CROCODILE CATCHING. 81 



it writhed and twisted and turned on every side 

 and in every direction, the rope caught an out- 

 stretched leg on one side, made a loop round it, 

 and then caught in a leg on the other side. As 

 each limb was caught we let out more line, so that, 

 while of course the line was always taut, there was 

 sufficient length of it between the crocodile and 

 ourselves to enable it to entangle itself still further. 

 In a few minutes all four legs were caught, and 

 the animal's struggles became less violent ; for 

 though most of its power lay in its tail, yet the 

 legs were needed to balance the body in the water, 

 and without this balance its muscular efforts became 

 ill-directed and uncertain. Twice in its contortions 

 the crocodile slipped the ropes from its legs, and 

 the struggle began anew until they were again 

 entangled. In the restraint of the entangling ropes 

 the crocodile's efforts, though they increased rather 

 than otherwise, had only a diminishing effect, and 

 a few more minutes were all that was necessary. 

 " I think that we can manage now," Manap said. 

 We both pulled our lines in until the crocodile was 

 a few feet from the canoe. "Will you take both 

 lines one in each hand?" Manap handed his line 

 over to me, and picked up a piece of stout box- 

 cord some three or four yards long with a running 

 noose at one end of it. "Now hold steady with 

 the line on the spear-head and pull hard on the 

 hook-line, so as to bring his head as far as possible 

 above the water." I followed the directions, and as 

 the open mouth appeared above the water Manap 

 dexterously slipped the noose over the animal's 



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