the ordinary shelving bedrock, uptilted at an easy 

 angle and cut off sheer on the exposed side, and the 

 wave in the current would have shown this to any one 

 not wholly occupied with other things ; but I had eyes 

 for nothing except the crocodile which was then less 

 than a dozen yards off, and in my anxiety to secure a 

 firm footing for the shot I moved the right foot again 

 a few inches over the edge of the rock. The result 

 was as complete a spill as if one unthinkingly stepped 

 backwards off a diving board : I disappeared in deep 

 water, with the knowledge that the crocodile would 

 join me there in a few seconds. 



One never knows how these things are done or how 

 long they take : I was back on the rock without the 

 rifle and had the water out of my eyes in time to see 

 the crocodile roll helplessly by, six feet away, with 

 Jock behind making excited but ridiculously futile 

 attempts to get hold of the tail ; Jim swimming, 

 plunging and blowing like a maddened hippo formed 

 the tail of the procession, which was headed by my 

 water-logged hat floating heavily a yard or so in front 

 of the crocodile. 



While a crowd of yelling niggers under the general- 

 ship of Jim were landing the crocodile, I had time to do 

 some diving, and managed to fish out my rifle. 



My Sunday change was wasted. But we got the 

 old crocodile ; and that was something, after all. 



