The diamond in the dark

The pygmy hippopotamus is native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, primarily in Liberia with small populations in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ivory Coast. The name hippopotamus is Greek for 'river horse', and is a particularly apt description for the pygmy hippo, which spends much of its time resting in rivers or swamps. The species has a severely fragmented distribution and is under increasing pressure from logging, farming and human settlement. The pygmy hippopotamus looks superficially like a smaller version of the closely related common hippopotamus. Both species are characterised by a broad snout, a large mouth, a short, barrel-shaped body and short stocky legs. However, the pygmy hippo’s head is more rounded and the eyes are set on the side of the head rather than the front. The skin of both species contains special pores that secrete a white or pinkish substance known as “blood-sweat”. This material is thick, oily and protective in nature, allowing the animals to remain in water or in a dry atmosphere on land for extended periods.

Adofo was excited. School was closed, and it was time to visit his grandparents who lived in the rural parts of Liberia. He couldn’t keep still, and his father who was driving the car laughed at his eagerness. “I thought you loved city life”, he joked. “Will you come back to Monrovia or do you plan to stay on with your grandfather?”

“I just might decide to stay on”, quipped Adofo in response. He thought of the wonderful times he had spent with his grandfather during holidays in the past, the delicious dishes made by his grandmother from simple fruits and roots, and he couldn’t wait to enjoy himself some more. Everything had been perfect, except for...Gamba.

Gamba was Adofo’s cousin. Like Adofo, Gamba too, lived in the city, and was about the same age as him. Both the boys were in different schools, but had holidays around the same time, and inevitably ended up visiting their grandparents at the same time.

The pity was that both the boys hated each other. One couldn’t stand the sight of the other, and each wanted to prove himself better than the other. Adofo found his good mood vanishing as he considered the unsavoury idea of having to spend the holidays with his insufferable cousin.

When they finally reached their small village close to the tributary of the river Cavalla, Adofo was welcomed with much love by his grandparents, who were more than delighted to see him. However, he frowned when he saw Gamba standing some distance away, scowling at him.

“Here we go again”, he muttered to himself. Gamba, however, came closer after a while, put on a fake smile, and said an impressive “How do you do?” spoke courteously to Adofo’s father. “See how polite and well mannered Gamba is?” remarked Adofo’s father to him. “You must learn to be like that too!” Adofo grumbled under his breath. The show-off, he thought.

The old man, meanwhile, was delighted to have his two darling grandsons home. He presented them with gifts and regaled them with funny stories, while the grandmother served them a sumptuous meal. “Tomorrow, we will go on a short expedition in the forests around here”, said their grandfather. “Let me see which of you is the better shooter!” he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Oh, are we going hunting?”, asked Gamba. “I am sure I am the better one, Grandpa. I do so well at sports, all my teachers say so. At school—”“I thought you didn’t like hunting Grandpa”, cut in Adofo. “Didn’t you always tell us we shouldn’t hurt the creatures of the forest?” The old man smiled. “I did say that, but –” “Oh, Adofo is such a spoilsport, Grandpa”, groaned Gamba. “I do think we should go on a real expedition. That way, everyone would know how much smarter I am than Adofo.” Gamba gave a sly smile.

“Oh well, there’s one expedition that no one’s been very successful in”, said their grandfather. “Would you boys like to hear of it?” “Oh of course!” they said in unison. “People have for long, tried to find a diamond in these forests”, said the old man. “The diamond, however, is carried by the pygmy hippopotamus. Have you ever seen one?”The boys shook their heads.
“Well, neither have I”, continued their grandfather. “But a lucky few may have seen it in the wild.

The hippo is said to carry a diamond in its mouth, which lights the way as it makes its way through the forest at night. During the day, it hides it at a place that no one can ever find. But if one finds the diamond at night— and gets hold of it— right from the hippo’s mouth— he is the luckiest man on earth.”

Both boys sat open mouthed. “Really Grandpa?” said Gamba. “Wow! They never tell us all this stuff in school!” “Ha ha!” laughed their grandfather. “They sure wouldn’t!” he said with a mischievous smile. “And you say no one has been ever able to get the diamond?” asked Adofo, still struck by awe. “Well, maybe someone did find it”, said their grandfather. “How else would they know it was a diamond? Now off to bed, you two. You’ve had a long day.”

Adofo couldn’t sleep that night. They had just arrived, and Gamba was already trying to put him down. “I should find that diamond and give it to Grandpa”, he thought. “That’s the only way I can prove I am better than that upstart!” Taking his flashlight, Adofo set out into the dead of the night. Being a village, people went to bed early, and there was no one around. Their house was on the edge of the forest, and Adofo silently ventured into the wilderness. He kept his eyes open, hoping to spot the shine of the diamond.

In the beginning, he switched off his flashlight, so that he wouldn’t attract any attention. But after he tripped over a tree root, he decided to switch it back on. Adofo kept walking deeper and deeper into the jungle. Only after he was quite far away from home did he remember that it would be difficult to find his way out! All of a sudden, the thought of the tigers and the lions that could be lurking in the undergrowth made him shiver. At that moment, he saw a bright shining white light far ahead of him. It was a speck, but it was moving!

Adofo forgot all his fears. “That must be the Hippo and the diamond in its mouth!” He hurried on. He could see the other light coming closer and closer. “The hippo’s coming right this way!” he thought gleefully. As the light came close enough, he thrust his hand out and closed around the light. Surprisingly, he didn’t seem to have put his hand into a hippo’s mouth. Instead, he realised that the “light” was attached to a long cylindrical object that was held by another human! “That’s just a flashlight!” he realized.

He found his own flashlight being snatched away from him by the other figure in the dark. But he didn’t let go. He caught the other person by his neck, and both came crashing to the ground. The flashlight rolled to one side, lighting up their faces.
“Adofo!” came a surprised voice. “Gamba?” Adofo was equally surprised. Then he scowled. “So you came to get the diamond before me, huh?” Gamba made a face. “I thought the light from your flashlight was the diamond”, he said. “I thought so too”, said Adofo sheepishly.
A loud roar reverberated through the jungle. Both boys trembled. “Switch off those flashlights, quick”, whispered Adofo. Both boys scrambled behind a boulder and remained hidden there. They could hear some animal approaching, but they were too scared to look. They waited with bated breath, clutching the rock and each other till the sounds died out.

“Let’s go back”, said Adofo, getting up. He pulled Gamba to his feet, and both set off for home. “Yuck, what was that boulder made up of?” complained Gamba, holding up his hands. There were remains of a slight pinkish thick liquid on it. “Must be some plant sap”, said Adofo looking at his own hands. Both quietly went back to bed.

The next morning, Adofo slowly approached his grandfather while Gamba egged him on from behind. “Umm, Grandpa”, he began. “Is that story true? About the pygmy hippos and the diamond?” Their grandfather laughed loudly. “Of course not!” he said. “That’s just a folktale. Did you boys really believe that? And I was joking about the expedition too. We’ll have to go to see the pygmy hippo in one of those national parks. They are very rarely seen in the wild.”

The boys looked embarrassed. How foolish they’d been!Their grandpa continued, “But don’t try to touch a hippo when you see it. It has that blood sweat on its body— a thick pink liquid that it covers itself in to keep cool.”- Sneha Verghese is a research scholar in Journalism at Osmania University, Hyderabad. Also a post-graduate in biotechnology, she loves teaching and writing stories for kids to explain scientific concepts