THE RIG GAME OF AFRICA 



had had time to shoot thrice, all three shots penetrating 

 the animal from mouth to the end of the tail, and hashing 

 it up in the most terrible way. This brute was over four- 

 teen feet long. No sooner had the villagers seen that 

 their hated enemy was killed than they set upon it with 

 stones, clubs, and spears, almost hacking the thing to 

 pieces, before I had the chance to measure it. 



The wisest way to protect oneself from attacks of croc- 

 odiles, when crossing a river where the water is fairly 

 deep, is first to fire a few shots into the stream. In this 

 way I have several times with safety crossed rivers which 

 were full of crocodiles, without any of them having put 

 in appearance anywhere near the place. The only shots 

 which will instantly kill a crocodile are those that either 

 hit the brain, break the spine back of the neck, or else tear 

 the heart literally to pieces. A bullet that simply goes 

 through the heart will not hinder the monster from rush- 

 ing back into the water and disappearing before it dies. 

 The skin of the African crocodile is so much rougher and 

 thicker than that of the American alligator, that it does 

 not seem to have any commercial value, otherwise some 

 enterprising person would be able in a short while to 

 secure a great number of hides of these hideous reptiles 

 from this part of Africa. 



There are also a great number of game birds in the 

 Protectorate. The meat of these constitutes a most pal- 

 atable variation from that of the antelopes, but, strange 

 to say, even the birds seem to be somewhat " dryer," and 

 more devoid of fat than the kindred game birds of north- 

 ern regions, just as the antelope meat is, as a rule, less 



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