The Laughing HippopotamusOn one of the upper branches of the Congo river lived an ancient
and aristocratic family of hippopotamuses, which boasted a pedigree
dating back beyond the days of Noah—beyond the existence of
mankind—far into the dim ages when the world was new.
They had always lived upon the banks of this same river, so that
every curve and sweep of its waters, every pit and shallow of its
bed, every rock and stump and wallow upon its bank was as familiar
to them as their own mothers. And they are living there yet, I
suppose.
Not long ago the queen of this tribe of hippopotamuses had a
child which she named Keo, because it was so fat and round. Still,
that you may not be misled, I will say that in the hippopotamus
language "Keo," properly translated, means "fat and la
