Page:Hunting and trapping stories; a book for boys (IA huntingtrappings00pric).pdf/27

HIPPOPOTAMUS HUNTING

The hippopotamus or hippo as it is generally called, is another mighty animal that is rapidly being exterminated by man. At one time it was a common sight to see many hippos feeding together on the banks of the Nile as far north as Cairo but now they are never found beyond Khartoum, which if you will look at the atlas you will find is many miles to the south of the Mediterranean Sea.

The strongholds of the hippos are the great Lakes of Central Africa, and the Zambesi River which forms the northern boundary line of the Transvaal. Dr Livingstone tells in his book how he once saw hundreds of hippos along the banks of Senegal and Niger Rivers.

The hippo is a huge creature weighing many tons. It is stupid and vicious and more or less lazy. Its body is oily, fat and very dense. Its brain, eyes and ears are small but its mouth is enormous. It feeds chiefly on the grasses and weeds growing in the water. The hippo's legs are short but it can run quite fast. Its toe nails are shaped like a chisel which enables it to climb up the slippery river banks.

A certain hunter tells a story of surprising a hippo asleep in the shade of some bushes. The creature was so alarmed that it rushed away as quickly as it could and plunged off a bank twenty feet high into the river making a tremendous splash. In any country where hippos are not constantly hunted they will come out into the meadows to feed and wander far afield. They are not often attacked by other creatures for they are big and powerful and owing to their thick skins very difficult to wound. Besides they stay where the ground is marshy and that makes an unsafe battle field.

The native hunters are wonderfully expert in killing the hippos. The usual method is for two men to go together armed with lances which have a