THE FEROCITY OF CROCODILES. 273 



going into the Nile for the pleasure of swimming? 

 He says : 



" Some days after this cruel event, I myself bathed 

 in the Nile, with the doctor of Khartoum, his slaves, 

 and some Turks who had joined us. "We had chosen 

 a safe place, or at all events one so reputed, and in 

 which it was asserted crocodiles had never shown 

 themselves ; besides, we had sufficient prudence not 

 to go far into the river, in order, on the least alarm, 

 to regain the shore promptly ; and, notwithstanding 

 the assurances which had been given us, the slaves 

 threw stones all round us, and kept up a continual 

 noise, to avert all danger. We had hoped, thanks to 

 these precautions, that we were safe from any surprise: 

 unhappily, it was not so. One of our companions, 

 having had the temerity to advance into the middle 

 of the stream, was seized by a crocodile, at the very 

 moment when he was swimming towards us to regain 

 the shore. He immediately uttered a heartrending 

 ciy, extending his arms in every direction. Notwith- 

 standing the peril which menaced us, we rushed 

 towards him just in time to seize hold of him, and 

 to contend with the monster, which was just on the 

 point of dragging him under. A severe struggle 

 ensued, and we thought for an instant that we had 

 come off with a brilliant victory. We had brought 

 our companion fainting to the shore, but a trail of 



T 



