Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-02-28
#iseellaneuus Rradins.
THE HIPPoPoTAMI.
Native Method Of Hunting the Mon.
ster is Real Excitement.

ster is Real Excitement.
In the year 1907 1 was at Blantyre
British Central Africa, on business
While staying there I was Informed
that a favorite pastime amongst the
natives on Lake Nyassa was harpoon.
ing hippopotami. Although l had or
many previous occasions engaged ir
nearly all kinds Of big game shooting
had not had much experience with
hippos, and, as I was given to under
stand that harpooning produced much
more excitement than shooting them
with rifles, I decided to spend a few
weeks with the natives who inhabit
the country surrounding the lake
Having satisfactorily concluded my
business in Blantyre, I engaged car
riers. replenished my stock Of ammu-
milton, and commenced trekking north
to Fort Johnson, the southernmost
port on the lake, where we arrived af-
ter an uneventful journey Of four
days. 1 was there advised to proceed
up the lake as far as the mouth of the
Rukuru River, which is situated on
the western side and known to be a
favorite haunt of the hippos. After
waiting two days we boarded a steam
er bound for Kota Kota Bay, place
about forty miles south Of our final
destination. The passage was a very
rough one, as it was undertaken In
June, the most windy month Of the
year in that part of the world.
We arrived at Kota Kota on the
evening of the fourth day. This place
"a low mosquito swamp-is an old
Arab slave port, its staple industry al
the present time being rice-growing
for which it is eminently adapted.
was compelled to remain here fol
some days, owing to touch Of mala-
ria, but when 1 had sufficiently recov-
cred to travel secured relay Of Local
carriers from the magistracy and
trekked through succession OF
swamps to the Rukuru, arriving there
about forty-eight hours after leaving
Kota Kota.
pitched my tent, and then engaged
canoes and harpoons, deciding tc
make a start on the following morn
ing 1 ought, perhaps, to mention that
the native harpoon is made by insert
ing an iron spear at the end Of bam-
boo pole about fifteen feet long. When
completed it somewhat resembles g
cavalry lance. About hundred yards
Of line is attached to the harpoon.
The next morning we discovered
several hippos about three hundred
yards from the shore. Two or three
were disporting themselves in the wa
ter, whilst others were indulging in q
sunny siesta on sand bank near by
We Immediately padded out, but as
soon as we approached them the ami
mails cleared off in all directions and
went down in deep water. 1t was not
long, however before the excitement
commenced. 1 promised the natives
that the first boy who managed to har-
poon one Of the beasts should receive
ten yards of calico, and this induce
ment resulted in making them particu-
larly keen. Ten minutes after the hip
pos had dived / heard a great shout
and some tremendous splashing be-
hind me, and on turning the canoe
round l saw that one of the boys had
been successful with his harpoon. The
beast he had wounded was towing the
canoe hither and thither at great
speed in it's frantic efforts to release
itself. We at once went to render as
sistance, but before we could reach
the canoe the infuriated animal came
up right underneath the frail craft
and capsized IT, hurting it's occupants
into the water. Although these lake
dwellers are expert swimmers, there
was a dangerous possibility Of their
being unable to keep clear Of the hip
po until they could reach another ca
noe, but in this case they all contrived
to gain one or other of the remaining
boats. The boy who had harpooneo
the hippo still clung to the line, the
end of which was attached to the
wrecked canoe, now floating upside
down near the boat which he had sue
ceeded in reaching.
The hippo had by this time become
very savage, opening his huge, cavern
Gus mouth continually and swapping
at everything he saw. An idea of the
size of hippo's mouth can be easily
imagined when l state that they have
very often been known to bite right
through a native canoe, dividing it as
though it had been chopped in half
soon saw that if another catastrophe
was to be averted we should have to be
careful to keep at respectful distance
from the angry beast; but, although
we did all we could in this direction
we could not prevent another canoe
being capsized The hippo made 6
sudden rush at one of the boats, and
before the natives in it could get clear
away they found themselves struggling
in the water. Fortunately, however
they were also able to reach the other
canoes in safety.
After this we managed to dodge the
monster for some considerable time
but eventually he came up right un-
derneath my own canoe, precipitatine
us into the deep water. For a few
minutes there was a veritable pande-
monium, the natives shouting and
screaming their loudest. They did
lnlS, So lHey lIlc dlleT"dTuS
in order to scare away any crocidiles
that might be in the vicinity We were
compelled to swim about for nearly
ten minutes before we were picked VI
by the other canoes, as after the two
previous boats had been capsiZed
told the boys not to approach within
half a mile of the wounded monster
Luckily, however, we were all good
swimmers, and the noise created by
the natives succeeded in keeping not
only the crocidiles, but the hippo him
self, at a safe distance.
1t was now four o'clock, and, as we
were getting very hungry and tired
we decided to buoy" the hippo until
the following day. This is done by
tying a bundle of reeds to the end OF
the harpoon-line. and as these rushes
are of light yellow or dirty white color
they are easily distinguished and make
very good mark. We left the hippo
in about fifteen feet of water, and as
they very seldom haunt places where
the water is more than twenty feet
deep, we knew that in all probability
we should find the animal the next
morning near the same spot.
After we had reached camp and had
good meal / called the natives to-
gether to discuss the programme fol
the following day, and asked them II
they had any SUGGESTIONS to make. The