WILD ANIMALS OF AFRICA

CHAPTER 9 - Papyrus Swamp

SNAPPER the Crocodile was hungry. He had waited a long time on Sandy Bank for some creature to walk past so that he could knock it into Lazy River with a swing of his powerful tail. But most of the Wild Animals were wise to his trick. When they saw him lying on Sandy Bank, they knew that most likely he was only pretending to be asleep. So they didn't go near.

At last Snapper decided he would try something else. "I believe I'll go over to Papyrus Swamp and see if I can catch a buffalo," he said to himself. So he waddled down Sandy Bank and slid into the water.

You see, Fatty the Hippo and Snapper the Crocodile had a near neighbor called Blackie the Buffalo. He lived in Papyrus Swamp that lay along Lazy River on one edge of Fatty's Quiet Pool. Blackie the Buffalo had a mean temper. Terror the Hunter sometimes said that Blackie was more dangerous than either Leo the Lion or Longnose the Elephant.

Blackie the Buffalo stayed in Papyrus Swamp when he wanted to be safe from Terror the Hunter and Leo the Lion, who were his worst enemies. But he also greatly feared Snapper the Crocodile. He had about sixty friends with him, and they had made many, many winding trails through the tall, graceful papyrus. Of course these winding trails were mostly mud and water, but Blackie did not mind living in slimy ooze three feet deep. His winding trails were really like lanes, with the large green stalks of graceful papyrus crisscrossed over them. No one except a powerful beast like Blackie could have forced his way through them.

Now some of Blackie's winding trails led to Lazy River, and some of them came out on Grassy Valley. Although there were in Papyrus Swamp many dry islands where Blackie could go to lie down when he wanted to rest, there was almost nothing on them for him to eat. So when he was hungry he had to go out on Grassy Valley for Favorite Food.

If Terror the Hunter was around, Blackie usually rested in Papyrus Swamp during the day and went to Grassy Valley for Favorite Food during the night. But if Terror did not bother him, Blackie went to Grassy Valley almost any time. When there was water to drink, some of Blackie's friends lived on Broad Plain, and some in Lower Forest on Green Mountain. But wherever they were, the buffaloes were never so far from water that they could not get a drink every day. So Blackie and his friends had made winding trails whenever they went to Lazy River to drink.

Snapper the Crocodile swam slowly down Lazy River until he reached Papyrus Swamp. Snapper never seemed to be in much of a hurry. He wriggled slowly through the ooze and tall grass that grew along the edge of Lazy River where it joined Papyrus Swamp.

At last Snapper came to one of Blackie the Buffalo's trails that entered Lazy River. Snapper let his long body sink slowly out of sight in the water. He wriggled and twisted until he was covered with mud and trash. He left only his eyes and nose above water, and they were mostly covered with broken papyrus. There he lay waiting for Blackie and his friends to come for a drink.

Of course Blackie was too large for Snapper to kill in the usual way, but Snapper could grab the strongest buffalo by the nose and pull it under the water to drown. Then he would have to wait for it to spoil before he could eat it.

So whenever the buffaloes went to Lazy River for a drink, they had to be watchful for Snapper the Crocodile. And so it was that when Blackie went to Lazy River for a drink that evening, before starting out for Grassy Valley, there was Snapper the Crocodile hiding, waiting for him.

Now, Blackie had a very good friend. He was Snowy the Cow Heron. Like Mary and her little lamb, everywhere that Blackie went Snowy was sure to go. He went along with Blackie so that he could eat the grasshoppers and other troublesome insects that Blackie scared up as he walked through the grass. If you saw Snowy the Cow Heron and his friends flying around over a certain spot, you could be quite certain that the buffaloes were there. Sometimes Snowy rode on Blackie's broad back as he walked through the tall grass. So it happened that when Blackie came to Little River for a drink, there was Snowy riding along and waiting to snatch any troublesome insects he might see.

Slosh, slosh, went Blackie's big feet as he walked along in the oozy trail. Crack! went the papyrus stalks that were in his way. And Snapper the Crocodile's sharp ears caught the vibrations as Blackie came near.

Blackie stopped near the river's edge and looked carefully at everything. He always did that before he went near enough to drink. He took another step nearer. Then he decided everything was all right.

Suddenly a troublesome insect lighted on what seemed to be an old stub that showed just above the water. In a flash Snowy the Cow Heron darted for it from his perch on Blackie's back. Then his sharp eyes saw the old stub move just the least bit and he caught the glint of Snapper the Crocodile's eyes.

