Chap. IV. ALLIGATORS. 265 



The next day we again beat the pool. Although we 

 had proof of there being a great number of turtles 

 yet remaining, we had very poor success. The old 

 Indians told us it would be so, for the turtles were " la- 

 dino" (cunning), and would take no notice of the beating 

 a second day. When the net was formed into a circle, 

 and the men had jumped in, an alligator was found to be 

 inclosed. No one was alarmed, the only fear expressed 

 being that the imprisoned beast would tear the net. 

 First one shouted, " I have touched his head ;" then 

 another, " he has scratched my leg ;" one of the men, 

 a lanky Miranha, was thrown off his balance, and then 

 there was no end to the laughter and shouting. At last 

 a youth of about fourteen years of age, on my calling to 

 him, from the bank, to do so, seized the reptile by the 

 tail, and held him tightly until, a little resistance being- 

 overcome, he was able to bring it ashore. The net was 

 opened, and the boy slowly dragged the dangerous but 

 cowardly beast to land through the muddy water, a dis- 

 tance of about a hundred yards. Meantime, I had cut 

 a strong pole from a tree, and as soon as the alligator 

 was drawn to solid ground, gave him a smart rap 

 with it on the crown of his head, which killed him 

 instantly. It was a good- sized individual ; the jaws 

 being considerably more than a foot long, and fully 

 capable of snapping a man's leg in twain. The species 

 was the large cayman, the Jacare-uassu of the Amazo- 

 nian Indians (Jacare nigra). 



On the third day we sent our men in the boats to 

 net turtles in another larger pool, about five miles fur- 

 ther down the river, and on the fourth returned to Ega. 



