Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1909-07-16


recodile close 1T one liz, nor III l stiie
dim light did they olbserse tlse eyes YES
md hose Of two r,os ping above
the water edge three OF four ards out
from the bank. Sud denly the Crnco-
iltle gave powerful sweep VITA Ills
formida sail s rssisfless us though
made of spring steei and hurled both
men screaming 2pain ana horror,
directa 10 front OF the Iurking hippos.
Before could reach the unfortn.
Mates from the camp the hippos drag
ged them. broken and torn beneath Il
the turbid waters stamp their
bodies deep Into the Slime and mud a
Night n fact. is m Yarinbly d time Of
action IA the neigh borhooh Of a hippo
wa lowing place, and native hunters i
effect many killings ard captures after
dark by the crude means they employ,
though personal conflict with SO in,-
posing a foe is naturally avoided I'M
the blac kness that obscures his body.
One of these ma tive hippo wing
agencies consists of a weighted spear,
often tipped With poison, WIKI is susI8
pended over a tree branch near the
animals tracks. The suspending cord
Z is attached to stakes fixed on either
side Of the tracks. The animal coming
along strikes the cord, and the stakes
are uprooted, thus relea sing the spear,
which strikes deeply into the body or
head OF the hippo This method is also
used at times lii the Staying Of eles8
plants. Pitfalls. after the fashion in
India, are also used to secure hippos
and rhinoc eroses. n
Through long dark tunnels forced
from the stream banks through reeds
and brush the hippos make their way
B to the land vegetation, free from obs
servation, and ii these grewsome look
ing passageways the females frequent
Nv retreat with their young to escape
danger.
The female hippos utter loud snorts
and grunts when moving about, fear
some noises that can be heard mile
OF, though most Of the day they res
main practically quiet, sleeping and
yawning the time away on the waters
surface or standing stupidity In herds
on some sunny sand spit, with their
heads resting on one another's backs
because Of the excessive weight Of
these hideous frontal adornments. \.
Thus The homily OF bearing one an
others burdens Is not unknown to
denizens Of jungle and morass.
The same caution necessary in ele-$
plant hunting, as regards getting to-
/ WindWard of the animal, is required
In tracking hippos. While the elephant
can detect the presence Of human
being many hundreds OF yards away
merely by his scent 1t is doubtful If I
this scent is 80 keenly developed In
the hippo. There is one advantage
held BY hippo pursuers which vet
Grams do not fail to put to good use
when necessary refer to the low
ness OF his eyes, which makes it dif1i-a
cult to see objects at any appreciable
height. Consequently persons chased
by one Of them sometimes escape BY
climbing tree and taking carefully
aimed shot at him as he goes lumber
!ng Dy.sse'Wlng g TINS same pecuiiar-
~ hulppos VII pass Dy man percneu
" " a :. AM MI ~ y = put Few
Yaros away Wi. y. seeing NM y tne5
i,el.'oii Keeps sun l.5
Keen Nsll observers ser nave noted various
peculilar propensitles e. o. nippos among
tnem the tendency among males To-
neglect their offspring. Bulls nave e
frequently been seen to attack and
maitreat their young. Then, TOO, they
are ma bltnai i1g hters among themselves
at night, ana a wounded hippo, Whetn-
er injured n1i Iby g Fellow shorter Or q
Duiiiet is oIten att sl'ea and abused by
the other l1elr members Of 4 the herd.