point where the water was somewhat shallow, when I heard a cry from
the canoe astern. Upon looking round, I saw it lifted high in the air,
and turned bottom upwards, while beneath it appeared a huge
hippopotamus, which was making after one of the men; another man was on
the point of being pitched on the creature's back, the two blacks, with
their legs in the air, were falling into the water, and one of the men,
who seemed to have sprung on shore, was scrambling up the bank. I saw
all this at a glance, the next instant a fearful shriek escaped the
swimmer, the huge hippopotamus had pierced him with its tusks, and
seemed bent on venting its rage upon him.

For an instant I feared that the victim was our friend Tom, but his
voice reassured me, and I saw the good boatswain making for the bank,
which his other companion had gained. The two blacks quickly followed.
Just then catching sight of the countenance of the man attacked by the
hippopotamus, I recognised Jansen, the murderer of Captain Roderick.

Before either of us could raise our rifles to fire at the beast the
miserable man had been dragged down beneath the water by the infuriated
monster. We were on the point of returning to try and secure the canoe,
when the hippopotamus again rose, and seizing the side in his huge
mouth, crushed it to pieces, and we were thankful to paddle off to save
our canoe from a like fate. We had now to consider what was to be done.
We could not possibly take all the party into our canoe, nor could we
leave any of them behind us. The blacks would to a certainty have been
seized and carried off into slavery, unless protected by us. We were
still, we calculated, a hundred miles or more from the coast; our only
mode of proceeding, therefore, was for one party to continue along the
shore, while the other paddled the canoe, and to relieve each other at
intervals. We continued on in this fashion the greater part of the day,
not meeting with another canoe or any habitations.

As evening approached, having reached an open spot, we agreed to encamp
there that we might shoot some game, as our stock of provisions was
reduced to a very low ebb.

Tom and Caspar, who had been walking the greater part of the day along
the bank, were glad to take charge of the camp, while Charley, Harry,
and I, with Kendo, went out in search of game. We were fortunate in
killing two deer, several birds, and a couple of monkeys, and on our
return we found that