238 SPORTING ADVENTURES 



enabled us to stretch our cramped limbs 



again. 



Taking to the boat, we dropped down to the 

 mouth of the river, and having picked up a 

 native who volunteered his services as a guide, 

 we walked along the beach for nine miles till 

 we came to a lagoon on the borders of which 

 were many kinds of duck and water-fowl. Dis- 

 persing round the lagoon, we opened a brisk 

 fire on the ducks, bagging several of them ; but 

 most of the birds that fell in deep water were 

 at once seized by alligators, which infested the 

 place. Although these creatures will seldom 

 attack a man in shallow water, still it is not 

 pleasant to have them in close proximity to 

 one's legs ; at one place I had a brace and a 

 half of ducks floating about dead, near me, and 

 as no alligator appeared to claim his share, I 

 waded in "after them. I had already secured 

 two, and was about to lay hold of the third, 

 when an alligator rushed past me under water, 

 and took the bird almost from my hand. As 

 he turned with it in his mouth, he stirred up 



