Northern Nigeria 



out to feed in the evenings. Some of the 

 natives kill them from canoes with large harpoon 

 spears. It is, I believe, a very dangerous and 

 exciting game, but I never had the opportunity 

 of joining in or even seeing a hunt. 



Crocodiles were innumerable, and no scruples 

 deterred us from potting at them whenever seen, 

 though our large stern- wheeler made such a noise 

 that one could only get very long shots, and I don't 

 think we did much damage to the brutes. Once 

 later on, on a higher part of the river, we did 

 better shooting. The water was low and sand- 

 banks were sticking up everywhere. Bach sand- 

 bank had several huge brutes on it, and in one 

 morning we killed five so dead that they were 

 unable to get into the water, besides hitting many 

 more very hard indeed. This was also steaming 

 up stream. But the softest thing I ever had was 

 coming down once in a canoe. My canoe-man 

 kept his paddle under water at the stern, using 

 it entirely as a rudder I lay in the bows and, 

 absolutely noiselessly, we drifted close past one 

 crocodile after another, while I put bullets 

 straight into their open jaws. A "croc" 

 generally lies with his jaws wide open, and a 

 shot down his throat is instantaneously fatal. 

 I never troubled to skin them ; it is a big job, 

 and not worth the bother. One of our officers 

 shot a " croc " once through the head on a 



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