passing, Stanley took steady aim, and by the way the creature moved,
it was evident that it was severely wounded.

The blacks now shouted out again, and led the way down to the lower part
of the waterfall. We all followed. How they proposed getting the
bodies of the hippopotami out of the river I could not tell, and fully
expected that they would soon be lost to sight. There was, however, an
eddy, which probably the blacks had observed, and into this both the
huge animals were drawn. Still they were at a considerable distance
from the land. The blacks, as soon as they reached the banks, began
cutting away at a grove of reeds, a species of palmyra. As soon as they
were cut, a layer was thrown on the surface of the water. Another layer
was placed crossways on this; and so on, till the raft was of sufficient
thickness to bear the party. No binding was required, as the reeds were
thus sufficiently united for the purpose. With some long poles and some
rattan vines cut from the forest, three hunters embarked. Throwing
their ropes round the head of the first animal they got up to, they soon
towed it ashore, where their companions secured it, while they shoved
off for the other. The second was scarcely dead, though unable to
defend itself. They secured it to the raft, when it gave a convulsive
struggle, and then opened its enormous jaws, which were certainly big
enough to swallow one of the men at a mouthful. It was its last effort,
however, for it merely grasped the edge of the raft, and the blacks,
shoving on, soon brought it to land.

I had now, for the first time, an opportunity of examining an
hippopotamus thoroughly. It is a most singular looking animal, which
may be described as intermediate between an overgrown hog and a high-fed
bull, without horns and with cropped ears. It has an enormous head.
Each of its jaws is armed with two formidable tusks, and those in the
lower, which are the largest, are nearly two feet in length. The
nostrils, ears, and huge eyes are placed on nearly the same plane, thus
allowing the animal to make use of its three senses and of respiration,
at the same time exposing but a very small part of its body. It is but
little inferior in size to the elephant, though its legs are very much
shorter; indeed, the belly in the full-grown one almost touches the
ground. The hoofs are divided into four parts, unconnected by
membranes. By this means it is able to spread out its clumsy-look