ement and many gestures that the river was
filled with crocodiles, and that he did not expect to see us land alive
on his side. We camped on the top of the hill overlooking N'Kissy and
the wild rushing Congo Rapids. It was in one of these whirlpools that
young Pocock, Stanley's last survivor, perished.

In the "Pool" we saw many hippopotami, and longed to go out in a canoe
and shoot one, but being warned of the danger from the hippopotami and
also of the treacherous current of the Congo River, which might take us
over the rapids and to death, we were afraid to venture. A native Bateke
fisherman, just a few days before our arrival, had been crushed in his
canoe by a bull-hippopotamus. Many stories of hippopotami horrors were
told us.

One day Chief N'Galiama with his attendant came to the mission and told
Dr. Simms that the people in the village were very hungry and to see if
it were possible for him to get some meat to eat.

Dr. Simms called me and explained how the people were on the verge of a
famine and if I could kill them a hippopotamus it would help greatly. He
continued to explain that the meat and hide would be dried by the people
and, using but a little at each meal, would last them a long time. Dr.
Simms mentioned that he had never hunted, but he knew where the game
was. He said, "I will give you a native guide, you go with him around
the first cataract about two miles from here and you will find the
hippopotami." I was delighted at the idea, and being anxious to use my
"Martini Henry" rifle and to help the hungry people, I consented to go.
In an hour and a half we had walked around the rapids, across the big
boulders, and right before us were at least a dozen big hippopotami.
Some were frightened, ducked their heads and made off; others showed
signs of fight and defiance.

At about fifty yards distant I raised my rifle and let fly at one of the
exposed heads. My guide told me that the hippopotamus was shot and
killed. In a few minutes another head appeared above the surface of the
water and again taking aim I fired with the same result. The guide, who
was a subject of the Chief N'Galiama, sprang upon a big boulder and
cried to me to look at the big bubbles which were appearing on the
water; then explained in detail that the hippopotami had drowned and
would rise to the top of the water within an hour.

The guide asked to go to a fishing camp nearby and call some men to
secure the hippopotami when they ro