246 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA 



— I hunted some years with Lord Darlington's 

 fox-hounds. 



After repeated attempts to regain his liberty, 

 the cayman gave in, and became tranquil through 

 exhaustion. I now managed to tie up his jaws, 

 and firmly secured his fore-feet in the position I 

 had held them. We had now another severe strug- 

 gle for superiority, but he was soon overcome 

 and again remained quiet. While some of the 

 people were pressing upon his head and shoulders, 

 I threw myself on his tail, and by keeping it down 

 to the sand, prevented him from kicking up an- 

 other dust. He was finally conveyed to the canoe, 

 and then to the place where we had suspended 

 our hammocks. There I cut his throat ; and, after 

 breakfast was over, commenced the dissection. 



Now that the affray had ceased, Daddy Quashi 

 played a good finger and thumb at breakfast ; he 

 said he found himself much revived, and became 

 very talkative and useful, as there was no longer 

 any danger. He was a faithful, honest negro. 

 His master, my worthy friend Mr. Edmonstone, 

 had been so obliging as to send out particular 

 orders to the colony, that the Daddy should attend 

 me all the time I was in the forest. He had lived 

 in the wilds of Demerara with Mr. Edmonstone 

 for many years; and often amused me with the 

 account of the frays his master had had in the 

 woods with snakes, wild beasts, and runaway 

 negroes. Old age was now coming fast upon him ; 

 he had been an able fellow in his younger days, 

 and a gallant one too, for he had a large scar 

 over his eyebrow, caused by the stroke of a cut- 



