of the river kaffirs from the neighbouring kraal had 

 gathered to the number of thirty or forty, men, women 

 and children, and they stood loosely grouped, instinc- 

 tively still silent and watchful, like a little scattered 

 herd of deer. All on both sides were watching me 

 and waiting for the shot. It seemed useless to delay f 

 longer ; the whole length of the body was showing, 

 but it looked so wanting in thickness, so shallow 

 in fact, that it was evident the crocodile was lying, 

 not on the top, but on the other slope of the sand spit ; 

 and probably not more than six or eight inches in 

 depth of body was visible. 



It was little enough to aim at, and the bullet 

 seemed to strike the top of the bank first, sending 

 up a column of .sand, and then, probably knocked all 

 out of shape, ploughed into the body with a tremendous 

 thump. 



The crocodile threw a back somersault that is, 

 it seemed to rear up on its tail and spring backwards ; 

 the jaws divided into a huge fork as, for a second, it 

 stood up on end ; and it let out an enraged roar, 

 seemingly aimed at the heavens. It was a very sudden 

 and dramatic effect, following on the long silence. 



Then the whole world seemed to burst into in- 

 describable turmoil ; shouts and yells burst out on 

 all sides ; the kafHrs rushed down to the banks 

 the men armed with sticks and assegais, and the 

 women and children with nothing more formidable 

 than their voices ; the crocodile was alive very 

 much alive and in the water ; the waggon boys, 

 headed by Jim, were all round me and all yelling 



385 2B 



