THE VENGEANCE OF THE WILD 267 



when a crocodile seized him by the leg. What 

 he did, without a moment's hesitation, was to 

 put the muzzle of his gun under water and 

 fire. The crocodile let go and made no further 

 attempt to molest him. The other case, which 

 happened to a native, was even more extra- 

 ordinary. The native had been seized by a 

 crocodile in the Niger. First it took him by 

 the legs. Then it let go, and at last it 

 took hold of him again. The boy, with 

 great presence of mind, stuck his thumbs 

 hard into its eyes, which had the desired 

 effect of making it loose its hold once and for 

 all. He was terribly bitten about the head 

 and arms, but he managed to recover. 



The vengeance of the wild is a risk that 

 sportsmen take without grumbling. In fact, 

 it lends flavour to big game hunting, and it 

 will last until there are no more wild creatures 

 left to shoot. It is a fair risk, and it would 

 be a fairer if the vengeance always fell on the 

 real culprit. Unfortunately, this is not the 

 case. A reckless tourist blazes away at all 

 manner of animals, wounding an elephant or 

 a hippopotamus without taking the trouble to 

 follow it up. The enraged animal then wreaks 

 its vengeance on the next human being who 

 passes that way. For this reason, as also on 



