No Doubt They Had Been Disturbed From The Mountain By The
Fire, And Had Mistaken Their Way In The Country So Recently
Changed From High Grass To Black Ashes.
In this locality I
considered it advisable to keep a vigilant watch during the
night, and the Arabs were told off for that purpose.
A little before sunrise I accompanied the howartis, or
hippopotamus hunters, for a day's sport. There were numbers of
hippos in this part of the river, and we were not long before we
found a herd. The hunters failed in several attempts to harpoon
them, but they succeeded in stalking a crocodile after a most
peculiar fashion. This large beast was lying upon a sandbank on
the opposite margin of the river, close to a bed of rushes.
The howartis, having studied the wind, ascended for about a
quarter of a mile, and then swam across the river, harpoon in
hand. The two men reached the opposite bank, beneath which they
alternately waded or swam down the stream towards the spot upon
which the crocodile was lying. Thus advancing under cover of the
steep bank, or floating with the stream in deep places, and
crawling like crocodiles across the shallows, the two hunters at
length arrived at the bank of rushes, on the other side of which
the monster was basking asleep upon the sand. They were now about
waist-deep, and they kept close to the rushes with their harpoons
raised, ready to cast the moment they should pass the rush bed
and come in view of the crocodile. Thus steadily advancing, they
had just arrived at the corner within about eight yards of the
crocodile, when the creature either saw them, or obtained their
wind; in an inatant it rushed to the water; at the same moment,
the two harpoons were launched with great rapidity by the
hunters. One glanced obliquely from the scales; the other stuck
fairly in the tough hide, and the iron, detached from the bamboo,
held fast, while the ambatch float, running on the surface of the
water, marked the course of the reptile beneath.
The hunters chose a convenient place, and recrossed the stream to
our side, apparently not heeding the crocodiles more than we
should fear pike when bathing in England. They would not waste
their time by securing the crocodile at present, as they wished
to kill a hippopotamus; the float would mark the position, and
they would be certain to find it later. We accordingly continued
our search for hippopotami; these animals appeared to be on the
qui vive, and, as the hunters once more failed in an attempt, I
made a clean shot behind the ear of one, and killed it dead. At
length we arrived at a large pool in which were several sandbanks
covered with rushes, and many rocky islands. Among these rocks
was a herd of hippopotami, consisting of an old bull and several
cows; a young hippo was standing, like an ugly little statue, on
a protruding rock, while another infant stood upon its mother's
back that listlessly floated on the water.
This was an admirable place for the hunters. They desired me to
lie down, and they crept into the jungle out of view of the
river; I presently observed them stealthily descending the dry
bed about two hundred paces above the spot where the hippos were
basking behind the rocks. They entered the river, and swam down
the centre of the stream towards the rock. This was highly
exciting:--the hippos were quite unconscious of the approaching
danger, as, steadily and rapidly, the hunters floated down the
strong current; they neared the rock, and both heads disappeared
as they purposely sunk out of view; in a few seconds later they
reappeared at the edge of the rock upon which the young hippo
stood. It would be difficult to say which started first, the
astonished young hippo into the water, or the harpoons from the
hands of the howartis! It was the affair of a moment; the hunters
dived directly they had hurled their harpoons, and, swimming for
some distance under water, they came to the surface, and hastened
to the shore lest an infuriated hippopotamus should follow them.
One harpoon had missed; the other had fixed the bull of the herd,
at which it had been surely aimed. This was grand sport! The bull
was in the greatest fury, and rose to the surface, snorting and
blowing in his impotent rage; but as the ambatch float was
exceedingly large, and this naturally accompanied his movements,
he tried to escape from his imaginary persecutor, and dived
constantly, only to find his pertinacious attendant close to him
upon regaining the surface. This was not to last long; the
howartis were in earnest, and they at once called their party,
who, with two of the aggageers, Abou Do and Suleiman, were near
at hand; these men arrived with the long ropes that form a
portion of the outfit for hippo hunting.
The whole party now halted on the edge of the river, while two
men swam across with one end of the long rope. Upon gaining the
opposite bank, I observed that a second rope was made fast to the
middle of the main line; thus upon our side we held the ends of
two ropes, while on the opposite side they had only one;
accordingly, the point of junction of the two ropes in the centre
formed an acute angle. The object of this was soon practically
explained. Two men upon our side now each held a rope, and one of
these walked about ten yards before the other. Upon both sides of
the river the people now advanced, dragging the rope on the
surface of the water until they reached the ambatch float that
was swimming to and fro, according to the movements of the
hippopotamus below. By a dexterous jerk of the main line, the
float was now placed between the two ropes, and it was
immediately secured in the acute angle by bringing together the
ends of these ropes on our side.
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