Departure from the Bayeye Werft.—The Reed-raft.—The
Hippopotamus.—Behemoth or Hippopotamus.—Where found.—Two
Species.—Description of Hippopotamus.—Appearance.—Size.—Swims
like a Duck.—Food.—Destructive Propensities of the
Animal.—Disposition.—Sagacity.—Memory.—Gregarious
Habits.—Nocturnal Habits.—Domestication.—Food.—Flesh.—
Hide.—Ivory.—Medicinal Virtues.
After about a week’s stay at the Bayeye werft, I was once more launched
on the Teoge, and only regretted that my course did not lie to the
north instead of to the south. My departure afforded a fresh proof of
the rascality of the Bayeye. As previously mentioned, according to the
injunctions of Lecholètébè, I was to have two canoes at my disposal;
but, on the day in question, the natives unceremoniously deposited me on
a raft composed solely of reeds! When I first saw the unshapely mass,
I could not help smiling; and it was not until I had set my people the
example that they ventured to embark.
This primitive raft, which is in general use among the Bayeye, either
for hunting purposes or for descending the Teoge and other rivers,
is exceedingly simple in its construction. All one has to do is to
cut the reeds (the different species of palmyra, from their buoyancy,
are peculiarly well adapted to the purpose) just above the surface of
the water, and to throw them in layers, crosswise, until the heap is
of sufficient size to support the party. No binding of any kind is
requisite; but fresh layers of reeds must occasionally be added to the
raft, as, from the constant pressure at the top, the reeds get soaked,
and the air contained in them displaced by water. A stout pole is placed
upright in the centre of the mass, to which is attached a strong and long
rope. When the voyagers wish to land, this rope is taken ashore by one
of the men in the canoe that is always in tow or on board the raft, and
secured to a tree or other firm object.
No small recommendation to the reed-raft is the extreme facility and ease
with which it can be constructed. In the course of an hour, three or four
men can put one together of sufficiently large dimensions to support
themselves and baggage.
This mode of conveyance, though inconvenient enough, is well worthy the
traveler’s attention, and more especially in localities where suitable
wood for the construction of a common raft is difficult to procure—any
where, in short, where boats or canoes are not obtainable. It must be
borne in mind, however, that the reed-raft is only available where the
current is in one’s favor.
Though I was at first much disconcerted at the appearance of our very
primitive looking craft, I soon got accustomed to it, and it proved
far more comfortable than might have been supposed. It was much safer,
moreover, than our own canoes, one or two of which we obtained shortly
after our departure. No efforts were made to steer or propel the raft,
which was left entirely to the stream. As soon as we were caught by
some projecting reed-bed—and this was of frequent occurrence—the raft
immediately swung round and thus disengaged itself; but when we came in
contact with trees overhanging the river, we were more inconvenienced;
for, before we could get clear of them, ourselves and baggage were at
times nearly swept into the water. In this manner, nevertheless, and
without serious accident, we accomplished about one hundred and fifty
miles in nine days, entirely by the force of the current, which rarely
exceeded two miles an hour.
While descending the Teoge we met several parties of natives in pursuit
of the hippopotamus; the men were embarked on rafts similarly constructed
as our own. But, before describing the manner in which the chase is
conducted by these people, it may be proper to say a few words regarding
the natural history of the above animal.
“Behold now behemoth which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox:
his bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron;
he lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed and fens. The
shady trees cover him with their shadow: the willows of the brook compass
him about. Behold, he drinketh up a river; he trusteth that he can draw
up Jordan into his mouth. He taketh it with his eyes; his nose pierceth
through snares.”
The above grand and figurative language of the book of Job seems
particularly applicable to the hippopotamus, whom most people believe
to be identical with the behemoth of the sacred writer. Indeed, in his
“Systema Naturæ,” Linnæus ends his description of the hippopotamus with
calling it the “_Behemot Jobi_.”
