ADTENTUEE OF A GIEL. 121 



rous reptiles. They related the history of a young girl of 

 Uritucu, who, by singular intrepidity and presence of 

 mind, saved herself from the jaws of a crocodile. When 

 she felt herself seized, she sought the eyes of the animal, 

 and plunged her fingers into them with such violence, that 

 the pain forced him to let her go, after having bitten off 

 the lower part of her left arm. !N'otwithstanding the enor- 

 mous quantity of blood she lost, the girl reached the 

 shore, swimming with the hand that still remained to her. 

 In those desert countries, where man was ever wrestling 

 with nature, discourse daily turned on the best means 

 that might be employed to escape from a tiger, a boa, or 

 a crocodile ; every one prepared himself in some sort for 

 the dangers that might await him. " I knew," said the 

 young girl of Uritucu coolly, "that the cayman lets go> 

 his hold, if you push your fingers into his eyes." After ' 

 his return to Europe, Humboldt learned that m the inte- 

 rior of Africa the negroes knew and practised the same 

 means of defence. Isaac, the guide of the unfortunate 

 Mungo Park, was twice seized by a crocodile, and twice 

 escaped from the jaws of the monster, having succeeded 

 in thrusting his fingers into the creature's eyes while 

 under water. The African Isaac, and the young Ameri- 

 can girl, owed their safety to the same presence of mind, 

 and the same combination of ideas. 



Humboldt often saw young crocodiles biting their tails ; 

 and other observers have seen the same action in croco- 

 diles at their full growth. If their movements almost 

 always appear to be straight forward, it is because, hke 

 lizards, they move by starts. Crocodiles are excellent 

 swimmers ; they go with facility against the most rapid 

 current. It appeared to Humboldt, however, that in 



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