large teeth weigh from five to eight pounds each, and, being excellent
ivory, keep white under almost any conditions.--_Author._]

Opening his huge jaws, he put his mouth to the ground, and, pushing
his lower jaw in front of him, cut down the corn as though with a
sickle. He ate leisurely as he went along, and his supper took him
some time, for, as he had an enormous appetite, and could carry from
five to six bushels of food in his body at a time, it was a big meal.

On he straggled, cutting down as he went, and dragging his awkward,
splay-footed body after him until the beautiful field of corn was
utterly destroyed, for before he left it he had walked nearly all over
it. If what he had eaten had been all that he destroyed, that would
have been bad enough, but he trampled and ruined far more than he ate,
and the owner of the field, when he saw it the next day, was nearly
wild with rage and disappointment. He had spent so much time and
trouble over his crops, and so much damage had been done lately by
these tiresome animals, that it was getting very serious indeed. He
resolved that something must be done, and done quickly. Guns and
bullets were no use; he would get up a party and try harpoons.

But of all this Hippo knew nothing, and, having finished his evening
meal, returned in the same leisurely way he had come, and, laying his
huge body down in a nice soft spot, he went to sleep and slept all
next day.

When he woke up, he had a good time in the water, swimming long
distances, taking long dives, and amusing himself by sinking his
enormous body to the bottom of the river, and coming up again every
now and then to breathe. He made plenty of fuss over it, too, puffing