Bent County register., 1888-03-31
The Hippopotamus.


DR.. Emil Houel, in his Seven Years in
South Africa says:
After re-embslra a ing we kent close TO the
shore with the object ofavoidinp the hippo-
potamuses that in the daytime frequent
the middle of the stream, only rising from,
time TO time to breathe. Whenever the
current made it necessary for us to change
70 the opposite side of the river, could see
that the boat,nen were all on the gui ripe to
get across as quickly as possible, and / soon
AFTER learned from experience what good
reason they had to be cautious. We had
occasion TO steer outward so ,is to clear u
papyrlis island, when all at once the men
began to back water, and the one nearest to
me whispered the word "kubu.'' lie was
pointing to Il spot hardl two hundred var,
ahead, aud on looking saw first one hip
popotanus head and then a second raised
above the surface of the stream, both puff
ing out little fountains from the nostrils
They quickly disappeared, aud the men
padded on gently till they were tolerably
close to the place where the bru;es had been
seen. Both Bloekly aud cooked our guns,
and had not long to wait before the heads
oftwo young appropriateness emerged from
beneath the water, followed first by the
head of the male and then By the head of
the female. We fired eight shots, OF which
there is no donbt that two struck the old
male behind the ear. The men all main
tainei chat it WIS mortally wounded, aud
prohably such w;is the case; but, although
we waited nearly an hour, We never saw
more than the heads of three others again.
II was only with reluctance that the men
were induced to be stationary so long; ex-
ccpt they are in very small boats and prop
c.iy armed with n.Ssegais they are always
ANXIOUS to give the hippopotanus as wide
n berth IS they can.
0faH the Large mammalia in South Africa
an disposed to believe that to an unarin-
cd nian the hippopotamus is the most dan
;,erouo- In its normal state it can endure
the sight of anything to which it is unac-
e''s;0aed, or which takes it by surprise.
Let II come upon horse, IN OK, porcu-
pine, log Of wood, or even n fiuttering
garment Suddenly crossing its path, and il
wifi ny upon any of them with relentless
fury hut let such objects be drawn betimes
from view, aud the brute in an instant will
forget all about il and 30 on its way entirely
unsi<urbed- This peculinrity may, per
haps be physiologic.slly accounted by the
snall weight of the brain Us contrasted with
the ponderous Aize Of the body. Although
in esn,e cases it may happen that an nm
prs;ected man may elude the attacks Of
bueAlo, n lion, or leopard, except they have
bean provoked, he cannet indulge in the
hope of escaping the violence Of a hippopo-
ta,nns that has once got him within reach
OF its power. When out Of several hippo
pstamuses in a river, one has been wound
ed, the rest are far more wary in coming to
the surface; and should the wound be fatal,
TIE carcass does not rise for an hour, but
d,if.s down the stream. The Marutse have
, very simple but effectual way OF landing
their dead bodies; a grass rope, with stone
,-tached, is thrown across it, and by this
mems it is easily guided to the shore The
whole riverside population is NEST enthn-
Elastic in Its loyeof hippopotanus hunting,
md it is owing to the skill Of the Marutse
natives in this pursuit that they have been
brought from their homes in the Upper
Zambexi and established in villages down
here, where they may help to keep the
court we'll supplied with fresh aud dried
Ssh, but particularly with hippopotamur
assh-