I have camped by many rivers, from the high country of the North Platte where it crosses the Wyoming border to the sandy bottoms of the San Juan, but never have I watched my step so carefully as this morning on the banks of the Nile. Gorged with water that spills out of Lake Victoria and substantial tributaries upstream, the river at Chobe is a quarter mile wide, swirling around tufts of jungle rock outcroppings and mixing great eddies along the shore that are the perfect depth for bathing hippos. I wanted to get close but was aware that, in spite of their tottering gait, hippos guarding their territory are impossibly fast for their girth. As the watchman put it, they are “too fast” and can even rush up a slope when so inclined. Even more threatening were the Nile crocodiles that float, hidden from the eye, in the “river frosting” vegetation shaken loose by Keruma Falls upriver. A croc can easily snag for lunch an unsuspecting warthog foraging by the river or a human engrossed in IPhone. I checked that my sandals were firmly secured and edged closer, snapping a few shots while Hippo extravagantly cleared her huge bowels. My best chance came when she threw her mouth open wide in my direction. For some reason, my picture came out blurred.

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