THIRD JOURNEY. 197 



cayman hear that something was going on. In fact, 

 the Indian meant it as the cayman's dinner-bell. 



Having done this, we went back to the hammocks, 

 not intending to visit it again till morning. During 

 the night, the jaguars roared and grumbled in the 

 forest, as though the world was going wrong with them, 

 and at intervals we could hear the distant caymen. 

 The roaring of the jaguars was awful ; but it was music 

 to the dismal noise of these hideous and malicious 

 reptiles. 



About half-past five in the morning, the Indian 

 , . stole off silently to take a look at the bait. 



Succeed m 



hooking a Qn arriving at the place he set up a tremen- 



Cayman. *\ r 



dous shout. We all jumped out of our ham- 

 mocks, and ran to him. The Indians got there before 

 me, for they had 110 clothes to put on, and I lost two 

 minutes in looking for my trousers, and in slipping 

 into them. 



We found a cayman, ten feet and a half long, fast to 

 the end of the rope. Nothing now remained to do but 

 to get him out of the water without injuring his scales, 

 " hoc opus, hie labor." We mustered strong : there 

 were three Indians from the creek, there was my own 

 Indian (Yan), Daddy Quashi (the negro from Mrs. Pe- 

 terson's), James (Mr. B. Edmonstone's man, whom I 

 was instructing to preserve birds), and, lastly, myself. 



I informed the Indians that it was my intention to 

 draw him quietly out of the water, and then secure 

 him. They looked and stared at each other, and said 

 I might do it myself, but they would have no hand in 

 it ; the cayman would worry some of us. On saying 

 this, " consedere duces," they squatted on their hams 

 with the most perfect indifference. 



