24, and, running knee-deep into the
water to obtain a close shot, I fired exactly between the eyes,
near the crown of the head. At the report of the little Fletcher
the hippo disappeared; the tiny waves raised by the commotion
broke upon the sand, but the game was gone.
* This excellent and handy rifle was made by Thomas Fletcher,
of Gloucester, and accompanied me like a faithful dog
throughout my journey of nearly five years to the Albert
N'yanza, and returned with me to England as good as new.
This being my first vis-a-vis with a hippo, I was not certain
whether I could claim the victory; he was gone, but where?
However, while I was speculating upon the case, I heard a
tremendous rush of water, and I saw five hippopotami tearing
along in full trot through a portion of the pool that was not
deep enough to cover them above the shoulder: this was the affair
of about half a minute, as they quickly reached deep water, and
disappeared at about a hundred and fifty yards' distance.
The fact of five hippos in retreat after I had counted six in the
onset was conclusive that my waltzing friend was either dead or
disabled; I accordingly lost no time in following the direction
of the herd.
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