Page 37 - Adventures in Africa

climbed, when his feet slipped, and oyer lie rolled on

the ground. Pie was now perfectly helpless, and in a
few minutes the hippopotamus would trample him to
death* It seemed as if all hope was gone ; but, at

the very instant that I thought poor Jan’s death was
certain, my uncle suddenly appeared, when, aiming
behind the ear of the hippopotamus, he fired, and the
monster fell, Jan narrowly escaped being crushed,

which he would have been had he not by a violent
effort rolled out of the way.

Suffering as I was, I could scarcely help laughing
at Jan's face, as, getting up on his knees, he looked
with a broad grin at the hippopotamus, still uncertain
whether it was dead or not. A t length, convinced

that his enemy could do him no further harm, he rose
to his feet, exclaiming—
“ Tankee, tankee, cap'n ! If de gun not go off, Jan

no speak 'gain."
Then, hurrying on, he examined the creature, to be
certain that no life remained in it*

u W hat we do wid tlis ? 'J he asked, giving the huge
body a kick with his foot*
“ A s it will shortly become an unpleasant neigh­

bour, we must manage to drag him away from the
camp," observed my uncle. “ If the stream were
deep enough, I would drag it in, and lot it float down
with the current; but, as it would very likely get

stranded close to us, we must haul it away with the
ox and the horses, though I doubt if the animals will
like being thus employed.”

I thought the plan a good on e; and my uncle told
Jan to catch the horses and ox, while he contrived some