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Terrible Encounter with Hippopotami

and, though the shaft of the harpoon may | turning it. Meanwhile, his assailants are be broken, the piece of wood which is not idle; four or five more harpoons are attached to the iron floats on the surface, plunged into him, and every effort is and shows what direction he takes. There made to drag the beast close up to the is great danger should the Hippopotamus boat, so as to give him less room to spy the huntsman before he can throw his spear. He then springs forward with the utmost fury, and crushes him at once in his wide, open mouth. plunge about in. Then they try to divide the strong ligament that holds the head in its place, with a sharp weapon, or to pierce his skull. Since the body of a full- As soon as the animal is fairly struck, grown Hippopotamus is too bulky to be pulled out of the water without a great | The response to the mute inquiry of his number of hands, they generally cut him sageship was an ounce-and-a-quarter bulup in the river, and bring the pieces to let from the smooth-bore, which made land. him bellow with pain, and in a few mo- In one of his journeys through Africa, ments he rose up again, tumbling in his Mr. Stanley had some rare sport hunting death agonies. Hippopotami. He amused himself by A little knowledge concerning these peppering their thick skulls, which did no uncouth inmates of the African waters more than slightly tap them, causing was gained even during the few minutes