HUNTING THE CROCODILE. 465 



on the coast of Africa, takes a long knife in his right hand, 

 and wraps a thick cloth round his left, and goes into the 

 reedy swamps on the borders of the rivers, in search of this 

 terrible animal. The crocodile rushes at him with open 

 mouth, but he thrusts his covered arm between its jaws in a 

 moment. The teeth cannot pierce through the thick folds 

 of the cloth, so that his arm only gets squeezed a little, and 

 before the creature can disengage itself, the man quickly cuts 

 its throat with his sharp knife. 



Mr. Waterton tells an amusing story of his riding an alli- 

 gator, which is another species of the crocodile. He caught 

 one, ten feet and a half long, with a strong rope and a hook. 

 His people proceeded to drag it on shore, while he waited 

 near the water's edge, with a pole in his hand ready to push 

 it down the creatures throat, in order to kill it. As soon as 

 it came to land, however, Mr. Waterton perceived that the 

 the crocodile was frightened, and taking advantage of its 

 terror, he dropped his pole, and instantly leaped upon its 

 back, bestriding it as if it had been a horse. He then seized 

 its fore legs, and by main force twisted them over its back, 

 which served as a bridle. The crocodile did not like this, and 

 plunged about furiously, lashing the sand with his powerful 

 tail ; but the people were highly delighted with the sight, and 

 dragged the animal and his rider forty yards high on the sand, 

 its jaws was then tied up, and its fore feet secured in the 

 position in which they had been placed ; and it was at last 

 killed, and taken to England. 



There are some terrible accounts of the ferocity of alli- 

 gators ; the following, mentioned by Mrs. Trollope, is very 

 shocking : " It is said, that some points of shis dismal river, 

 (the Mississippi,) crocodiles are so abundant, as to add to the 

 terror of their attacks to the other sufferings of a dwelling 

 there. We were told a story of a squatter, who having 

 ' located' himself close to the river's edge, proceeded to build 

 his cabin. This operation is soon performed ; for social feeling 