The hippopotamus is generally distributed in the large rivers and lakes
of Africa, from the confines of the Cape Colony to about the 22d or 23d
degree of north latitude. It is found in none of the African rivers that
fall into the Mediterranean except the Nile, and in that part of it only
which runs through Upper Egypt, or in the fens and lakes of Ethiopia. It
is, however, receding fast before civilization. It inhabits both fresh
and salt water.
Formerly, there is every reason to believe it existed in parts of Asia;
but the species is now extinct on that continent.
There are said to be two species of hippopotami in Africa, namely, the
_hippopotamus amphibius_ and the _hippopotamus Liberiensis_, the latter
being described as very much the smaller of the two; but, to the best of
my belief, I never fell in with it.
The hippopotamus is a most singular-looking animal, and has not
inaptly been likened to a “form intermediate between an overgrown hog
and a high-fed bull without horns and with cropped cars.” It has an
immensely large head. Ray says the upper mandible is movable, as with
the crocodile. Each of its jaws is armed with two formidable tusks;
those in the lower, which are always the largest, attain, at times, two
feet in length. The inside of the mouth has been described by a recent
writer as resembling “a mass of butcher’s meat.” The eyes—which Captain
Harris likens “to the garret windows of a Dutch cottage”—the nostrils
and ears, are all placed nearly on the same plane, which allows the use
of three senses, and of respiration, with a very small portion of the
animal being exposed when it rises to the surface of the water. The size
of its body is not much inferior to that of the elephant, but its legs
are much shorter—so low, indeed, is the animal at times in the body that
the belly almost touches the ground. The hoofs are divided into four
parts, unconnected by membranes. The skin, which is of nearly an inch in
thickness, is destitute of covering, excepting a few scattered hairs on
the muzzle, edges of the ears, and tail. The color of the animal, when
on land, is of a purple brown; but when seen at the bottom of a pool it
appears altogether different, viz., of a dark blue, or, as Dr. Burchell
describes it, of a light hue of Indian ink.
When the hippopotamus is enraged, its appearance is most forbidding and
appalling, and I am not surprised to hear of people losing their presence
of mind on being suddenly brought into contact with the monster, whose
horrible jaws, when fully distended, afford ample _accommodation_ for a
man.[95]
The size of the _H. amphibius_ is enormous. The adult male attains a
length of eleven or twelve feet, the circumference of its body being
nearly the same. Its height, however, seldom much exceeds four and a half
feet. The female is a good deal smaller than the male, but in general
appearance the sexes are nearly alike.
The following dimensions of the female hippopotamus at the Zoological
Gardens, Regent’s Park, may enable those who are curious in the matter to
form some notion of the progressive growth of the animal—at least in a
state of confinement—when young:
On its arrival, July 22, 1854. At present, Jan., 1856.
From nose to tip of tail 8 ft. 4 in. 10 ft. 1 in.
Circumference of body 7 1 8 9
Height at shoulder 3 5 3 10
The hippopotamus, when in the water—I won’t say its “native element,” for
it seems to belong as much to the land as the deeps—swims and dives like
a duck, and, considering its great bulk and unwieldiness of form, in a
manner perfectly astonishing. When on _terra firma_, however, what with
its dumpy legs and the weight they have to support, its progress is any
thing but rapid.
“The hippopotamus, amidst the flood
Flexile and active as the smallest swimmer,
But on the bank ill-balanced and infirm.”
Even were the beast to charge—provided the locality was tolerably open—a
man would have no great difficulty in getting out of his way. It is
seldom met with at any considerable distance from water, for which it
instantly makes when disturbed.
The hippopotamus is an herbaceous animal. Its chief food, in the
selection of which it appears rather nice, consists of grass, young
reeds, and bulbous succulent roots.
When the hippopotamus is located near cultivated districts, it is
very destructive to plantations of rice and grain. Mr. Melly, in his
description of the Blue and White Nile, informs us that the inhabitants
of a certain island found themselves so plagued by these animals that
they were obliged to apply for troops to drive them away, which was
responded to by a hundred soldiers being dispatched in pursuit of the
marauders. Mr. Burckhardt, again, in his travels in Nubia, tells us
that in Dongola, the “barnick” (the Arabic name for hippopotamus) is a
dreadful torment on account of its voracity, and the want of means on
the part of the natives to destroy it. During the day it remains in the
water, but comes on shore at night, destroying as much by the treading of
its enormous feet as by its voracity.
