Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-01-01
Fight with a Hippopctamus.
From lsmalia." by S. $. Conant. in IIarpe
Magazine for January

from lHlnala. by >. =. C0nant. IN Harper =
Magazine for January.
A tragical incident occurred not
long after the establishment Of the
camp. There was an old blind shcik
who frequently crossed the river to
visit the newcomers. One day he
was returning with his son, when the
canoe was charged by an angry hip
popotamus. Selling the frail bark at
the end where the shcik was sitting,
the monster crunched it to fragments
between his ponderous jaws, and so
crushed and laceratcd the poor old
man that, although rescued by his
comrades, who FASTENED to his assis-
tance, he died during the night
The hippopotamuses were often the
source OF great annoyance, and some
times of danger, to the expedition.
One beautiful moonlight night, when
the flotilla was quietly at anchor in a
lake close to the White Nile, one Of
these monsters made a most deter
mined attack upon the diahbceah be-
longing to Sir Samuel. The vessel
was close to mud bank covered
with high grass, and about thirty
yards astern of her was shallow
part Of the lake, about three feet
deep. A light boat of zinc was full
Of strips Of hippopotamus flesh, and
the dingy was fastened alongside.
Everyone was soundly sleeping, when,
says Sir Samuel, 81 was suddenly
awakened by a tremendous splashing
close to the diabeeah, accompanied
by the hoarse, wild snorting of a flu
rious hippopotamus. | jumped up,
and Immediately perceived Il hippo,
which was apparently about to attack
the vessel. x \ x Ny ser
want, Suleiman, was sleeping next to
the cabin door. | called to him for
a rifle. Before the affrighted Sulei-
man could bring it, the hippopota-
mus dashed at us with in,.cscribable
fury. With one blow he capsized
and sank the zinc boat, with its car
90 OF flesh. In another instant he
seized the dingy in his immense
jaws, and the crash of splintered
wood betokencd the complete destruc-
ton Of my favorite boat. = X
BY this time had procured a rifle
fir m the cabin, where they were al
ways kept fixed i'll a row, loaded and
ready for action, with bags Of brccch-
loading ammunition on the same
shelf. The movements Of the ami
nal were 50 rapid as he charged and
plunged alternately beneath the wa
ter in a cloud of foam and wave, that
it was impossible to aim correctly at
the small but fatal spot upon the
head. The moon was extremely
bright, and presently, as he charged
straight at the diahbceah, | stopped
him with a No. s Reilly shell. TO
my surprise, he soon recovered, and
again commenced the attack. | fir
ed shot after shot at him without ap-
parent effect. The diahbceah rock
ed about upon the waves raised by
the efforts Of 50 large an animal
This movement rendered the aim un-
certain. At length, apparently bad
" wounded, he retired to the high
grass. There he lay by the bank, at
about twenty-five yards distance,
snorting and blowing"
Thinking the creature must be dy-
ing, Sir Samuel went to bed, but in
about half an hour was awakened
again by another furious charge. \
rifle ball III the head rolled the mon
ster over, and he tloated helples, ly
down stream. This time he surely
must be dead. To the amazement
Of all, he presently recovered, and
only gave up after receiving several
bullets in his body. On the follow
ing morning a post-mortem cxanlna-
ton showed that he had received
three shots i'll the flank and shoulder;
four in the head. one OF which had
broken his lower jaw; another had
passed through bis nose, ahd passing
downward, had cut off one OF his
large tusks. Such determined and
unprovoked fury rs was exhibited by
his animal had never been witnessed
he appeared to be raving mad.
His body was Il mass OF trlGhtiul
sears, the result of continued con
flicts with bulls Of his own species;
some of these wounds were still I'M
healed. There was one scar about
two feet in length, and about two
inches below the level of the surface
skin, upon the flank. He was evil
dently character of the worst de-
scription, but whose madness rendered
him callous to all punishment. The
attack upon the vessels was probably
induced 10y the smell of raw hippopo-
tamus flesh, which was hung i'll long
strips about the rigging, and with
which the zinc boat was filled. The
dead hippopotamus that was floating
astern lashed to the diahbeeah had
not been molested.