and grunting in his own peculiar way.

Having had such a good feed the night before, Hippo was in no
particular hurry for his evening meal, and, as several of the other
hippopotami were also enjoying themselves, he stayed where he was. His
wife was resting in a shallow part of the river close by, her whole
body under water with the exception of a part of her back and head.
Her baby calf was sitting on dry land, as it were, for his mother had
taken him under water a good many times, but had to bring him up to
the top so often for him to breathe that she had grown tired of it,
and so had put him on her back, where he was not only dry but safe.

Hippo took very little notice of his wife and child. He was not at all
demonstrative, and, as long as he knew they were safe, did not trouble
himself farther about them. So that he had plenty to eat, could have
nice swims and dives, and was not molested in any way, Hippo was a
very peaceable animal; but once interfere with him in any way, and it
was another matter altogether.

And this particular evening something did interfere with him, and it
not only annoyed Hippo, but made him furious with rage and anger, and
a furious hippopotamus is an extremely dangerous creature. It happened
in this way.

Hippo was just coming up after a good, long dive, when he noticed on
the river a number of boats filled with men. Now, he did not mind men
or boats, if they only went on their way and let him alone. The river
was often dotted with boats filled with Kaffirs and white men, but, as
a rule, they were sensible enough to keep a good distance from the
herd of hippopotami. So, when Hippo became conscious that the boats