“By the Axe!” shouted Umslopogaas again, “I—­a warrior—­will not die thus, trodden on like a slug by an ox.”

Now I have mentioned a tree which I climbed.  In his extremity Umslopogaas rushed for that tree and went up it like a lamplighter, just as the crocodile wriggled past its trunk, snapping at his retreating legs.

After this I took no more note of him, partly because of the advancing sea-cows, and more for the reason that one of the village natives posted above me, firing wildly, put a large round bullet through the sleeve of my coat.  Indeed, had it not been for the wall which I built that protected us, I am certain that both my bearer and I would have been killed, for afterwards I found it splashed over with lead from bullets which had struck the stones.

Well, thanks to the strength of my rock and to the wall, or as Hans said afterwards, to Zikali’s Great Medicine, we escaped unhurt.  The rush went by me; indeed, I killed one sea-cow so close that the powder from the rifle actually burned its hide.  But it did go by, leaving us untouched.  All, however, were not so fortunate, since of the village natives two were trampled to death, while a third had his leg broken.

Also, and this was really amusing—­a bewildered bull charging at full speed, crashed into the trunk of Umslopogaas’ tree, and as it was not very thick, snapped it in two.  Down came the top in which the dignified chief was ensconced like a bird in a nest, though at that moment there was precious little dignity about him.  However, except for scratches he was not hurt, as the hippopotamus had other business in urgent need of attention and did not stop to settle with him.

“Such are the things which happen to a man who mixes himself up with matters of which he knows nothing,” said Umslopogaas sententiously to me afterwards.  But all the same he could never bear any allusion to this tree-climbing episode in his martial career, which, as it happened, had taken place in full view of his retainers, among whom it remained the greatest of jokes.  Indeed, he wanted to kill a man, the wag of the party, who gave him a slang name which, being translated, means “He-who-is-so-brave-that-he
-dares-to-ride-a-water-horse-up-a-tree.”

It was all over at last, for which I thanked Providence devoutly.  A good many of the sea-cows were dead, I think twenty-one was out exact bag, but the majority of them had escaped in one way or another, many as I fear, wounded.  I imagine that at the last the bulk of the herd overcame its fears and swimming through our screen, passed away down the channel.  At any rate they were gone, and having ascertained that there was nothing to be done for the man who had been trampled on my side of the channel, I crossed it in the canoe with the object of returning quietly to our camp to rest.

But as yet there was to be no quiet for me, for there I found Captain Robertson, who I think had been refreshing himself out of a bottle and was in a great state of excitement about a native who had been killed near him who was a favourite of his, and another whose leg was broken.  He declared vehemently that the hippopotamus which had done this had been wounded and rushed into some bushes a few hundred yards away, and that he meant to take vengeance upon it.  Indeed, he was just setting off to do so.