The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1881-05-26
THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.
DANGEROUS AND EXCITING SPORT ON A
SOUTH AFRICAN RIVER,

DR.. Emil Houeb, in his "Seven Years
in South Africa" says:
After -embarking We kept close to
the shore with the object OF avoiding the
hippopotamuses that in the daytime fire.
quent the middle of the stream, only ris-
| ing from time to timE to breathe. When
ever the current made it necessary for US
to change to the opposite side of the
river, could see that the boatmen were
all on the qui Uiue to get across as rapid
| ly as possible, and soon afterward
learned by experience what good reason
they had to be cautious. We had occa-
sion to steer outward so as to clear a pa
pyrus island, when sll at once the men
,,4gan to back water, aid the one nearest
| to me whispered the word 'kubu." He
was pointing to spot hardly two hun
dred yards ahead, and on looking saw
| first one hippopotamus' head and then a
second raised above the surface of the
stream, both putting out little fountains
from the nostrils. They quickly disap-
peared, and the men padded on gently
till they were tolerably close to the place
where the brutes had been seen. Both
Blockly and cooked our guns, and had
not long to wait before the heads of two
young hippopotamuses emerged from
beneath the water, followed first by the
head Of the male and then by the head of
a female. We fired eight shots, of which
there was no doubt that two struck the
old male behind the ear. The men all
maintained that it was mortally wound
ed, and probably such was the case; but,
although we waited about nearly an hour,
we never saw more than the heads of
| three others again. 1t was only with re-
| luctance that the men were induced to
be stationary so long; except they are in
very small boats and properly armed
with assegais they are always anxious to
give the hippopotamus as wide berth
as they can.
Of all the large mammalia in South
| Africa, I am disposed to believe that t.
an unarmed man the hippopotamus is
the most dangerous. In its normal state
1T can't endure the sight of anything to
which it is unaccustomed, or which takes
it by surprise. Let it come upon q horse,
an OK, porcupine, log of wood, or
even tiuttering garment suddenly cross
| ing its path, and it will fly upon any of
them with relentless fury; but let such
objects be drawn betimes from view, and
| the brute in an instant will forget all
about it and go on his way entirely I'M
disturbed. This popularity may, per
haps, be physiologically accounted for
by the small weight of the brain as con-
trasted with the ponderous size of the
body. Although in some cases it may
happen that All unprotected man may
elude the attacks of buffalo, a lion, or
leopard, except they have been provok-
ed, he cannot indulge in the hope of es.
Gaping the violence of a hippopotamus
| that has once got him within reach of its
| power. When, out of several hippopot-
| amuses in river, one has been wound
ed, the rest are far more wary in coming
| to the surface; and should the wound
| have been fatal, the carcass does not rise
| for an hour, but drifts down the stream.
| The Marutse have very simple but ef-
fectual way of landing their dead bodies;
a grass rope, with a stone attached, is
| thrown across it, and by this means it is
easily guided to the shore. The whole
| riverside population is most enthusiastic
in its love of hippopotamus hunting, and
it is owing to the skill of the Marutse na-
tives in this pursuit that they have been
brought from their homes in the Upper
Zambezi and established in villages
| down here, where they may help to keep
| the court well supplied with fresh and
| dried fish, but particularly with hippo
| potamus flesh.
The boats that are used as "mokoro
tshi kubu" (hippopotamus canoes) are
of the smallest size, only just large
enough for one; they are difficult to
manage, but are very swift; the weapons
employed are long barbed assegais, of
which the shafts are SO light that they
are not heavier than the ordinary short
javelins for military use. While J. was
in Sesheke / heard of sad casualty that
had occurred near the town in the pre-
vious year. A Masupla, on his way down
the river, saw hippopotamus asleep on
sandy bank, and believing that he
might make it an easy prey approached
it very gently and thrust his spear right
under the shoulder. The barb, however,
glinted off its side, inficting only trif-
| ling wound. In second, before the
man had time to get away, the infuriated
brute was after him. In vain he rolled
himself over to conceal himself in the
grass; the beast seemed resolved to tram
pie him to pieces; he held up his right
hand as protection, and it was crushed
by monstrous fangs; he stretched out his
left, and it was amputated at single
bite. He was afterward found by some
fishermen in q most mutilated state, bare
ly able to recount his misfortune before
he died. Although / have often tasted
hippopotamus meat, cannot say that I
like it. The gelatinous skin, when roast
ed, is considered delicacy. In its raw
state, it makes excellent handles for
knives and workmen's tools, as it shrinks
as it dries and takes firm hold upon the
metal. Ii hippopotamus is killed with
in fifty miles of Sesheke half of it is al
ways sent to the king, and the breast re-
served for the royal table.
CERTIFICATE.
81 have used Burdock Blood BItters