When hippo was hairy and why he scatters his dung

(A Ndebele story*)

Long, long ago, hippos did not live in rivers and pools. They lived in the bush with other herd animals. In those days, hippo had a very fine coat of glossy, chestnut-brown hair, soft silky ears and a beautiful bushy tail, of which he was overly proud.

Every day at noon when he had his drink, he would spend hours gazing at his own reflection in the water, turning this way and that to admire himself from every angle. His vanity was so great that he demanded that all the other animals should praise his beauty.

One day, when he was at the water´s edge admiring his own reflection, he said to himself, “Oh, how handsome I am! Not a bit like that stupid hare, with his coarse coat, long ears and silly twitchy nose. What a ridiculously short tail he has, and how clumsily he hops!”.

After thinking for a while, hare collected a large pile of soft, dry grass under a large umbrella thorn tree. He offered it to hippo, saying “Oh magnificent hippo, here is a warm bed that I have prepared for you, since winter is on its way and the nights are growing cold.”.

Hippo accepted the gift condescendingly and gave hare a haughty nod. “Yes hare” he said, “I must be looked after. I am glad to see that you realize your responsibilities.”.

Hare nearly choked with rage. What a vain and arrogant creature hippo was! “Just you wait, my fine friend”, he thought by himself and helped hippo to settle down comfortably.

Then hare ran to the nearby village. While everyone was busy drinking beer, he crept up to the cooking fire and stole some glowing embers that he carried off on a piece of broken clay-pot.

Hippo was snoring happily in his warm bed of dry grass when hare got back. Hare crept up and threw  in the burning embers, blowing on them until he had a fine blaze going. Poor hippo woke up to find his fine coat on fire! He heard hare laughing nastily as he dashed off out of the way.

Hippo was confused and terrified, and at first, he just thrashed about, trying to beat out the flames. Soon, however, the fire reached his skin, and in agony he charged away towards the waterhole. As he crashed thought the bush, the fire spread to the dry winter grass and soon the whole area was ablaze. Hippo reached the water just in time to save his life. The flames were put out and the cool water soothed his pain. The fire raged around the water´s edge and hippo had to hold his breath and sink beneath the surface. Only his eyes and nostrils showed when he came up for air.

When the bushfire had died out, hippo climbed out of the water. He felt stiff, and sore, but he was alive. He was going to find hare and give him the beating of his life.

But he could not resist his habit of pausing to look at himself in the mirror of the pool. What he saw gave him a terrible shock. His reflection in the water showed a pinkish-gray, wrinkled, bald creature. He could not believe his eyes. His lovely bushy tail was gone, and all his wonderful hair had been burned off. Ugly, round, pink ears poked out where his long silky ones used to be. Without the fine glossy fur his legs looked short and stubby, and his flanks bulged with fat.

Hippo war horrified, ashamed and heart-broken and, most of all, embarrassed. He rushed straight back into the water to hide his body from curious eyes. But then crocodile came along, wondering what hippo was doing in his territory. Hippo told him the story and that he will from now on also live in the water and that he will share the rivers and pools with crocodile. But crocodile was worried that hippo will now eat all the fish, and he was not willing to share.

“I will allow you to live in my rivers and lakes, but how will you prove to me that you are not eating my little fishes?”

“I will lie in the cool of the water by day, and at night-time I will browse along the banks of the rivers, and in the vleis,” replied the hippopotamus. “I promise that I will not eat your little fishes.”

“But that will not be proof to me that you are keeping your promise!”, replied the crocodile.

“Well then,” answered the hippo, “I will come out of the water every time that food passes through my body, and I will scatter my dung on the earth with my tail. All that I have eaten will be spread out in your sight, and you will see for yourself that there are no fish bones.  Surely this will be proof enough!”

So this is way, to this very day, the hippopotamus comes out of the water to scatter its dung as it looks up to heaven and says, “Look N’gai, no fishes!” – and that is why hippos don’t eat fish! Since, hippo lives in the water, sticking only its ears and eyes outside. He only comes out to scatter its dung or at night, when no one can see him, to walk and graze at the edge of the forest.

*the original story has slightly been modified by the author of this page