i66 The 3\( 



ter , for that his throatc is offuch a ifaftiion , as if there 

 cntred any water, he ftiould eafily be drowned . It is a 

 woonderfull thing to fee a combat betwixt a Caymant 

 and a Tigre, whereof there arc moft cruel! at the todies* 

 A religious man of our company tolde me that he had 

 feenethefebeafts fight moft cruelly one againfttheo- 

 ther; vponthefeafhoarethe Caymant with his taile 

 gave great blovves vnto theTygre, driving with his 

 great force to carry him into the .water: and theTygre 

 with his pawesrefifted the Caymant, drawing him to 

 land.. In the end the Tigre vanquiflied and opened the 

 Lezard; itfeemesby the belly, the which is moft ten- 

 der and penetrable , for in every other parte hee is fo 

 hard, that no lance, and fcarce a harqucbuze can pierce 

 it. Thevidory which an Indian had of a Caymant was 

 yet more rare : the Caimant h^d carried away his yong 

 childe , and fodainely plunged into the fea- the Indian 

 mooved with choller , caftliimfelfe after him, with a 

 knife in his hand , and as they are excellent fwimmers 

 and dievers 5 and the Caymant fwimmcth alvvayes on 

 the toppe of the water , hee hurt him in the belly, and 

 in fuch (brt , that the Caymant feeling himfelfewoun- 

 ded, went to theihoare , leaving the littleinfant dead* 

 But the combate which thelndians have with Whales 

 is yet more admirable, wherein appearcs the power and 

 greatnefle of the Creator, to give fo bafe a Nation (as 

 be the Indians) the induftry and courage to incoiinter 

 the moflrfierce and deformed beaft in the worldc , and 

 only to fight with him,buralio to vanquifh him^not 

 to triumpii over him . Confidering this , 1 have often 

 remembred that place of the Pfalaie r -fpeaking of the 

 Whale, Draco ifle quern forwafti ad illudeKdum 'eimi -r 

 What greater mockeiie can there be, then to fee an In 

 dian 



