance, his habits, and his diet. The hippopotamus has
nothing in common with the horse; he seems to us rather an aquatic pig,
or a four-footed land porpoise. In fact, he appears to partake of the
wild boar, the bull, and the porpoise—the latter predominating at
present, but when he gets his tusks, we much fear there will be an
alteration in his manners for the worse. As to his eventual size, the
prospect is alarming. He is at present only seven months old, and he
will continue growing till he is fifteen years of age. What news for the
London cows!
Arrived at Southampton, our hippopotamus, house and all, with Hamet Safi
Cannana at his side, was hoisted up at the vessel’s yard-arm, and
gradually lowered upon a great iron truck, which was then wheeled off to
the railway station. The whole concern was deposited in the special
carriage of a special train, and on this he travelled from Southampton
to London. He arrived at the Zoological Gardens in the Regent’s Park at
ten o’clock at night, and found Lord Brougham, Professor Owen, Thomas
Bell, and Mr. Mitchell all waiting (we believe they were not in court
dresses) to receive him. They were presently joined by the learned
Editor of the “Annals of Natural History,” the learned Editor of the
“Zoologist,” in company with Mr. Van Voorst, and several artists who
made sketches by the light of a lanthorn. Doyle, Wolff, Harrison Weir,
Foster, (for the “Illustrated London News”) and others, were all in
assiduous attendance, watchful of every varying outline. The illustrious
stranger descended from his carriage, and entered the gardens. First
went the lanthorn; then Hamet Safi Cannana with a bag of dates slung
over his shoulder; and after him slowly lounged our uncouth treasure,
with a prodigy of a grin such as he alone can give, expressive of his
humorous sense of all the honours and luxuries that awaited him.
We understand it is a cabinet secret, that the Pasha has ordered a fresh
party of hunting soldiers to proceed up the river, as far as the White
Nile, to search for another young hippopotamus—a female! We may,
therefore, look forward to the unrivalled fame of possessing a royal
pair—“sure _such_ a pair” as were never yet seen in any collection of
Natural History—to say nothing of the chance of a progeny. These are
national questions,—why should they be cabinet secrets?
We are certainly a strange people—we English. Our indefatigable energies
and matchless wealth often exhibit themselves in eccentric fancies. No
wonder, foreigners—philosophers and all—are so much puzzled what to make
of us. They point to the unaided efforts of a Waghorn, and to his
widow’s pension-mite—and then they point to our hippopotamus! Truly, it
is not easy to reply to the inference, and impossible to evade it. We
have had a Chaucer and a Milton, a Hobbes, and a Newton, a Watt and a
Winsor; and we have had other great poets, and philosophers, and
machinists, and men of learning and science, and have several of each
now living among us: but any amount of a people’s anxious interest,
which the present state of popular education induces, is very limited
indeed compared to that which is felt by all classes for a Tom Thumb, a
Jim Crow, or our present Idol. Howbeit, as the last is really a great
improvement on the two former fascinating exotics, it is to be hoped
that we shall, in course of time, more habitually display some kind of
discrimination in the objects of our devotion.