out together what should or should not be done, and 

 what would happen if we did or did not do it. It was 

 Babel and Bedlam let loose. 



With the first plunge the crocodile disappeared, 

 but it came up again ten yards away thrashing the 

 water into foam and going up stream like a paddle- 

 boat gone reeling roaring mad if one can imagine such 

 a thing ! I had another shot at him the instant he 

 ^reappeared, but one could neither see nor hear where 

 it struck ; and again and again I fired whenever he 

 showed up for a second. He appeared to be shot 

 through the lungs ; at any rate the kaffirs on the other 

 bank, who were then quite close enough to see, said 

 that it was so. The waggon boys had run down the 

 bank out on to the first sand spit and I followed them, 

 shouting to the kaffirs opposite to get out of the line 

 of fire, as I could no longer shoot without risk of hitting 

 them. 



The crocodile after his first straight dash up stream 

 had tacked about in all directions during the next 

 few minutes, disappearing for short spells and plunging 

 out again in unexpected places. One of these sudden 

 reappearances brought him once more abreast, and 

 quite near to us, and Jim with a fierce yell and with 

 his assegai held high in his right hand dashed into the 

 water, going through the shallows in wild leaps. I 

 called to him to come back but against his yells and 

 the excited shouts of the ever-increasing crowd my 

 voice could not live ; and Jim, mad with excitement, 

 went on. Twenty yards out, where increasing depth 

 steadied him, he turned for a moment and seeing himself 



386 



