Morning journal and courier., 1882-01-10
Hunting the Htppopotamus.

Here, on my first day, I lost my wayi the
 jungle, about four miles inland, and for
 long time was in a great fright, climbing trees to try and get view. I fortunately
 met some natives, who climbed cocoanut
 tree and and got me some milk, and on my
 trying to describe the sea, at once made
 signs of intelligence. Thinking I wanted to
 get to a lake to shoot hippopotami, they
 took me two more miles inland, and on reaching some swampy ground made signs
 of caution. At last, parting the foliage, they showed me small lagoon, and for the first time beheld the mighty hippopotamas in
 his native lair, never disturbed by white man before. My disgust may be imagined as had only my smooth bore, and on the opposite side of the lake lay some IS hippos basking in the sun, and now and then giving below that made me laugh much. I took accurate bearings of the place by the wind and sun, and at last succeeded (after much fatigue, walking through swamp and jungle) in reaching the boat. The next morning with our black interpreter, and armed with my Martini rifle. We ar rived at 8 village, and some natives immedi- ately volunteered to guide me, and come and see the fun. They hate hippos, which do great mischief to their little crops, sugar canes, etc., besides frightening them out of their wits at night, and often knocking down
 
 there lay the unconscious hippos as before, ] in about six feet of water, their heads just above the surface. The blacks guided me round to the other side of the lake, where, | by wading out through the thick, high sedge, got within about 70 yards of my quarry, one of the blacks acting as Q rest for my rife, and very steady he was. I selected the biggest head as my target, and sent my little } messenger on his fatal journey. It passed through the ramus of the animals lower jaw smashing the atlas and axis and the death \ struggle that ensued gave me an idea of what \ mighty brute the hippo is. Its entire body was hurled out of the water (feet frst), 8 ! most fatal sign, and volumes of blood, mud and water were sent high in the air, obscuring everything. About 20 seconds af- l terward large one rose to breathe some ! eighty yards distant, and sent No. straight \ into his brain between eye and ear. Death \ was in this case so immediate that the animal ! did not make quite so much disturbance as ! the first one The natives were astounded, I and looked on the rife and me as objects of l the greatest interest. then shot two more, and by this time the bodies of the two first were being dragged ashore. Next morning I was up early to cut off their heads, as knew l they would be ali floating by that time, and | about ten blacks accompanied me, one Of
 them making fast rope to the leg. On the first being landed the blacks { gave lSdIGy C11ceI3 sOmo1A11S, AiAC ] an Irish 'sUllagone, and I, jumping on the huge carcass, proceeded to make a ] speech duly rendered into Swahile by my in- ] terpreter. That day spent five hours up to my middle in water getting the heads off, the skin being about two and half inches thick, and like india rubber. The blacks cut ! off all the flesh, and bore away the skulls to the boat. I have now got two heads on
 board, and the lower jaw of another; my big head and tusks are the largest ever seen \ by anyone on board, the tusks of the lower jaw being about nine inches long. The night before we left Delgado I watched for
 the partners by moonlight, and on seeing three come out of the jungle, jumped, gun l in hand, out of the stern with bare feet,
 alighting on some coral, which opened an old wound, and cut my foot badly, so that have ! now a nasty suppurating hole in my foot.