He pointed to the side of the river, a hundred yards ahead, where a huge, clumsily-formed hippopotamus slowly waded into the water and sank out of sight.
“What a brute!” said Dick. “Why, he could upset us. I say, King Moseti, couldn’t one of those fellows upset the boat?”
“Yes,” said the king; “then all swim ashore if he no catchee.”
“That’s pleasant,” said Dick. “But look, Jack! what’s that?”
He pointed ahead to something black, seen just above the surface of the water, and several feet in front of it two prominences; then two more appeared slowly above the water. There was a sort of gasping sigh, and a couple of little puffs like those emitted by a small steam-engine, and the black knobs and the black surface disappeared.
“What a monster!” cried Jack.
“Now going to begin,” said the king.
But they paddled on another half-mile before they really began.
They were in a very winding part of the river now, the serpentine curves being so sharp that the banks seemed to be a succession of muddy points and reedy bays.
On one of these points a large, broad-nosed hippo was standing, looking as shapeless as if it had been roughly modelled in mud, and set upon four legs of the shortest and squattiest kind. Nearer to them, and in the water, several of the great amphibious creatures were playing about, raising their heads occasionally, sometimes only their eyes and nostrils, which the boys could see opened and shut like a valve, to admit air and keep out the water.