The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1874-12-31
Fight with a Hippopotamus.

\ tragical incident occurred not long
after the establishment of the cam p
There was an old blind sheik who fire.
quently crossed the river to visit the
newcomers. One day he was returning
with his son when the canoe was charged
by an angry hippopotamus. Selling the
frail bark at the end where the sheik was
sitting the monster crunChed II to rag
ments between his ponderous Jaws, and
so crushed and lacerated the poor olC
man that, although rescued by his com
rades who fastened TO his assistance, he
died during the night. The hippOpota-
muses. were often the source OF great
ANNOYANCE and sometimes OF danger to the
expedition. One beautiful moonlight
night when the Hotilla was quietly at
anchor in a lake close to III White Nile
one of these monsters made most de
termined attack upon the diahbeeah be
longing to Sir Samuel. The vessel was
close to a mud bank covered with high
grass, and about thirty yards astern of
her was a shallow part of the lake about
three feet deep. \ light boat of zinc
was full of strips of hippopotamus flesh
anu the dingy was fastened alongside.
Every one was soundly sleeping when,
says Sir Samuel. " ] was suddenly awak-
eued by tremendous splashing close
to the diahbeeah, accompanied by the
hoarse, wild snOrting OF a furious hip
popotamus | jumped up and mme-
diatcly perceived hippo, which was APP
parectly about TO attack the vessel. Ny
servant, Suleiman. was sleeping next TO
the cabin door ! called to him for II
rifle. Before the atfrighted Suleiman
could bring it the hippOpOtamus dashed
I'll -.
blow he capsized and sank The zinc boat
with its cargo Of flesh. In another in
slant he seized the dingy in his immense
jaws, and the crash of splintered wood
Octokened the complete destruction of
my tavorite boat. BY this time | had
procured a rifle from the cabin, where they
were always kept fixed in a row loaded
and ready for action, with bags of
Greech-loading ammunition on the same
shelf. The movements of the animal
were SO rapid as he charged and plunged
alternately beneath the water in cloud
of foam and wave that it was impossible
to aim correctly at the small but fatal
spot upon the head. The moon wa. eX-
tremely bright, and presently, as he
charged straight at the dlahhecah, |
stopped him with "a No. : Reilly shell.
To my surprise he soon recovered and
again commenced the attack. ! fired
shot after shot at him without apparent
effect. The diahbceah rocked about
upon the waves raised by the efforts of
so large an animal. This movement rem
dered the aim uncertain. Al length, APP
parently badly wounded, he retired to
the high grass. There he lay by the
bank, at about twenty-five yards dis
lance, snOrting and blowing"
Thinking the creature must be DIVING,
Sir Samuel went to bed. but in about halt
an hour was awakened again by another
| furious charge. \ ritiC-hall in the head
rolled the monster over, and he tloatcd
hclpleSSly down streal. This time he
surely must be dead. TO the amaze
mcnt of all he presently recovered, and
only gave up after receiving several bull
lets in his body. On the following morn
ing a pOSt-mOrtem examination showed
that he had received three shots in the
flank and shoulder four in the head. one
of which had broken his lower Jaw, an,
other had passed through his nose. and
passing downward, had cut oft one of his
| large tuSkS. Such determined and I'M
provoked fury rs WAS exhibited by this
animal had never been witncsscd--hc an
pcared to bc raving mad. His body was
a mass of frightful sears, the result ul
continual conflicts with bulls of his own
species; some of these wounds were still
unhcaled. There was one scar about
two feet IN length and about two inches
below the surface skin upon the flank
He was evidently Il character of the
worst description, but whore madness
rendered him callouS To all punishment
The attack upon the vessel, was proba-
bly, induced by the smell of raw hippo
potamus flesh, which was hung in Iong
strips about the rigging, and with which
the zinc boat was filled The dead hip
popotamus that was floating astern
dashed to the diahbeeah, had not been
molested.-S. s CoHoHt, in H"tper'a Nag