Snowy the Cow Heron sailed right on past and circled overhead.

"Beware! Beware!" he warned, "I see Snapper the Crocodile."

Away ran Blackie to look for a safer place to drink.

THERE lived in Papyrus Swamp, near Blackie the Buffalo, one of the antelopes by the name of Chobe the Sitatunga. And although there were in Africa about ninety different kinds of antelopes, Chobe the Sitatunga loved water the most of all. Instead of living with a large herd, as some antelopes did, Chobe did not care for much company. He and Mrs. Sitatunga lived by them selves in Papyrus Swamp, and they liked the water so well that they never left it except at night when they went to Little Meadows, that lay around the edge of Papyrus Swamp, in search of Favorite Food.

Yes, sir; the sitatungas surely did love water. They felt safe from Lurking Enemies while they were in the water among the tall reeds. During the day when they were hiding or sleeping, sometimes little more than their noses showed above the water. The truth is, the sitatungas had lived so long in the water and ooze where there was nothing to wear down their hoofs, that their toenails had grown very long. Because of this they were slow and clumsy when they tried to run on dry land. But their toes spread out in the muddy swamp so that they could run with ease where other animals would have sunk down. The sitatungas thought nothing of living in water that would have been waist deep on Fearful the Man; and when the water was too deep for them to wade, they often swam.

So you see that even though the sitatungas were exceedingly shy they felt quite safe in their home in Papyrus Swamp. They had made well-worn winding trails through the tall reeds through which they could sneak silently from place to place as they ate the young shoots of the papyrus and the leaves of water plants.

But it seemed that no one was safe when Black Hunter was around, for one day a band of natives came paddling down Lazy River in their clumsy canoes. They were armed with sharp spears, and some of them held pots in which they carried fire. While some of the natives waited in their canoes in open channels in Lazy River, others went about setting fire to the dry grass around the edge of Papyrus Swamp. There had been no rain in many months, and much of Papyrus Swamp had dried up except the part nearest to Lazy River.

Soon the fire was racing along through the dry marsh grass. Closer and closer it came to the situtungas. Back and forth they ran along their paths through the tall papyrus. But each time they ran into a wall of fire that crackled and leaped and frightened them farther back into Papyrus Swamp. At last they came to the open channels that lay between Papyrus Swamp and the islands in Lazy River.

Mrs. Sitatunga was running wildly ahead of Chobe, when she came to the first channel. And there she saw the natives waiting in their canoes with their sharp spears.

"Now what shall we do?" she asked Chobe, as he dashed out of the tall papyrus behind her. "If we stay here, we will be burned; and if we try to cross, they will surely kill us."

Chobe ran along the edge of the channel, hoping that he could find a shallow place to cross where the canoes could not follow. But he soon saw other canoes blocking his way. Back he went the other way, with the odor of smoke hot in his nostrils. But again he saw sharp spears glistening in the sunlight. There were pieces of burning grass dropping around Chobe as he raced back to Mrs. Sitatunga.

Suddenly they heard a loud, angry grunt, and there was a terrific splashing in the water near them. You see, Fatty the Hippo had been enjoying a sound sleep in the water with only his nose sticking out, when a piece of burning papyrus landed right by his huge nostrils and went out with a loud hiss. And when Fatty opened his eyes the first thing he saw was a canoe filled with Lurking Enemies.

Now it may have been that Fatty was badly frightened by the odor of hot smoke, and then again it may have been that he was furious because his nose was singed. He sank out of sight beneath the water and ran along on the bed of the channel until he was under a canoe. Fatty came up with a rush that knocked the canoe out of the water and sent the natives tumbling headlong into Lazy River. Then he made for another canoe not far away. There certainly was great confusion among the natives.

"Let us hurry across," said Chobe, as he plunged into the water. Swiftly they swam past the natives that were struggling and Mrs. Satunga climbed canoe. Soon Chobe out of the water and disappeared among the tall papyrus that was growing on a large island in Lazy River.

MRS. WATERBUCK was proud and happy. She lived with a company of waterbucks that hid during the day among the trees and bushes that grew in a thin belt along a certain stretch of Lazy River that was known as Brushy Flat. Usually during the morning and evening they wandered out on Grassy Valley a mile or two after tender grass shoots, where they often saw the zebras and the hartebeests. But the waterbucks never wandered far from water. For whenever Terror the Hunter or some other Lurking Enemy frightened them, they always ran toward water for protection.