The ravages of the hippopotamus would appear to be an old grievance, for
Sir Gardner Wilkinson, when speaking of the ancient Egyptians, says:
“Though not so hostile to man as the voracious crocodile, it was looked
upon as an enemy, which they willingly destroyed, since the ravages it
committed at night in the fields occasioned heavy losses to the farmer.”
Naturalists and others represent the hippopotamus as of a mild and
inoffensive disposition. It may be so in regions where it is unacquainted
with man; from the numerous unprovoked attacks made by these animals on
voyagers, and the very great dread entertained of them by the Bayeye,
who, so to say, live among them, I am inclined to believe they are not
quite such harmless animals as we are given to understand. In ascending
the Teoge, I saw comparatively little of them, and used almost to
ridicule the natives on account of the timidity they showed when these
beasts made their appearance. But on my return journey I very frequently
encountered the hippopotamus. More than once I narrowly escaped with
life, and found that the men had good reason to fear a contest with this
truly formidable animal.
In regions not much visited by the European hunter and his destructive
companion, the firelock, the hippopotamus appears as a comparatively
fearless animal, not unfrequently abiding the approach of man, whom he
apparently surveys with a curious and searching look, as much as to
say, “Why this intrusion upon my native haunts, which I have enjoyed in
undisturbed tranquillity from time immemorial?” But man is cruel, and by
his relentless persecutions a nature, once unsuspicious and confiding, is
soon changed to that of the most timid and circumspective, causing the
animal to take instant refuge in the water on hearing the least noise.
The sagacity of the hippopotamus is very considerable. Indeed, if we are
to credit the testimony of Plinius, the cunning and dexterity of this
beast is so great that, when pursued, he will walk backward in order to
mislead his enemies. “The habits of the animal,” says Dr. Andrew Smith,
“are opposed to our becoming intimately acquainted with it; yet, from
what has been noticed of its adroitness in guarding against assailants,
in avoiding pits dug purposely to entrap it, in conducting its young
both in and out of the water, and in migrating from localities which it
may have discovered are not to be longer held without serious danger to
others not exposed to such inconveniences—even though to reach those it
may require to make long journeys—are all evidences that it is far from
the stupid animal it has been frequently described.”
It is asserted that if a hippopotamus be shot dead just after calving,
the offspring will immediately make for the water, an element which it
has never yet seen!
Its memory is also considered good. “When once a hippopotamus,” says
the author just quoted, “has been assailed in its watery dwelling, and
injured from incautiously exposing itself, it will rarely be guilty of
the same indiscretion a second time; and though its haunts may not again
be approached by hunters till after a long period has elapsed, it will
survey such approaches, and perform the movements necessary for its
respiration with a degree of caution, which clearly shows that it has not
forgotten the misfortunes to which an opposite course had exposed it.”
The hippopotamus is gregarious, and is usually found in troops of from
five or six, to as many as twenty or thirty. It is amusing to watch these
animals when congregated; to see them alternately rising and sinking,
as if impelled by some invisible agency, in the while snorting most
tremendously, and blowing the water in every direction. At others, they
will remain perfectly motionless near the surface, with the whole or
part of their heads protruding. In this position they look, at a little
distance, like so many rocks.
The hippopotamus is a nocturnal animal, and seldom or never feeds except
during the night. He usually passes most part of the day in the water,
but it is somewhat doubtful if this be not rather from necessity than
choice. Indeed, in more secluded localities, one most commonly sees it
reclining in some retired spot: “He lieth under the shady trees, in
the covert of the reeds and fens. The shady trees cover him with their
shadows, the willows of the brook compass him about.” Or it may be under
shelter of an overhanging dry bank; or, at least, with its body partially
out of the water. I have not unfrequently found the animal in this
situation, and once shot an immense fellow while fast asleep, with his
head resting on the bank of the river.
