Page:Babyhood of Wild Beasts.djvu/51



ALIPH was a baby hippo who was caught in the Nile River after his mother, the crankiest old lady and the worst fighter in the herd, had been shot. Little Caliph was a cunning fat baby but a few days old. In spite of his seventy-five pounds of solid flesh and bone, he was nimble on his legs and a good swimmer as well. He was seized while swimming under water with just his nostrils visible.

The little Hippo had a red skin like a young baby. He was fat as a butter ball and somewhat resembled a pig. His master took him home, fed him on a diet of bread and milk, and made him a little pen with a pool of water in it.

Caliph became very much attached to his master. He soon learned to follow him about like a dog. Sometimes the little fellow would grieve for his mother and wistfully think of the