PtENCONTRE WITH AN ALLIGATOR. 263 



make man their victim ; and the alligators of continental 

 America are not behind them. Those of the great rivers 

 of South America appear to be more savage than their 

 northern comxener. Waterton and other observers have 

 recorded terrible examples of their voracity ; and I will 

 add one from a more recent traveller, an ofhcer engaged 

 in the wars which liberated the South American provinces 

 from the Spanish supremacy. 



During JMorillo's campaign in the Apuri country, three 

 officers w^ere on their route with despatches from Colonel 

 Rangel's camp at Congrial, to General Paez's head-quarters 

 at Cana Fistola ; and, not being able to procure a canoe, 

 were obliged to swim their horses over a small branch of 

 the lagoon of Cunavichi, which lay across the road, carry- 

 ino- as usual their .saddles on their heads. Two of the 

 party were brothers, by name Gamarra, natives of Varinas. 

 One of them, a lieutenant of Paez's Lancers, loitered so 

 long on the bank, as only to have just entered the water 

 at the moment his comrades had reached the oj^posite side. 

 When he w^as nearly half-way across, they saw a large 

 cayman, which was known to infest this pass, issuing 

 from under the mangrove-trees. They instantly warned 

 their companion of his danger ; but it was too late for 

 him to turn back. AYhen the alligator was so close as 

 to be on the point of seizing him, he threw his saddle to 

 it. The ravenous animal immediately caught the whole 

 bundle in its jaws, and disapjDeared for a few moments ; 

 but soon discovered its mistake, and rose in front of the 

 horse, which, tlien seeing it for the first time, reared and 