When, from fear of enemies, the hippopotamus is compelled to remain in
the water throughout the day, it takes the shore on the approach of
night in order to feed. Just as it emerges into the shallows, it has
the peculiar habit of performing some of the functions of nature, during
which it keeps rapidly thumping the surface of the water with its stumpy
tail, thereby creating a very great noise. I have known from twenty to
thirty hippopotami thus occupied at once; and, to add to the din, they
would at the same time grunt and bellow to such a degree as to deprive
our party of the rest that exhausted nature but too much needed.
During the nocturnal excursions of the hippopotamus on land, it wanders
at times to some distance from the water. On one occasion the animal took
us by surprise, for, without the slightest warning, it suddenly protruded
its enormous head within a few feet of our bivouac, causing every man to
start to his feet with the greatest precipitation, some of us, in the
confusion, rushing into the fire and upsetting the pots containing our
evening meal.
The hippopotamus would seem to be easily domesticated. We may judge
so, at least, from the fine specimens now in the Zoological Gardens,
Regent’s Park, which are as manageable as most of the larger animals
of that magnificent establishment. Though these are the first living
specimens that ever found their way into England, the ancient Romans
(who, during their conquests in Northern Africa, became acquainted with
the hippopotamus) held them in captivity. This may be safely inferred;
for “on a medal of the Emperor Philip, or rather of his Queen Otacilla
Severa is (as seen in the adjoining wood-cut) a very striking likeness
of a young, and, perhaps, hungry hippopotamus, designed by some Wyon of
the day. This is, perhaps, the earliest _good_ figure of the creature;
and its representation on such a place shows in what estimation, as a
novelty, it was held.”
[Illustration: MEDAL.]
For the information of the curious in these matters, I may mention
that the food of the _larger_ of the hippopotami now in the Regent’s
Park Gardens, when first shipped at Alexandria in 1850, and when yet
comparatively a “baby,” consisted of the milk of two cows and three
goats. This quantity, however, until supplemented with Indian corn-meal,
was found insufficient to satisfy his voracity. On his arrival at the
gardens, “oatmeal was substituted for Indian corn; and the change,
with an extra supply of milk, seemed to give the gigantic infant great
satisfaction.” By degrees, vegetable diet was supplied instead of milk;
and at the present day the animal is fed on clover, hay, corn, chaff,
bran, mangle-wurzel, carrots, and white cabbage. The three last-named
vegetables constitute his most favorite food. On this (1 cwt. being his
daily allowance) he thrives wonderfully, a proof of which is, that since
his arrival (he then weighed about one thousand pounds) he has increased
more than a ton in weight.
The flesh of the hippopotamus is highly esteemed, and with justice,
for it is very palatable. The tongue is reckoned a delicacy, and the
fat (“speck,” as it is termed by the colonists) is very excellent, and
forms a capital substitute for butter. In general, both flesh and fat of
wild animals have a peculiar and often strong flavor, but that of the
hippopotamus is an exception.
The hide is also in much request, and forms no mean article of commerce
in the Cape Colony. As already mentioned, it is chiefly converted
into “shamboks.” In Northern Africa the hide is used as whips for the
dromedary, as also for punishing refractory servants. The ancient
Egyptians employed it largely in the manufacture of shields, helmets,
javelins, &c.
But the most valuable part of the hippopotamus is its teeth (canine and
incisors), which are considered greatly superior to elephant ivory, and
when perfect, and weighty—say from five to eight pounds each—have been
known to fetch as much as one guinea per pound. It is chiefly used for
artificial teeth, for which purpose it is particularly well adapted,
since it does not readily turn yellow, as is frequently the case with
elephant ivory; as also for instruments, knife-handles, and a variety of
other purposes.
Medicinal virtues are attributed to certain parts of the body of the
hippopotamus. According to Thunberg, the _processus mamillaris_ of this
animal is an effectual remedy for the stone and gravel, and “the fat,”
says Kolben, “is reckoned an excellent thing against a surfeit and a
redundancy of humors in the body.”