But I haven't told you why Mrs. Waterbuck was so proud and happy. You see, the mother waterbucks lived in a band with their baby waterbucks most of the time, and the father waterbucks went off and lived together somewhere, and some of the old father waterbucks lived alone. Of course you might see one or two of the father waterbucks with the mother waterbucks any time, but they didn't spend much time caring for their families. So it fell to the lot of a wise old mother waterbuck to be the leader of the herd.

One day Mrs. Waterbuck left the others and stole quietly away to a secluded nook. When, after a few days, she started back to the herd, she was proud and happy, for snuggled close to Mrs. Waterbuck's side, and walking along on its rather wobbly legs was a baby waterbuck. And, strange as it may seem, the baby waterbuck was white.

Now the waterbucks usually wear a drab suit with a white patch on the rump and another on the throat. But here was a baby that was all white. No wonder Mrs. Waterbuck was proud of her little sprite, which she had named Albo.

But there was one thing that worried Mrs. Waterbuck. She knew that when she stole through the trees and bushes along Lazy River in her drab coat it was hard for Lurking Enemies to see her. But anyone could plainly see Albo in his white coat, especially at night. So she tried to be very watchful. She sniffed this way and that to see if the Playful Air Whiffs carried a warning message, and she peered carefully at every unusual-appearing object.

"Why are you so fearful, Mother?" asked Albo, one stormy night.

"Because Leo the Lion and his clan like to go prowling on nights such as this," replied Mrs. Waterbuck. "You must learn to be very shrewd, for your white coat can be seen much more readily than mine."

So Albo learned to be cautious and watchful. Sometimes the waterbucks swam across Lazy River and visited the steep, rocky hills on the opposite bank. It is strange, but they did not seem to fear Snapper the Crocodile. Albo especially liked to explore the islands that lay in Lazy River, for he felt secure while there.

While Albo was small, he depended upon his mother for protection. It was she who always gave the warning when Lurking Enemies were near. Then away they would all speed toward Lazy River, the mother waterbucks leading and the father waterbucks following, if they were with the herd. It was she who taught Albo to sneak along beneath her own drab-colored body so that his bright coat would not be seen. And she taught him to stay within the group of the feeding or resting waterbucks so that others less easily seen on the outside of the herd might act as sentinels.

So Albo grew to be very wise. His eyes appeared to be sharper than those of the other waterbucks. His nose seemed to be keener, and none of them had better ears; for Albo could not depend upon the color of his coat to hide him.

One morning Terror the Hunter sat on a high rock while he looked out across Grassy Valley through his powerful binoculars. For a time he watched the zebras and the hartebeests feeding quietly together. He could see some of the young ones chasing each other and frisking in and out among the older ones. Through his glasses they seemed to be quite close.

Terror the Hunter was not looking for such common game as zebras and hartebeests. He turned his glasses toward Brushy Flat, that grew along Lazy River. The waterbucks were coming out to Grassy Valley for their breakfast. Suddenly Terror the Hunter became very much excited. He beckoned to his companion who was resting at the foot of the rock.

"Take a look at those waterbucks just leaving Brushy Flat," he said, as he passed the glasses to his companion.

The man peered at the spot pointed out to him. "There's an albino among them, as sure as I'm alive," he exclaimed, "and what a beauty!"

"We'll have to get that fellow," said Terror the Hunter.

And there was Albo with his white coat shining in the morning sun, not knowing that prying eyes had seen him from afar.

An hour later Terror the Hunter crawled up the side of a small ravine, down which he had walked, and peeped cautiously over the rim. He had been careful to choose a position so that the Playful Air Whiffs would carry his Revealing Scent away from the waterbucks. He had entwined grass around his hat and had cut a small bush to hold in front of him through which to peep, so that the sharpest eye would think he was only a bush moved by the morning breeze.

Albo the Waterbuck looked beautiful to Terror the Hunter. Terror saw him crop a mouthful of grass and then stand chewing it while his sharp eyes peered about and his keen nose sniffed for Lurking Enemies. As usual, he was in the midst of the herd, and Terror the Hunter could not approach for a closer shot without alarming the waterbucks between him and Albo.

Terror the Hunter was quite nervous. So he stretched out and supported his rifle by resting his elbow on the ground. He adjusted the sights for the distance his experienced eye told him was right. He wanted to be sure that he did not miss. What if the waterbucks should discover him before he was ready? His hand trembled with excitement when he thought of losing such a prize. It was some time before he could quiet himself enough to risk a shot.

