SOUTH AMERICA. 229 



at the countenances of the people round me, I THIRD 



JOURNEY. 



could plainly see that they expected to have a 



cayman that night. 



We were at supper, when the Indian, who 

 seemed to have had one eye on the turtle-pot, 

 and the other on the bait in the river, said he saw 

 the cayman coming. 



Upon looking towards the place, there ap- 

 peared something on the water like a black log 

 of wood. It was so unlike any thing alive, that 

 I doubted if it were a cayman ; but the Indian 

 smiled, and said, he was sure it was one, for 

 he remembered seeing a cayman, some years ago, 

 when he was in the Essequibo. 



At last it gradually approached the bait, and 

 the board began to move. The moon shone so 

 bright, that we could distinctly see him open 

 his huge jaws, and take in the bait. We pulled 

 the rope. He immediately let drop the bait; 

 and then we saw his black head retreating from 

 the board, to the distance of a few yards; and 

 there it remained quite motionless. 



He did not seem inclined to advance again ; 

 and so we finished our supper. In about an 

 hour's time he again put himself in motion, and 

 took hold of the bait. But, probably, suspecting 

 that he had to deal with knaves and cheats, 

 he held it in his mouth, but did not swallow it. 

 We pulled the rope again, but with no better 

 success than the first time. 



