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The early morning mist drifts aimlessly in and out of the hidden coves that punctuate the shoreline along this stretch of the lower Shire River. It adds intrigue and adventure as though it was sketched into our trip by some remarkably well-prepared plan. The morning silence is broken only with the low hum of the outboard engine and an occasional gasp from someone in the boat as the newcomer sees another of those long, sleek, threatening crocodiles slip quietly off the bank and into the water, then disappear somewhere beneath the boat. Hands remain close to sides and no one considers leaning near the edge of the boat to see what can be observed beneath the surface. Near one of the obscure inlets a short distance in front of the boat a pod of hippopotamus snort some sort of morning message that will shortly be picked up and repeated by pods all up and down the lower Shire.As we near the giant creatures they appear more at home in the water than on the land. Two of the members of the outer perimeter of the pod lower their heads into the water to where only their periscope ears and ever-alert eyes scan the surface for movements of any potential threat to the pod.
Near the Center can be Seen the Dominant Male
Near the center of the harem of females stands the dominant male, his bulk clearly evident above the glistening surface of the blue grey waves of the slow moving current. Our guide quietly advises us that he is standing on the bottom in the shallow water and has laid his head across the back of the next nearest hippo in order to be able to take short naps during the day. The hippo feeds at night when he can come out of the water and be safe from the burning African sun that will burn his skin if he stays out of the water too long. In slow graceful turns most of the pod seems to rotate their bodies in unison with the movement of the boat that is now drifting with the current and with the motor silent. Our guide seems to be in tune with the rhythmic dance that moves slowly around as the boat passes the pod, and his face and eyes remain focused on them as they focus back toward him. They appear to be rather uncaring though they manifest a slight degree of cautious expression. They have probably performed this ritual with passing boats for dozens of years and each side knows his exact part.
His Teeth Glisten in the Reflection of the Sun
As we drift past the realm of threat the male ends his view of us and turns his head skyward and opens his giant mouth. Ground down teeth glisten in the sunlight as they appear to be giant sticks punching up or down toward each other in grotesque angles. He is obviously an old one and it appears he is about to take a big bite out of the sky. For several seconds he maintains the pose as though waiting for everyone to get their camera’s in the on position, then he closes his mouth and drops his head back into the water with a giant splash. What was it in the air that caused him to try to reach up and capture something? Then to our surprise and excitement further into the pod another of the giant hippos opens her mouth and follows the same performance. Again, for several seconds, a giant mouth opens and faces upward, and then massive lips close and the hippo drops back into the safety of the water. The water closes over him. The newcomers look questioningly in the air trying unsuccessfully to see exactly what it is for which the hippo is reaching.
Our guide turns his attention to the three occupants of our group who are obviously on their first trip to Africa.
The Question Sinks Deep into Every Heart
“Do you want to know what they are doing,” he asks? There is no need for a follow up question. The adrenalin that has started coursing through their veins at the sight of the giant creatures of the sub-Sahara is now motivating an intense desire to learn everything possible about the life and the creatures that inhabit this part of the world. “Yes, yes,” comes a cascade of whispers. One has to wonder if the story is too good to keep to himself and no matter what the response is he will have to find a way to inject the story into the conversation of the lure of the wild.
He leans forward slightly in the boat and with one-hand reaches back and cuts the engine. The boat begins to slow. The newbie’s lean forward to hang on every word.
“It all started,” he says softly, “far back in the days of the creation of the earth. It was a few days after God created the animals when the hippopotamus went to the Creator and asked for a hearing. God called them before the throne and asked what they wanted to say. The hippo had a single request.”
“What is it,” God asked them?
Let Us Get Out of Everyone’s Sight
“We want to live someplace else God. We are so ugly that all of the other animals are laughing at us. Why even the hyena is laughing at us all of the time.” God wanted to laugh but he knew this matter was too serious for the hippo and to laugh at this time would not be good. He had made the hyena and He knew the hyena laughed all the time about everything but He also knew that to explain it at this moment would do no good. Even until this very day one can often hear the hyena walking near the river at night and laughing and laughing.
“‘Where would you have me prepare a place for you to live,’ God wisely asked the hippo?”
“We think we would like to live in the bottom of the rivers,” they immediately responded. “That way no one could see us and laugh at how ugly we are.”
It appeared to be a well thought out plan but one question seemed to stand in their way.
Hippo’s Give God Their Full Attention
“If I let you live in the rivers,” God started the question as every one of the hippos gave Him their full attention. “If I let you live in the rivers you will eat all of the fish. You are just too big,” God said.
At first the hippo pods were silent. Then they slowly left the great throne room dejected and discouraged. Here it was again. This time the conclusion came from God Himself. They were just “too big and too ugly.” What could they do? They were the earth’s outcasts.
Then one of them came up with an idea. It was so good they all agreed it might work. They went back to God. “We have decided that we have a solution to your concern about us eating all of the fish.”
“I am listening,” God said.
‘Well, first we will all become vegetarians. We will never eat the flesh of another animal and that will be the life long commitment of every hippo. And second, we will promise you that at least once a day every hippo will come up to the surface of the water and open his mouth to show you that he does not have any fish inside and that he has remained loyal to the promise.”
The Wisdom of the Hippo Carries the Day
God was so impressed with the wisdom of the hippo that He agreed to their request and they all ran for the water.
“It was a good promise and the hippo has lived up to his promise ever since that day. All hippos are vegetarians. They eat no flesh. God gave them permission to live in the rivers and only come out at night and they have loved the life-style. No other animals can laugh at them. Well, at least no one except the stupid hyena. Even to this very day he laughs at everyone. And according to the promise the hippo gave to God they come to the surface each day, face heavenward, and open their mouths to show God they have no fish inside.”