stream, took a cool survey
of the disturbers of his morning's repose!

"It's hard to refuse such an impudent invitation to do one's worst,"
said Wilkins, again raising his gun.

"No, you mustn't," cried Tom Brown, grasping his friend's arm; "come
along, I see the bow of the boat among the rushes not far ahead of us,
and yonder is a hippopotamus, or sea-cow as they call it here, waiting
to be shot."

Without further delay they embarked in the boat, which, though small,
was found to be sufficiently tight, and rowed off towards the spot where
the hippopotamus had been seen. Presently his blunt ungainly head rose
within ten feet of them. Wilkins got such a start that he tripped over
one of the thwarts in trying to take aim, and nearly upset the boat. He
recovered himself, however, in a moment, and fired--sending a ball into
the brute which just touched the brain and stunned it. He then fired
his second barrel, and while he was loading Tom put two more balls into
it. It proved hard to kill, however, for they fired alternately, and
put sixteen bullets--seven to the pound--into different parts of its
head before they succeeded in killing it.

They towed their prize to the shore, intending to land and secure it,
when a calf hippopotamus shoved its blunt nose out of the water close at
hand, gazed stupidly at them and snorted. Tom at once shot it in the
head, and it commenced to bellow lustily. Instantly the mother's head
cleft the surface of the water as she came up to the rescue and rushed
at the boat, the gunwale of which she seized in her mouth and pulled it
under.

"Quick!" shouted Tom, as he fired his second barrel into her ear.

Wilkins did not require to be urged, as the water was flowing into the
boat like a deluge. He delivered both shots into her almost
simultaneously, and induced her to let go! Another shot from Tom in the
back of her neck entered the spine and killed her.

By this time a large band of natives had collected, and were gazing
eagerly on the proceedings. They had come down from the kraal to enjoy
the sport and get some of the meat, of which they are particularly fond.
They were not disappointed in their expectations, for the hippopotami
were very numerous in that place, and the sportsmen shot well. Four
other animals fell before their deadly guns before another hour had
passed, and as the bay was shallow the natives waded in to drag them
ashore.

This was a very amusing scene, becaus