37 8 A Sportswoman in India 



Eventually they came upon the priest, secure, up 

 in the branches of a tree, a crocodile crouched in a 

 bush close at hand waiting for his descent. Having 

 despatched the brute with their rifles, the two com- 

 panions heard the description of the pursuit of the 

 priest by the crocodile : how the monster had 

 suddenly appeared on the river bank, making for 

 the sportsman, who fired and missed him ; how the 

 crocodile gave chase, pursuing the priest by a succession 

 of leaps, jumping rapidly with back crooked like a 

 frightened cat. Providentially, a tree was at hand 

 with low branches, up which the priest flew. 



The sight must have been a nightmare to him for 

 years ; for even in captivity a crocodile is repulsive, 

 with its sixty-eight immense teeth specially made for 

 seizing, and which interlock after the manner of a rat- 

 trap, from which there is no escape ; the two longest 

 teeth in the lower jaw actually penetrate through corre- 

 sponding holes and appear above the top of the 

 upper jaw. 



Muggers are supposed to live to a great age, 

 surpassed only by the tortoise. There is one in the 

 garden at Mutwal, Colombo, known to have been there 

 for a hundred and fifty years ; its age when it was first 

 caught is a mystery. 



Crocodile s tears were an ancient myth, for we find 

 an old chronicler writing : " There are not many bruite 

 beastes that can weepe^but such is the nature of the 

 crocodile that to get a man within his danger, he will 

 sob, sigh and weepe as tho' he were in extremitie, 



