On The Following Morning I Made A Post-Mortem Examination.
He had
received three shots in the flank and shoulder; four in the head, one of
which had broken his lower jaw; another through his nose had passed
downward and cut off one of his large tusks.
I never witnessed such
determined and unprovoked fury as was exhibited by this animal - he
appeared to be raving mad. His body was a mass of frightful scars, the
result of continual conflicts with bulls of his own species; some of
these wounds were still unhealed. There was one scar about two feet in
length, and about two inches below the level of the surface skin, upon
the flank. He was evidently a character of the worst description, but
whose madness rendered him callous to all punishment. I can only suppose
that the attack upon the vessels was induced by the smell of the raw
hippopotamus flesh, which was hung in long strips about the rigging, and
with which the zinc boat was filled. The dead hippopotamus that was
floating astern lashed to the diahbeeah had not been molested.
We raised the zinc boat, which was fortunately unhurt. The dingy had
lost a mouthful, as the hippopotamus had bitten out a portion of the
side, including the gunwale of hard wood; he had munched out a piece
like the port of a small vessel, which he had accomplished with the same
ease as though it had been a slice of toast.
I sent the boat to the English shipwrights for repair, and these capital
workmen turned it out in a few days nearly as good as new.
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