a river-horse. Once we see his nose and
mouth, we are apt to call him a river-cow; but when he is once well out
of the water, and we see his heavy body and short legs, we would say
immediately that he was more like an over-fat hog than either cow or
horse. The hippopotamus has four equal toes on each foot, inclosed in
hoofs.

The unwary beasts rose and sank not many feet from the canoe for the
last time while they were abreast of the canoe; and, at the word given
by Kalulu, Simba and Moto dipped their paddles, and sent the boat into
the stream bow forward, the harpooneer entrusted with the duty of
striking standing rigid with uplifted weapon, ready for the blow.

A minute thus he stood, and all eyes were fixed expectant, when at the
bow rose the monstrous head and neck of a bull hippopotamus, and at the
same moment the harpoon was shot straight and deep into his neck, while
the bright blood gushed upward in streams. The stricken animal sounded
immediately, while the water was lashed into foam by his struggles, and
soon the canoe was moving up the river at terrific speed, while the
water rose in high, brown waves at the bow. Presently the speed
slackened, and the canoe began to float down the stream.

"Pull back! pull back!" shouted the harpooneer, and at the same time he
tossed the buoyant gourd, to which he had fastened the end of the rope
hitherto attached to the boat by a round turn around a cleat, into the
water. Responsive to the cry, Simba and Moto dashed their paddles into
the water; but they were too late, for they felt the boat lifted up
bodily out of the water, and the crew, losing their equilibrium,
staggered on one side, which completely turned the canoe over, and
precipitated them into the water.

The three boys, Kalulu, Selim, and Abdullah, instinctively, as they felt
the canoe lifted out of the water, rose to their feet with their guns in
their hands, and when it was assumed beyond doubt that it would turn
over, sprang into the water in different directions, and dived to the
bottom, dragging themselves toward their island beneath, by clutching
the tenacious mud. For some time the wounded hippopotamus remained
master of the field, and no enemy appearing in sight, he sank, uttering
a horrible bellow as he disappeared out of sight.

Immediately after, Selim appeared above the surface, more than twenty
yards from the scene of the disaster, and swimming vigorously towards
the island, which he soon g