THE STORY OF THE CROCODILE. 331 



on his knee and left hand, holds out as a bait his right hand, which grasps 

 the double-pointed stick. The alligator opens its jaws and shuts them vio- 

 lently on the hand; but finding itself caught, makes in all haste for the river. 

 The negro holds on till the alligator, unable to close its mouth, drowns. 



On our voyage up the Amazon we halted, from time to time, when we 

 came in sight of a good place for fishing. It was generally the mouth of 

 some branch, or one of the numerous shallows. We had no^ difficulty in 

 finding the spot, no need even to ask a native. The flocks of snowy herons, 

 ranged like sentries, or the abundance of long alligators about the spot, 

 announced not only this fact, but the intention of their presence there. 



It was curious to watch their proceedings. An Indian, stripping off his 

 bark shirt, creeps slowly through the shallow water toward an alligator with 

 a sling in his left hand and in his right a pole, with a slip-noose at the end 

 of a stout rawhide. Though the alligator sees him coming, it will not 

 attempt either to attack or fly; it lies lazily there, looking steadily with its 

 protruding eyes at the bold hunter, occasionally giving a lazy movement 

 with its powerful tail. It does not seem to notice the n6ose when actually 

 before its eyes. 



The hunter suddenly throws it over the monster's head, and draws it 

 taut with a steady jerk. Then the other Indians, who have been watching, 

 rush on, and with a long, strong pull they all land the creature, struggling 

 to get back, and lashing sand and water with its powerful tail, A few vigor- 

 ous blows of an ax on the head and tail soon disable it. 



It is rather curious that the alligator never seems to rush on its antago- 

 nists. A single movement in that direction would scatter them all in a 

 moment. They would drop pole and loop and ax, and run for dear life. The 

 Indians are so expert that accidents from the tail are rare. 



They like the flesh, but they begin by cutting out from under the jaws 

 and belly, near the tail, four musk-glands, in pairs, which if left, diffuse their 

 flavor through the whole body. These glands are a valuable article of com- 

 merce; and the Indians tie them up carefully and dry them in the sun. 

 Mixed with a little rose-water, the contents of these glands perfume the raven 

 locks of elegant Bolivian ladies at Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Cochabamba, 

 whose nose can stand and enjoy its powerful odor as they do a bull-fight, 

 but who, gracefully as they roll cigaritos and dance their favorite dances, 

 often cannot write their names. 



