giving tlie net a more generous tuck-in I stopped the inside 

 stream; then jumping up I got out on to my slippers, around 

 which ants were swarming. First I examined the pans of 

 water in which the bed-legs were standing : across one of 

 these at the head of the bed a company of sappers had thrown 

 a bridge composed of living ants upon which their comrades 

 were crossing and so up the net. Unscrewing the cap of the 

 lamp container I hurriedly splashed out enough oil on the 

 bridge to cause its collapse, and also to form a film of oil on 

 the water beneath, in which many a gallant Horatius Siafu- 

 soldier lost his life. 



The other pans being similarly treated to an accompani- 

 ment of rapidly moving feet, as if I were smitten with St. 

 Vitus's Dance, I went out to the crocodiles' cage. One poor 

 beast about 15 inches in length was revolving round and round 

 in the water, belly and back being alternately uppermost, 

 while all the time he threshed the water with his tail in an 

 effort to rid himself of his inexorable assailants. The edges of 

 the rectangular pan (2 ft. X 1 ft. 6 in.) were lined several 

 deep with a throng of onlookers, which hurled themselves 

 upon the croc, whenever his struggles brought him near 

 the side. Pulling up the glass door and getting a shower of 

 Siafu on my arm in so doing, I pulled the croc, out by his 

 tail and threw him ten feet away, where unfortunately there 

 was a very big swarm of ants. Running to the spot I tossed 

 him outside another ten feet or so ; here we were free from 

 ants, and I leisurely picked him up with a pair of forceps and 

 dropped him into the drinking-pan in a case containing half- 

 a-dozen Puff Adders. In the morning he had freed himself of 

 all his foes save one Siafu on either eyelid; these I picked 

 off with a forceps and got bitten in thanks. He felt very 

 seedy for a day or two, but survived his ordeal. 



Returning to the house I looked for the other crocodile, 

 but it had sought refuge beneath the hay, and as there was 

 no motion or struggle going on I correctly concluded that it 

 was dead. I had had it for more than four months. The 

 tortoises were making such a commotion in their enclosure 

 that I started in that direction, giving the bushes a wide 

 berth as nearly every leaf was crawling with ants; the 