Then Terror the Hunter did a strange thing. He laid down his heavy rifle and from a black case on his belt he removed a camera. Quietly he opened it and set the focus and the shutter. When all was ready, he waited until Albo raised his head for another look.

There was a sharp click as the shutter opened and closed. It was not very loud, but it was loud enough for Albo's listening ears to catch. Away raced the waterbucks toward their haven in Brushy Flat along Lazy River.

"What went wrong?" asked Terror's companion, when he came out of his place of hiding in the little ravine.

"Not a thing," replied Terror the Hunter. "The conditions were perfect for shot with this," and he held up his camera. "And I would rather have a picture of a live albino waterbuck to keep for my friends to enjoy than a dead one that only you and I would see."

This proves that there is some good in everyone.

CHASER the Cheetah sat on Rocky Crag looking out across Grassy Valley. It was early morning, and Chaser was very hungry. He hoped that he would see something that would be a good breakfast. His Favorite Food was antelope, but he often attacked many of the larger Wild Animals that were but half grown.

Chaser had been resting in Little Jungle Thicket most of the night. Sometimes he hid in the tall grass. He did most of his hunting during the day, and he liked open ground where there was nothing to interfere with his running. For, you see, Chaser was the swiftest mammal in the whole wide world, for a short distance. And because the cheetahs are so swift and are easily tamed they are sometimes kept as pets and trained to hunt for their masters.

At first glance you could easily have thought that Chaser the Cheetah was Chui the Leopard as he sat on Rocky Crag looking out across Grassy Valley. He was about the same size as his cousin Chui, and his coat was much the same. But if you were near enough to him, you would see that his feet were quite different from Chui's. For while Chui has softly padded feet and claws that can be hidden like hunting cat's, Chaser's feet and claws are like those of Rover the Dog. While Chui hunts his prey by sneaking up close and pouncing upon it, or by dropping down from a high limb, Chaser catches his prey by outrunning it. He can no more climb a tree than can Rover the Dog.

Now, there lived near Lazy River on Grassy Valley a beautiful and graceful antelope by the name of Jumper the Pallah. Jumper had a large family, because he had fought fiercely with the other grown buck pallahs and had driven them away. There were a dozen or more of them, and they had gone away to live by themselves. But the does had remained with Jumper; so Jumper was master of a large family.

Jumper the Pallah and his family really lived in Brushy Flat, where also lived the waterbucks. Like the waterbucks, in the early morning and late evening the pallahs left Brushy Flat and went out a short way on Grassy Valley for their Favorite Food. They were never more than a mile or so from Lazy River, for they liked a cool drink often. Their drinking pool was a shallow spot on Shady Bank where vine-covered trees grew along Lazy River. There they could watch out for Snapper the Crocodile, for he had not such a good place to hide.

Sometimes the baboons passed Brushy Flat on one of their raids, and sometimes the pallahs fed close to the waterbucks and the zebras and the gazelles and the hartebeests in Grassy Valley. So, you see, jumper and his family had many friendly neighbors.

Jumper's Favorite Food was tender grass shoots. He especially liked those that grew in the little low places where water kept the grass fresh and sweet. When Chaser the Cheetah looked down from his Rocky Crag, there were jumper the Pallah and his large family in the edge of Brushy Flat on their way to Grassy Valley for an early breakfast. It was easy for Chaser to see Jumper, for his bright red and white coat shone in the morning light.

Chaser could also see the young pallahs. They were playing a game of Jump and Bound. They would spring over very high bushes, as high as the ceiling of your home, and sometimes they would jump over each other. They certainly were having a grand time as Chaser left Rocky Crag and started down Sandy Ravine toward them.

Now Black Hunter knew that jumper the Pallah was very fond of tender grass shoots. So, when the grass was dry, he would burn little patches; for he knew that when the refreshing rain came the tender grass shoots would show first where he had burned and that Jumper would be tempted to visit these places.

So it happened that when Chaser the Cheetah walked down Sandy Ravine toward Jumper the Pallah and his family, he came face to face with Black Hunter, for Black Hunter was hidden in Sandy Ravine near one of his burned patches waiting for Jumper to come and eat the tender grass shoots.

You may be sure that Chaser the Cheetah was surprised, and that Black Hunter was, too. It was a lucky thing for jumper and his family; for although Jumper is the fleetest of the antelopes, still he is no match for Chaser. You should have seen the pallahs as they bounded for safety toward the seclusion of Brushy Flat, sailing gracefully over the tall bushes that were in their way! And away went Chaser across Grassy Valley as fast as his swiftly moving feet could carry him.