84 ANIMAL LIFE IN AFRICA 



immediately seized the boy by the leg ; but on the white 

 man, who was not carrying a gun, beating it with a stick, 

 it let go and made off. When quite close to a river or 

 pool, however, much greater confidence is displayed. 

 I have heard of a native, sleeping on a hot night in the 

 doorway of a hut close to the river, being attacked and 

 dragged in. Healy was riding along the bank of the Sabi 

 one afternoon, when his dog chased a monkey into the 

 reeds ; a moment later there was a yelp followed by a 

 splash, and that was the last he heard of his companion, 

 which probably had run into a crocodile lying close to 

 the water's edge. 



It is certain that when lions happened to have killed 

 anything on the bank, a large crocodile will sometimes 

 come ashore at night and take it away from them. Such 

 a one came out of the water and drove away five lions 

 from the carcass of a waterbuck they had killed on the 

 banks of the Olifants River. The lions had apparently 

 given way without showing any fight at all, merely 

 running about and probably growling while the crocodile 

 dragged the carcass into the water. Well protected 

 above by his scaly armour, he is vulnerable to teeth and 

 claws, however powerful, underneath only, while as an 

 offensive weapon his flail-like tail forms a useful adjunct 

 to his terrible jaws. I have heard one reliable instance 

 of a crocodile having been killed in such an encounter 

 with lions, but several of the latter were said to have been 

 responsible. Of course, when caught actually at the 

 water's edge a lion stands no more chance than any other 

 animal. 



Though always cunning and suspicious, the crocodile at 

 times evinces considerable audacity in the pursuit of his 

 prey. Natives are occasionally knocked off the gunwales 

 of their canoes by a flick from the tail, or a blow from the 



